A former priest accused of molesting children says Pope Leo XIV, then known as Robert Prevost, approved his relocation to a Hyde Park monastery in 2000—just steps from a Catholic school—even though allegations of abuse had already been raised against him.
James M. Ray, who was defrocked by the Catholic Church in 2012, told the Chicago Sun-Times that Prevost, then head of the Midwest Province of the Augustinian order, authorized his move to St. John Stone Friary, less than a block from St. Thomas the Apostle Elementary School and directly across from a child care center.
“He’s the one who gave me permission to stay there,” Ray said, adding that a now-deceased priest, Rev. James Thompson, who served as his on-site monitor, also confirmed the arrangement.
Ray had been placed on “limited ministry with restrictions” in 1990 due to s*xual abuse allegations but continued working in parishes until 2000. That year, the Archdiocese of Chicago arranged alternative housing for him, which turned out to be in close proximity to children. According to the report, neither the school nor the child care center was informed.
At the time, Prevost was responsible for accepting new residents at the friary. While Ray maintains Prevost signed off on his stay, an attorney for the Augustinians, Michael Airdo, disputed this, stating that the final decision was made by Thompson and Cardinal Francis George. Airdo argued Prevost’s role was limited to “accepting a guest,” while Thompson had “exclusive control” over admissions.
Church records, however, falsely stated that “there was no school in the immediate area,” according to the Sun-Times. Ray remained at the monastery until 2002, when new guidelines from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops required stricter separation of accused clergy from children. He was removed from ministry and eventually laicized a decade later.
Despite his removal, Ray says his faith remains intact.
“I felt abandoned by the Church, but never by God. My faith is still strong. I live out my life the best I can.”
In 2014, Cardinal George released internal documents revealing that Ray’s victims were between 10 and 18 years old. The allegations included inappropriate massages that turned s*xual, mutual masturbation, and a 1993 incident in which Ray admitted to masturbating a paraplegic man while on pilgrimage in Medjugorje.
A 2023 Illinois Attorney General report concluded that Ray had molested at least 13 children. In a recent interview, Ray initially downplayed the claims but later acknowledged:
“I can’t change the past… On a scale of 1 to 10, I was wrong—but it was a 1, or maybe a half even.”
This is not the first time Pope Leo XIV has faced criticism for inaction on abuse claims. As bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, between 2014 and 2023, he was accused of failing to investigate two priests despite receiving victim testimonies and documentation.
Though Prevost eventually met with accusers and advised them to report to civil authorities, the Church’s internal probe was later dropped due to a lack of evidence and expired legal deadlines.
In a 2023 interview, Prevost emphasised the need for transparency: “Silence is not the solution… There is a great responsibility in this, for all of us.”
