The Chicago Archdiocese has a new superintendent of schools who comes with a controversial past.
Archbishop Blase Cupich named Jim Rigg, the former superintendent of the Cincinnati Archdiocese schools, to serve as the head of the Chicago Catholic schools last week.
Jim Rigg, the former superintendent of the Cincinnati Archdiocese schools, will now serve as the head of Chicago Catholic schools.
Rigg caused a stir in Cincinnati last year when he asked teachers to sign a detailed morality clause, regardless of their religion. Included in the clause were bans on teachers living together, having sex outside marriage, using in-vitro fertilization, living a gay lifestyle and publicly supporting any of those thing mentioned.
Dozens of billboards appeared across Cincinnati in protest of the clause, many of them asking, "Would Pope Francis sign the new Catholic teacher contract?"
In a statement released Aug. 27, Cupich said Rigg was chosen in part for his "proven experience of managing a diverse school system and a deep commitment to Catholic education."
"(Rigg) has demonstrated the ability to collaborate effectively in a professional way and we are confident he will build on the exceptional foundation and history of our system to help shape its future," Cupich said in the statement.
The Chicago Archdiocese has not responded to NBC Chicago's request for a comment.
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As superintendent, Rigg will oversee the 230 Catholic schools in Chicago, which serve close to 83,000 students. The Chicago Archdiocese holds the largest private school system in the U.S.
