Warm greetings to you as you gather for Shabbat services this morning. Thank you to Rabbi Michael Siegel, Executive Director Mimi Weisberg, and the staff of Anshe Emet for such a gracious welcome. It may be a bit of an understatement to say that it is unusual to have a Catholic bishop speaking as part of your weekly shabbat service. Then again, these are not normal times.

Today, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul published a report (the Report) on his office’s investigation of allegations of child sexual abuse against clergy in the six Illinois Catholic dioceses over a period of nearly 90 years. The Report addresses both how dioceses responded to such allegations in decades past and current policies that help ensure the safety of children and support the healing of survivors. We have not studied the report in detail but have concerns about data that might be misunderstood or are presented in ways that could be misleading. It is therefore important that we state what we know to be true.

Cardinal Wilton Gregory’s exceptional faith journey began more than six decades ago at St. Carthage Catholic School on the South Side of Chicago. There, he felt God’s call to the priesthood even though he was not a Catholic.

The Archdiocese of Chicago distributed the attached letters today to the following parishes regarding the reinstatement of Father James Flynn to ministry.

Dear Parishioners of Most Holy Redeemer Parish, Thank you for your patience and prayers during the absence of your Associate Pastor, Father Paul Guzman. As I recently informed you, the Archdiocese received an allegation of child sexual abuse against Father Guzman dating back to a time long before he was ordained a priest. In accordance with our policies for the protection of children and youth, the Archdiocese Independent Review Board, assisted by our Office of Child Abuse Investigation and Review and outside investigators, conducted a thorough review of the allegation.

Dear Parishioners of St. Francis de Sales Parish, Last September, I informed you of new allegations the Archdiocese of Chicago received, accusing Fr. David F. Ryan of sexually abusing a minor. In keeping with our procedures, he once again was asked to step aside from his pastoral duties until a thorough investigation and process could be completed. He has fully cooperated with civil authorities and the Archdiocese of Chicago during these months.

Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council, Each year at the Archdiocese of Chicago we work through our parishes and Catholic Charities to help hundreds of thousands of people in need of all faiths and none. This mission of charity is paramount to our faith and of critical importance as pandemic and inflation-related challenges increase the burdens on our neighbors. As written, the proposed Human Service Workforce Advancement Ordinance puts that mission and those we serve in peril.

Today we join Pope Francis and Catholics across the world in mourning the death of Pope Benedict XVI who has gone home to the God he served faithfully.

We have read with great concern the reports of Pope Benedict XVI’s declining health.

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, In so many ways—large and small—the pandemic has upended our lives together. Families and, in a special way, young people, have faced distressing struggles. The pandemic made our connections with one another challenging and difficult. Exactly in that moment when we truly needed supportive relationships with one another, we found ourselves separated. Sadly, this included the relationships and connections that we have in and through the Church.