ILLINOIS
My Fox Chicago
JOLIET, Ill. (Sun-Times Media Wire) –
The Diocese of Joliet is facing another lawsuit claiming a now-deceased Catholic priest from a west suburban parish sexually abused three boys more than 30 years ago.
The three alleged victims were between 6 and 11 when they were abused by the Rev. Leonardo Mateo starting in about 1980, according to the suit filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court.
Mateo never faced criminal charges, and died in 2004, the Sun-Times previously reported. The Joliet Diocese deemed allegations of abuse against him credible, according to documents released in April.
The boys—two of whom are brothers—and their parents were parishioners at Immaculate Conception Parish at 134 Arthur St. in Elmhurst when Mateo started inviting the children out for ice cream and fast food, the suit said. He also would take the boys to swim at the YMCA in Elmhurst, where he allegedly molested them in the pool or locker room. …
SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, issued a statement about the lawsuit Friday morning.
“To local Catholics in every place Mateo worked, we plead: Ask your loved ones if they might have heard about or seen sexual misconduct by Mateo,” the statement read. “If so, urge them to call police right away. Even though Mateo is dead, it is possible his victims are still suffering in silence and self blame, and that church officials who concealed his crimes might still be prosecuted.”
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