U.S. Rep. Gutierrez of Illinois, standing,
poses with Father Marco Mercado, the former rector of the Our Lady of
Guadalupe shrine in Des Plaines who is now at a South Side parish
seeking a formal transfer to the Archdiocese of San Antonio, in a photo
tweeted from Capitol Hill Sept. 24, 2015 before the two men attended
Pope Francis' address to Congress.
Father Mercado was removed from his
ministry for an "inappropriate relationship with an adult man" a week
before the image was taken. A national organization leading efforts to expose the sexual
abuse of children by priests has turned its attention to the Archdiocese
of San Antonio for giving refuge to a Chicago priest removed from
ministry last fall for an “inappropriate relationship with an adult
man.”
