Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Edmund F. Burke

This page summarizes publicly documented sexual abuse allegations involving Edmund F. Burke, his clerical assignments, as well as the institutional disclosures and actions taken against him, as part of the Injury Lawyer Team’s legal representation of survivors in Illinois clergy abuse cases.

• Primary Entity Name: Edmund F. Burke
• Common Variations / Aliases: Fr. Edmund Burke, Father Edmund Burke, Rev. Edmund Burke
• Role/Title at Time of Incident: Parish priest
• Current Status: Deceased

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Edmund F. Burke was publicly identified as a cleric with substantiated sexual abuse allegations by multiple institutional authorities, including:

• The Illinois Attorney General
• The Archdiocese of Chicago

Given that Burke was deceased at the time the allegations were formally reviewed and disclosed, no criminal prosecution, canonical trial, or ministerial restriction occurred during his lifetime. 

• Entity that Listed Him: Illinois Attorney General and Archdiocese of Chicago 
• Reason for Listing: Substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of minors as determined through Archdiocesan review processes and later reflected in state-level investigative records

Key Status Facts

Ordination Year: 1944

Years in Active Ministry: 1944–late 1980s

Locations Where He Served: Archdiocese of Chicago

Restrictions: None publicly documented during his lifetime

Criminal Convictions: None known or publicly reported

Laicization: No record of laicization

Died: February 28, 1989

Public Disclosure: Included on the Archdiocese of Chicago’s public list in November 2018, as well as the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse database

Assignment History

Primary Archdiocese: Archdiocese of Chicago

Parish Assignments (as documented in public reports):

• Blessed Sacrament – Chicago, IL
• Holy Name of Mary – Chicago, IL
• St. Leo – Chicago, IL
• St. Helena – Chicago, IL
• St. Columbanus – Chicago, IL
• St. Francis Xavier – Wilmette, IL

Publicly available diocesan disclosures and state investigative records identify these parish assignments but do not publish the specific years of service for each location.

Known Allegations

Public disclosures concerning Edmund F. Burke surfaced decades after his ministry had concluded, prompting a reassessment of his clerical career through survivor reports and institutional review.

Over time, multiple individuals came forward alleging that Burke sexually abused minors during an extended period beginning in the early 1950s and continuing into the mid-1960s. The majority of the reported abuse is linked to his service in Chicago, Illinois, where his parish roles placed him in sustained pastoral contact with children and adolescents.

Survivor reporting further identified alleged abuse occurring in Tennessee during the early 1960s, indicating misconduct outside Illinois. Although this location does not correspond to a documented parish assignment, institutional records nonetheless acknowledge the allegation, suggesting abuse during travel, temporary ministry, or other non-parish activities connected to his clerical role.

Accounts describe repeated abusive behavior rather than isolated incidents, establishing a pattern of misconduct carried out under the authority and trust afforded to him as a priest.

These allegations were first formally received by Church officials in 1991, after Burke had already died. The Archdiocese of Chicago subsequently evaluated the claims through its internal review processes, while state investigators independently examined available records as part of broader clergy abuse investigations.

Both the Illinois Attorney General and the Archdiocese ultimately determined that the allegations met the standard for substantiation, publicly identifying Burke as a cleric credibly accused of child sexual abuse and documenting seven reported survivors, reinforcing the conclusion that the abuse was not singular but sustained over many years.

Summary: Public records indicate that Edmund F. Burke was posthumously identified as having engaged in a sustained pattern of child sexual abuse across multiple years and locations, with allegations deemed substantiated by Church authorities and later disclosed through state-level investigation.

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods

• Cardinal Samuel Stritch – Archdiocese of Chicago
• Cardinal Albert Gregory Meyer – Archdiocese of Chicago
• Cardinal John Cody – Archdiocese of Chicago

Institutional Actions and Review

Church authorities first received formal reports concerning Edmund F. Burke in 1991, several years after his death, when survivors came forward amid expanding efforts to document historical clergy abuse. Because Burke was deceased and no longer in ministry, no immediate restrictions, removals, or reassignments could occur.

The allegations were instead evaluated retrospectively through Archdiocesan review mechanisms and later incorporated into state-level investigations examining systemic patterns of abuse and institutional response.

Available records indicate that allegations against Burke were not documented or acted upon during his lifetime, and there is no evidence that concerns about his conduct were recorded in personnel files or shared during parish transfers.

The review process relied on survivor testimony, corroborating information, and consistency across accounts. Following this evaluation, Church authorities determined that the allegations met the threshold for substantiation.

Public disclosure occurred decades after the alleged abuse, when the Archdiocese of Chicago expanded its list of Illinois clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse in November 2018, and the Illinois Attorney General separately identified Burke through its statewide clergy abuse investigation.

Timeline

1944 — Ordained as a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago

1944–late 1980s — Served in active parish ministry within the Archdiocese of Chicago, including multiple Chicago-area parishes

1951–1954 — Alleged sexual abuse of minors reported to have occurred in Chicago, Illinois, during parish ministry

1960 — Additional alleged abuse reported in Chicago, Illinois

1961 — Alleged abuse reported in Tennessee, based on survivor disclosures not tied to a documented parish assignment

1962–1966 — Further alleged abuse reported, with specific locations not identified in public records

Late 1980s — Retired from active ministry

1989 (February 28) — Died while retired from active ministry

1991 — Allegations first formally reported to Church authorities, after Burke’s death

1999–2007 — Allegations reviewed through Archdiocesan investigative and review processes, according to later institutional disclosures

November 2018 — Publicly listed by the Archdiocese of Chicago as a cleric with substantiated allegations

2018–2023 — Included in the Illinois Attorney General’s clergy abuse database, documenting multiple survivors and substantiated findings

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you love was sexually abused by Edmund F. Burke or another Catholic clergy member connected to Illinois, you may still have legal options. The Injury Lawyer Team represents survivors of clergy abuse statewide, helping them understand their rights and pursue accountability through the justice system.

Feel free to reach out for a confidential consultation to discuss your situation with one of our () ()  Illinois clergy abuse attorneys, who will listen carefully, explain the legal process, and help you evaluate potential next steps based on your circumstances.

Sources and Public Records

This page is based on publicly available records, official Church disclosures, government investigations, and survivor reporting, including the following sources:

• The Archdiocese of Chicago’s public statement that announces the expansion of its official list of clergy with substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse, which added Burke’s name, among others, in 2018.
• The Illinois Attorney General’s clergy database entry for Edmund F. Burke, which outlines his clerical background and summarizes reported survivor counts along with the timeframes and locations of alleged abuse.
• The Illinois Attorney General’s Report on Catholic Clergy Child Sex Abuse in Illinois, which documents clergy abuse allegations across multiple dioceses and notes Burke among the clerics with multiple reported survivors dating from the 1950s through the 1960s.
• Edmund F. Burke’s profile on BishopAccountability.org, which summarizes his biographical details, as well as aggregated references to public documentation about him and the allegations he faced.

No criminal conviction, arrest, or civil judgment is implied unless explicitly documented in official court records or government filings.

All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.