Former Bernardin Accuser Dies of AIDS
A man who recanted his accusations that Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin had sexually molested him has died from complications related to AIDS, the Chicago archdiocese said Friday.
“I was very saddened to learn of the death of Steven Cook,” Bernardin said in a statement. “The reconciliation between Steven and myself last December was a blessed event for both us us.”
Cook, 36, died in Cincinnati. He carried HIV in 1993 when he accused Bernardin and another priest of molesting him in the mid-1970s. At that time, Cook was a 17-year-old seminary student in Cincinnati and Bernardin was an administrator. Cook later said his recovered memories were flawed.
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