Hermosa Priest Found Not Guilty In Sexual Misconduct Case

CHICAGO — A Chicago pastor has been found not guilty after he was accused of "conduct violations involving a minor," the Archdiocese of Chicago said. The minor, who was a church employee, said the pastor engaged in inappropriate behavior in July.

Father Gary Graf, a pastor of San José Luis Sánchez del Rio Parish in the Hermosa neighborhood, agreed to step aside while the archdiocese and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigated the claims.

A judge found Graf not guilty in a Wednesday bench trial.

The teenager who accused Graf of misconduct said the pastor would rub his shoulders and offered him a free car, according to a WGN report. The teen said the church secretary phoned him and said Graf was attracted to him, according to the report.

In a statement, the Archdiocese of Chicago said the DCFS ruled the allegations against Graf were "unfounded," and that "...no credible evidence of child abuse or neglect was found."

"Now that the public authorities have completed their investigations and the court has rendered a verdict, the archdiocese, in accordance with its established procedures, will bring to conclusion its own investigation and will provide its findings to its Independent Review Board for the Board’s determinations and recommendations to Cardinal Cupich," the Archdiocese of Chicago said in the statement. "The results of his process will be made public."

Bishop Alberto Rojas has been serving as administrator of San José Luis Sánchez del Rio Parish while Graf is away.

For years, Graf has been an outspoken supporter of refugees and undocumented people living in the United States. Graf went on a hunger strike last year in support of "Dreamers," undocumented immigrants brought into the country as children who are seeking a path to permanent residency.

Image: Archdiocese of Chicago, via Google Maps Streetview