Father William Lupo Sexual Abuse Claims

Primary Entity Name: William L. Lupo
Common Variations / Aliases: Father William Lupo, Fr. William Lupo, Rev. William L. Lupo
Role/Title at Time of Incident: Catholic priest 
Current Status: Laicized; deceased (died April 30, 2021).

This page covers the assignments, allegations, and institutional actions related to William Lupo in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Lupo engaged in sexually abusing many victims. Allegations were often enough to give the review board reasonable cause for an investigation or to limit his contact with minors. 

At Injury Lawyer Team, we are committed to supporting victims of clergy abuse. A Chicago clergy sex abuse lawyer from our team can help ensure abusers and the institutions that enabled them are held accountable. Victims of the Archdiocese of Chicago deserve justice, and we are here to provide compassionate and professional legal representation.

Public Identification and Clergy Status of the Credibly Accused Father William Lupo

He was publicly identified by the Archdiocese of Chicago (Chicago, IL) as a priest with substantiated allegations of sexual misconduct. 

According to the public records maintained by BishopAccountability.org and the 2023 report from the office of the Illinois Attorney General, Lupo is listed among members who committed sex crimes, reflecting credible accusations from multiple survivors. The list continues to grow thanks to people like Cardinal Francis George. 

Key Status Facts

There are several key facts to learn, including: 

• He was ordained in 1965 and spent 37 years in active ministry. 
• He resigned from the priesthood in 2002 and was formally laicized in 2014. 

He served at various locations, including: 

• Our Lady Help of Christians, Chicago, Illinois — June 30, 1965 to June 8, 1972
• Our Lady, Mother of the Church, Chicago, Illinois — June 8, 1972 to June 11, 1979
• St. Mary Parish, Des Plaines, Illinois — June 11, 1979 to June 10, 1986
• Our Lady of the Wayside, Arlington Heights, Illinois — June 10, 1986 to July 1, 1990
• St. Peter Damian Parish, Bartlett, Illinois — July 1, 1990 to July 27, 2002 (resigned)

Allegations and restrictions include:

• 1993 — After the first report of alleged misconduct, the Archdiocese of Chicago’s board placed Lupo on limited ministry; he was required to be monitored by a retired religious leader and was forbidden “to be alone with persons under eighteen years of age without the presence of another responsible adult.” Many victims say he was aware of these restrictions, yet continued to be alone with children. 
• 1995 — Those restrictions were lifted, and Lupo was allowed to resume full ministry, including reappointment as pastor. 
• 1998 — Following a new allegation, the review board again imposed limited ministry with restrictions and monitoring. They were aware of previous claims and restrictions. 

Despite these restrictions, there were several times when young women reported that the limitations were not followed, or the Archdiocese received complaints regarding children.

Although these accusations happened years ago, the number of survivors continues to increase. Since the report of accused church leaders listing him was publicized in 2023, tens of thousands of those who were abused as children have spoken out. 

Assignment History in the Archdiocese of Chicago 

After his 1965 ordination, Lupo’s early assignments included service at Our Lady Help of Christians in Chicago, IL, followed by a posting to Our Lady, Mother of the Church, also in Chicago. 

In 1979, he was assigned to St. Mary Parish, Des Plaines, IL, where he served until 1986. 

From 1986 to 1990, he was posted at Our Lady of the Wayside in Arlington Heights, IL. 

In July 1990, Lupo became pastor of St. Peter Damian Parish, Bartlett, IL, where he remained until his resignation in 2002. 

Although many of the allegations regarding children and child sex abuse happened while he was serving in Chicago, he spent the longest period of time serving as the pastor of St. Peter Damian Parish. 

Known Allegations of Sexual Misconduct and Child Sex Abuse

Public records and survivor accounts indicate that he engaged in repeated sexual misconduct over a period extending from the late 1970s into the 1980s. The 2023 Illinois Attorney General’s report lists Lupo with five reported survivors, and the alleged misconduct is documented as occurring between about 1977 and 1987 in Cook County. 

