PEORIA (25News Now) – A lawsuit was filed Monday against the Catholic Diocese of Peoria on behalf of a man who alleges a priest sexually abused him many years ago.
The suit filed in Peoria County Court alleges Father Thomas Miller sexually abused Michael Eckert starting when Eckert was eight years old, between 1997 and 2003. The abuse happened at church, the rectory, and at St. Vincent de Paul Parish.
Attorneys from the law firm Jeff Anderson and Associates said since 1950, 20 reports of sexual abuse by clergymen have been made to bishops of the Diocese of Peoria.
Anderson said that the bishops have a long history of ignoring reports of abuse, and he noted that 53 Peoria-area clergymen have now been accused of sexual abuse of a child.
“Peoria stands, in my view and my experience, as one of the most dangerous, perilous, and difficult places of all the Catholic bishops in America when it comes to the handling of sexual abuse,” Anderson said.
The suit also named more than 20 current or former Peoria priests who the lawyers claim the bishops knew had been accused of sexually abusing children before Miller abused Eckert.
According to the Illinois Attorney General, Miller allegedly abused a different child at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Bloomington from 1979 to 1982, nearly 20 years before the abuse against Eckert.
Miller was put on leave in 2004, defrocked by the Vatican in 2006, and removed from the clerical state by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in 2010.
In a statement to 25News, the leader of the Diocese of Peoria, Bishop Louis Tylka, said the diocese takes any accusation of misconduct seriously.
“We take seriously any accusation that is made of misconduct by a priest, deacon, religious or lay employee. Cooperating with the civil authorities, we investigate such accusations while offering assistance to those who have allegedly been harmed,” Tylka said in a statement.
“I am sorry to all those who were/are affected by the sin of abuse. As Bishop of the Diocese of Peoria, I remain committed to promoting the safe environment programs we have in place to provide a safe haven for children and young people. I ask for your ongoing prayers as we continue to work together to safeguard all of God’s people, and especially those who have suffered,” Tylka also said.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified financial damages from the diocese.
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