Young Chicago priest under investigation for alleged child abuse during retreat confessions

CHICAGO (OSV News) — The Archdiocese of Chicago announced Sept. 6 that a state investigation is underway into alleged sexual abuse by a newly ordained priest.

In letters addressed to the two churches where Father Martin Nyberg served starting in June 2023, Chicago Cardinal Blase J. Cupich said the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, or DCFS, is looking into allegations against Father Nyberg “they termed child exploitation and child molestation during a public penance service.”

The cardinal stated in the letter the accused priest “strenuously denies the allegations.”

Father Nyberg, whom the archdiocese listed as 28 years old at his ordination in May, began his priesthood as associate pastor starting July 1 at St. Josaphat Parish in Chicago. From June 2023 through May 2024, he served as deacon at St. Paul of the Cross Parish in the western suburbs.

Cardinal Cupich said he “asked Father Nyberg to step aside from his ministry until civil authorities have completed their investigations and our Independent Review Board has presented its recommendations to me.”

A spokeswoman for the Illinois DCFS confirmed to OSV News “there is an active investigation” into the allegations against Father Nyberg, but she did not give further details about the case which she said is protocol when cases are active.

A local news report confirmed that parents met with St. Josaphat School representatives Sept. 5 about the allegations some of their children made concerning Father Nyberg. The parents reportedly said their children who attended an eighth-grade confirmation retreat in August, alleged the priest asked inappropriate sexual questions during confession and reported that he “inappropriately touched” several of them.

In another local TV news story, a St. Josaphat parent whose children are reportedly younger than those who made the allegations said the school, parish and archdiocese “reacted extremely fast” in notifying civil and church authorities. Brian Patton told WGN TV, “There’s nobody more angry about this situation than priests. I want to make sure that’s very clear” and added that “I’ve got nothing but empathy for the kids and the parents” involved.

A spokeswoman for the archdiocese told OSV News in a text message there was “no other information to share other than what’s in the letter. The case is being handled according to our policies and we will inform you of the outcomes.”

Sara Larson, executive director of Awake, an abuse survivors organization based in Milwaukee, said in an email to OSV News, “While the Catholic Church has made significant progress in preventing sexual abuse of minors, the unfortunate reality is that gaps still exist in our safety measures, and abuse can still happen today. While I can’t comment on the truth of these specific allegations (against Father Nyberg), the power differential present in many pastoral situations, including the sacrament of reconciliation, creates an inherent vulnerability that can easily be taken advantage of.”

Awake is a group of “abuse survivors, concerned Catholics and allies” that addresses abuse in the Catholic Church. It offers virtual survivor support programs and tips and techniques on dealing with abuse among other resources, and has a survivors advisory panel that gives feedback on its offerings.

“It’s especially troubling when we hear about allegations against priests who were recently ordained,” said Larson. “While most dioceses have implemented more careful screening of seminarians, we must continue asking what we can do better, both before and after ordination, to evaluate and train priests, especially in the area of sexuality and healthy boundaries.”

In the letter, Cardinal Cupich said the archdiocese also offered assistance to those who have alleged abuse in accordance with its policies on protection of children and youth.

According to the archdiocesan website, its Office of Assistance Ministry “provides pastoral care, support and resources to victims/survivors of clerical abuse, and their loved ones” in their efforts to heal psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. Once formal allegations are made the office offers spiritual direction, and counseling. Its website also lists services ranging from reporting agencies to support groups and a link to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ resource page for victim assistance.

In May 2023, the Illinois Attorney General’s office released a nearly 700-page report documenting about 2,000 cases of child sex abuse by Catholic clergy and religious brothers across all six Illinois dioceses over almost 70 years starting in 1950. The report was the culmination of a state investigation that began in 2018 with just 103 substantiated cases from just two Illinois dioceses including the Chicago Archdiocese.

The attorney general’s office combed through thousands of child abuse claims files, more than 100,000 diocesan documents, held numerous interviews with diocesan officials and their general counsels and documented more than 600 confidential points of contact with victims through interviews, letters, email and phone conversations. It found 451 clerics and religious brothers perpetrated the abuses.

The report includes 50 pages of recommendations of policies to handle clergy child abuse cases that the attorney general’s office said should be considered in addition to the uniform policies that all six Illinois dioceses had adopted (as a result of the attorney general investigation) to make their already existing protocols more robust.

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