According to survivors, Lupo abused his position of trust by exposing his naked body, and engaging in inappropriate physical contact — including kissing, prolonged hugging, and genital contact — with young girls, some as young as 12–17, during his time at St. Mary and subsequent assignments. 

Several survivors described actions amounting to sexual abuse, and the claims were sufficiently serious to merit internal review. Despite the review board requesting that he not be left alone with minors at times, information was not publicized until the 2023 Grand Jury report. 

Thus, the Archdiocese now acknowledges Lupo as having been credibly accused and later publicly listed as an accused priest. A professional attorney can help you seek compensation. 

Institutional Actions and Review

Child sex abuse allegations span decades. Young girls were sexually abused. Minors had to deal with Lupo exposing himself. A man who was supposed to protect children often led the review board to request that he not be allowed alone with them. However, despite a known history of child sexual abuse, Lupo was repeatedly moved from where the abuse occurred and then further engaged in child sex abuse. The timeline of abuse remains shocking. 

The first reports of misconduct against Lupo emerged in April 1993. The Archdiocese responded by convening its internal review board (Fitness Review Board), which recommended that Lupo be placed on “limited ministry” — with restrictions and a requirement that another adult monitor him, and a prohibition against being alone with minors. 

Despite those restrictions, survivors later reported that Lupo continued to meet with teenage girls alone in his rectory under the pretext of “confirmation preparation.” 

In June 1994, a new victim came forward; the review board again deemed that allegation credible — yet still permitted Lupo to remain in ministry under monitoring. 

In 1995, at his request, the Diocese lifted those restrictions, and Lupo was reappointed pastor at St. Peter. 

After additional claims in 1998, the diocese review board reinstated restrictions and monitoring. 

In October 2001, an adult woman alleged that Lupo had exhibited inappropriate sexual behavior toward her in 1984. Lupo denied intercourse but admitted to being affectionate and kissing. The review board declined jurisdiction, claiming she was not a minor at the time of the events. 

When the U.S. bishops’ “zero-tolerance” policy took effect in 2002, Lupo submitted his resignation rather than face canonical proceedings. 

In 2014, the Archdiocese added him to its public list of priests with substantiated allegations, and he was formally laicized. 

Timeline

• 1965: Was ordained. 
• 1979-2002: Over the next decades, he served in multiple parishes: Our Lady Help of Christians and Our Lady, Mother of the Church in Chicago; St. Mary in Des Plaines (1979–1986); Our Lady of the Wayside in Arlington Heights (1986–1990); and St. Peter Damian in Bartlett (1990–2002). 
• 1993: The Archdiocese first received reports of abuse involving two minor girls who were victims. 
• 1994: Another victim came forward, and the diocese review board again found the allegations from the victim credible.
• 1995: Restrictions were lifted, and Lupo was reassigned as pastor. 
• 1998: New allegations from more victims prompted the reinstatement of a limited ministry. 
• 2001: A further complaint by an adult woman was reported, though no further action was taken regarding the accusations from this victim. 
• 2002: Under the new zero-tolerance standards, Lupo resigned from the priesthood. 
• 2014: He was laicized and publicly listed
• 2021: He passed away.
• 2023: The Illinois Attorney General’s report confirms that Lupo sexually abused children in Cook County between 1977 and 1987, with five reported victims. 

Speak With a Child Sexual Abuse Attorney

If the abuse committed by this priest harmed you or a loved one, you may have legal rights. Contact the clergy abuse legal team at Injury Lawyer Team for a confidential consultation to discuss potential claims and pursue justice.

Sources and Public Records

The information above is based on publicly available documents from BishopAccountability.org, the Illinois Attorney General’s 2023 clergy-abuse report, Archdiocese of Chicago disclosures, and survivor reports. Inclusion in these records does not imply a criminal conviction unless explicitly stated in the source.

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.