Defrocked priest accused of abuse makes shocking Pope claim

Chicago-born Robert Prevost became the 267th person to become Pope. He is the first Augustinian pope and the second Roman Pontiff — after Pope Francis — from the Americas. 

He will be known as Pope Leo XIV.

Weeks into his reign, Pope Leo is facing accusations by a defrocked priest accused of s**ual abuse of children.

The former priest, James M. Ray, claimed that it was Pope Leo himself — who at that time served as the head of the Midwest province of the Catholic Church’s Augustinian order — signed an order that let him live at a Hyde Park monastery by a Catholic primary school. Ray added that Prevost was well aware of the claims made against him about abusing at least 13 children, the Mirror reported.

Maria Grazia Picciarella/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

“He’s the one who gave me permission to stay there,” Ray revealed.

Despite the allegations, Ray moved less than a block from St. Thomas the Apostle Elementary School. The school was not informed of his presence near their facility. What’s more, there was also a daycare center just across the alley.

When they let Ray settle next to the school, archdiocesan officials wrongly stated there were “no schools in the immediate area.”

While a 2020 memo states that Prevost was informed of Ray’s history of abuse, he still approved his stay.

Getty Images

However, a lawyer for the Augustinians claimed that Prevost was only “accepting a guest” and wasn’t responsible of daily oversight of Ray. According to the lawyer, it was a responsibility of the now-deceased Rev. James Thompson.

After spending two years at the monastery, Ray was removed and in 2012 he was defrocked by the Catholic Church. Despite the accusations against him, he was never convicted and is not on any government s*x offender registry.

Getty Images

“I felt abandoned by the church, but never felt abandoned by God,” Ray said. “My faith is still strong. I live out my life each day the best I can. When this comes up, there’s a pain in my chest.”

In the face of the Church’s global abuse crisis, Pope Leo asks for transparency and healing.

“Silence is not the solution. We must be transparent and honest. We must accompany and assist the victims, because otherwise their wounds will never heal,” Prevost told Vatican News in 2023.

Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.

Bored Daddy

Love and Peace

Monica Pop
Monica Pop
Monica Pop is a senior writer for Bored Daddy magazine covering the latest trending and popular articles across the United States and around the world.

More from author

Related posts

Latest posts

Shocking claims from Area 51: Man’s DNA ‘permanently altered’ and others killed by ‘invisible enemy’

US Air Force veterans working at Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), known as the secretive Area 51, revealed shocking details about members of the staff dying...

Ozzy Osbourne dies aged 76 just weeks after farewell show

Ozzy Osbourne, the frontman of heavy metal band Black Sabbath, has died in the UK at the age of 76. His family confirmed his sudden passing...

Trump under fire for posting fake AI video of Obama being arrested

Donald Trump received backlash after posting an AI generated video of Former President Barack Obama being arrested by FBI agents inside the Oval Office....

Woman claims she met Trump in Epstein’s office as she details ‘troubling encounter’ with president

Maria Farmer, an artist who accused disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his longtime partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, of sexual assault, recalled...

Pregnant woman among at least five dead in Indonesian ferry fire

At least five people, including a pregnant woman, died after a ferry carrying over 280 passengers caught fire near North Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Sunday....

Supreme Court sides with Trump administration on contested deportation policy

The US Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration, allowing it to resume the deportation of some migrants to third countries without any notice...