In May 2025, former Chicago priest James M. Ray, who has been credibly accused of sexually abusing at least 13 minors, claimed that Pope Leo XIV, then known as Robert Prevost, knowingly approved his move to a monastery located just metres from a Catholic school. The decision allegedly dates back to 2000, when Prevost was head of the Midwest province of the Augustinian order.
Ray, who had been removed from public ministry in 1991, says he was allowed to reside at St. John Stone Friary in Hyde Park, which sits only half a block from St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School. His claim has reawakened long-standing concerns about the Catholic Church's historic handling of child abuse and placed Pope Leo XIV's past leadership decisions under sharp scrutiny.
