Buffalo Grove priest on leave amid investigation into abuse claim

A Catholic priest who has served as associate pastor of a Buffalo Grove parish for more than 15 years has been placed on leave amid an investigation into a decades-old sexual abuse allegation.

The Rev. Denis Manuel Carneiro of St. Mary Parish has been withdrawn from the ministry and directed to live away from the parish during an investigation into the accusations, Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, wrote in a letter to the parish community Saturday.

“While he strenuously denies the allegation, he has complied with this direction,” Cupich wrote.

Similar letters were sent Saturday to Holy Family Parish in Inverness, where Carneiro served from 1999 to 2002, and Ascension St. Alexius Hospital in Hoffman Estates, where he was a chaplain from 1999 to 2002.

The sexual abuse of a minor is alleged to have occurred about 60 years ago in India, Cupich told parish members.

“We have notified the Archdiocese of Bhopal which is responsible for conducting the investigation into the allegation,” he wrote. “Moreover, as is required by our child protection policies, we have reached out to the person making the allegation and reported the allegation to civil authorities.”