Chicago Sun-Times: CHICAGO  Most of the 14 Roman Catholic priests in the Chicago Archdiocese removed indefinitely from ministry two years ago amid allegations of sexual misconduct with minors will not face church trials after all, Cardinal Francis George revealed in a letter to priests earlier this week.
The Aug. 20 letter explains that the Vatican recently instructed him to send "some" of the 14 cases to church trials that will be adjudicated by canonical judges from outside the Chicago archdiocese. Following church protocol, George had asked the Vatican how to proceed with the cases against the priests and had been awaiting a response from Rome for many months.
In the letter, George said "most" of the cases against the 14 priests would be settled administratively with "assessors" rather than judges, and that he would make the final decision about their fates.
