In 1993 Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, the archbishop of Chicago and former archbishop of Cincinnati, Ohio, was accused of having sexually molested a young seminarian named Steven Cook in the 1970s, during Bernardin’s tenure in Cincinnati. The cardinal strongly denied the charges, stating, “I have never abused anyone, at any time and at any place. I can assure you that in all my life I’ve led a chaste, celibate life.”
Cook claimed that he had recently recovered repressed memories of the alleged abuse while under hypnosis. However, he later recanted, saying that he no longer trusted his recollections. Bernardin met and prayed with him in late 1994, shortly before the former seminarian died of AIDS. It was one of the first high-profile cases in the United States involving a sexual abuse allegation against clergy.