Community Corner
Catholic Priest Who Abused 7-Year Old Banned From Ministry
Chicago Archdiocese won't reinstate the Rev. Bruce Wellems, an active volunteer in Back of the Yards.
CHICAGO, IL - A longtime priest and volunteer at Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in the city’s Back of the Yards neighborhood has been banned from active ministry by the Chicago Archdiocese.
The Rev. Bruce Wellems, 59, has admitted to abusing a 7-year-old boy when he was 15. Archbishop Blase Cupich made the final call not to reinstate his ministry, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Wellems has also been removed as a priest with the Claretian Missionaries, his religious order.
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Wellems’ victim, now a 51-year-old man living in Colorado, applauded the Archdiocese decision.
"They did the right thing,"he told the Tribune. "Zero tolerance means just that. It's good for the church to follow its own rules."
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Wellems has been a priest and community activist at the Back of the Yards parish since 1986. He’s created youth programs and has been active in the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council since then.
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