Wicker Park Priest Charged With Sexual Abuse

CHICAGO — A priest at a church in Wicker Park has been charged with sexually abusing two women and attacking a 17-year-old girl, police said. The Archdiocese of Chicago said Friday afternoon that the priest has been suspended from his duties.

Rigoberto Gámez, 52, of the 2300 block of West Le Moyne Avenue in Wicker Park, has been charged with two felony counts of criminal sexual abuse involving force and one misdemeanor count of battery, according to the Chicago Police Department.

Gámez is accused of groping a woman in 2016 and another woman in 2017, the charges allege.

According to a July bulletin for the Saint Aloysius Parish in Wicker Park, Gámez has held various posts at several churches in the city since 2005. He has previously worked as a pastor in Our Lady Tepeyac Church in the city's Little Village neighborhood, and was most recently a resident priest at St. Aloysius Parish. He was also an associate vicar for Canonical Services for the Archdiocese.

The Archdiocese of Chicago said it "will fully cooperate with the authorities in this matter."

"Additional measures will be introduced to train all priests and parish personnel on sexual harassment and boundary violation prevention," the Archdiocese said in a statement. "Only by adhering to proper behavioral standards and a continued enforcement of our code of conduct will people feel respected and safe in workplaces and worship and service sites throughout the archdiocese."

Gámez is scheduled to appear back in court on Oct. 19.

Top image via Chicago Police Department