The Chicago Archdiocese announced on Wednesday that it has reinstated a local priest. An investigation concluded that an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor at a church in Melrose Park, reportedly occurring around 40 years ago, was unsubstantiated.

In July, Father Curtis Lambert stepped away from ministry while the accusation was being investigated, as Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, informed several parish families through letters.

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The allegations claimed that Lambert engaged in sexual abuse against a minor during his tenure at Sacred Heart Parish in Melrose Park approximately four decades ago, a charge that Lambert has denied.

According to the Archdiocese, civil authorities and the Independent Review Board (IRB) completed their investigation into the claim. Upon receiving results from the comprehensive investigation, the IRB concluded that there was no reasonable cause to believe that Father Lambert committed the alleged sexual abuse.

Father Lambert has been reinstated to the ministry, effective immediately, Cardinal Cupich said.

Throughout his career, the priest has served in various roles across different parishes, including St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish, St. Basil Visitation Parish, Immaculate Conception and St. Michael Parish, St. Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, St. Peter Damian Catholic Church, Sacred Heart and St. Eulalia Parish, and St. Thomas Becket Parish.