Chicago Churches Provided Financial Support To Children Fathered By Priests

After the New York Times published a story about Catholic priests fathering thousands of children across the globe Monday, a Chicago Archdiocese confirmed that some of their priests did break the celibacy vow and were financially supported by the churches after their children were born.

A Chicago Archdiocese spokeswoman told NBC Chicago in an interview that at least four unidentified priests living in the area had fathered children in the past, although she refused to confirm whether they were still assigned to Chicago parishes.

"Provisions were made in each case for the care of the child, and in general, the priest made arrangements to reimburse the archdiocese for amounts paid for such care," the spokeswoman said, adding the last such case was noted 20 years ago.

Although financial support from the churches for the priests’ children varied from case to case, it usually lasted through college, the spokeswoman said, refusing to release any further information to protect the privacy of everyone involved. She did, however, stress upon the fact that the churches made sure the priests in question understood their responsibilities toward the children – something that was also emphasized in the secret Vatican guidebook that exists for priests who bear “children of the ordained.”

Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti told the Times the internal document, issued in 2017, listed the “fundamental principle” as the “protection of the child.” Under the guidelines, priests who father children are urged to “assume his responsibilities as a parent by devoting himself exclusively to the child” and leave the priesthood in order to do so.

However, Monsignor Andrea Ripa, the undersecretary in the Congregation for the Clergy, said it was “impossible to impose” the dismissal of the priest and such an act can only be requested by the priest in question. Only if the priest fails to fulfill that obligation can a church choose to take action. “If you don’t ask, you will be dismissed,” he said.

Former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who investigated priest sex abuse in the state, said he was told by bishops that they got reports of priests engaging in consensual sexual relationships.

"When I did speak to the bishops from the state of Illinois, virtually all of them said to me, look, you're going to get reports from people about relationships that priests are having that are with adult women that are consensual," Madigan said. "There was a time that priests were allowed to marry and so it is a policy change that they should consider making at this point.”

While most of the children might be the result of priests having consensual affairs with laywomen or nuns, some of the cases were because of sexual abuse.

Questions like how many children were fathered by priests or how much monetary compensation from church they received still remain unanswered. The Times report drew attention to a support group website for priests’ children, called "Coping International. Children of Catholic Priests," which caters to 50,000 users in 175 countries.