Unthinkable Horrors inside The Catholic Diocese of Peoria--June 1, 2023

The Journal Star in Peoria ran a series of articles yesterday on The Catholic Diocese of Peoria and its involvement in the scandal of abuse which has rocked the Catholic Church during the last two decades. The series is based on an investigation by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office of abuse in Dioceses in the State of Illinois. (I have copied and pasted two of the articles below.)

Journal Star—

In a scathing and detailed investigation, the state Attorney General's Office paints a picture of how former Peoria Archbishop John Myers helped create a web of lies, mishandled accounts of abuse and ignored victims.

I have read the articles. And based on what I experienced twenty years ago in Peoria, I am sad but not surprised. 

These articles have resonated with me because two decades ago I went to Bishop Jenky, Monsignor Rohlfs, and Patricia Gibson over multiple issues including my firing from OSF-SFMC, the dangerous way OSF was treating Haitian children in Peoria, denying Haitian kids in Haiti repeat heart surgery at OSF, and OSF’s lead role in the EMS monopoly in Peoria. Both Rohlfs and Gibson were the key advisers to both Bishop Myers and Bishop Jenky regarding priestly sexual abuse in the Diocese. And as I documented here, both Rohlfs and Gibson advised Bishop Jenky on many other issues, including the above.

The series of articles written by the Journal Star describes how victims of abuse and their families were treated (and at times threatened) by the leaders of the Diocese. I was treated similarly. Twenty years ago, I could not believe this was happening. And by this, I mean the manner in which the Diocese acquiesced to the money at OSF. And Haitian kids have died in part due to this acquiescence. 

As victims and families in the Peoria Diocese have told the Journal Star that they have lost faith in our local Diocesan leaders, so have I. I am still a practicing Catholic and always will be, but I will never trust our Diocesan leaders again.

—

Unthinkable horrors: Inside the scathing report on abuse in the Catholic Diocese of Peoria

June 1, 2023

JJ Bullock

Journal Star

• Between 1990 and 1999, under Bishop John Myers' leadership, 13 priests were accused of sexual abuse by children.

• Myers always publicly claimed he treated victims of sexual abuse with respect, but the report suggests the opposite.

The Catholic Diocese of Peoria is once again facing scrutiny for the history of sexual abuse by its clerics.

The Illinois Attorney General's Office recently released a stunning report that found over 2,000 children have been abused within Illinois Catholic churches by over 450 clerics between 1950 and 2019.

The Catholic Diocese of Peoria, which covers 26 counties from Rock Island in northwest Illinois to Vermilion on the Indiana border, was no small player in the report.

In a scathing and detailed investigation, the state Attorney General's Office paints a picture of how former Peoria Archbishop John Myers helped create a web of lies, mishandled accounts of abuse and ignored victims.

For many of the children and families in the Peoria diocese, their churches were often like a second home. Their clerics — the priests, bishops, monsignors — were like family. For some young boys within the diocese, those influential men in those trusted places were even considered father figures, mentors, and even friends.

But for dozens of children, the diocese was a place of almost unfathomable nightmare. Despite the Catholic Diocese of Peoria now having a long list of written procedures for handling sexual abuse claims, those procedures were implemented long after much damage had been done.

Over decades, 51 clerics in the Peoria Catholic church system were identified by the Attorney General's Office as having raped, sexually assaulted, molested or harassed children within their diocese. Sometimes they operated with almost complete impunity as leadership within the diocese turned blind eyes, ignored victims and swept incidents of abuse under the rug in order to protect the reputation of the church.

The Illinois Attorney General's Office listed 51 names on its list of sexual abusers in the Peoria Diocese, while the local diocese's internal list has 43 names. In a statement, the Peoria diocese indicated that much of the information was old and that sexual molestation of children has been present in more than just the Catholic Church.

"The report highlights criminal behavior that has historically been present in every sector of human life, and which is all the more shocking when perpetrated by those who have publicly committed themselves to serving God and his people," the statement read in part. "Much of the information in the Report dates to more than half a century ago. The steps that the Church in the United States put into place some twenty years ago have gone a long way to address the scourge of sexual abuse and it is our sincere hope that other areas of our society will implement similar safeguards that protect the most vulnerable among us."

The Peoria diocese could not be reached for further comment.

More:The list of 51 Peoria Catholic Diocese clergy named in a 2023 report on child sex abuse

'If a priest loses his reputation, he’s done.'

By 1984, the Peoria Catholic Diocese was already internally struggling to handle an influx of sexual abuse claims against clerics by children.

That year, Myers was named vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria. He would serve as a right hand to the bishop, handling administrative tasks, including the internal handling of sexual abuse claims against clerics by children.

Myers would later be named bishop and leader of the Peoria Diocese in 1990. It was after Myers took over that sexual abuse claims against clerics began to skyrocket in the church. Of the 43 clerics identified by the church as having credible allegations against them, only nine had allegations pre-1990.

Between 1990 and 1999, 13 priests were accused of sexual abuse by children. The attorney general's report characterized Myers' handling of the claims in the following manner:

"Bishop Myers removed some priests from ministry but attempted to address these cases quietly and without 'scandal.' In other instances, he purportedly lacked knowledge of the abuse allegation. In other cases, the bishop downplayed abuse. In yet others, he protected the accused, moving disgraced priests to new assignments or allowing them to retire after allegations surfaced."

When questioned by investigators about why so many sexual abuse claims against clerics went undisclosed to police, Myers pleaded ignorance to claims and blamed geography for what he called "haphazard" record keeping.

Records on sexual abuse in the Peoria Diocese were kept in two different buildings, Myers told investigators. He said the diocese had a "loose" and "slipshod" record-keeping system because of the two separate buildings.

The buildings were a block apart.

"And very often I would simply delegate or presume that — that it was being handled by a person in (the other) office," Myers said of sexual abuse claims.

Furthermore, when asked by investigators why the diocese did not report claims of sexual abuse against clerics to the public, Myers said it was "not the practice at the time."

"I think that there was a great sensitivity to caring for victims but also to the reputation of priests. If a priest loses his reputation, he’s done," Myers told investigators.

More:Attorney General details how Illinois priest sexually abused middle school boy in Streator

'I didn't realize they would be so upset'

In 1992, Father Francis Engels, a priest who operated in McLean, Tazewell and Henry counties, among others, admitted molesting a young boy in the 1980s. In 1993, Myers removed Engels from the diocese.

But later, Myers decided to reinstate Engels to the ministry. When the mother of one of Engels' five known victims called Myers to protest the reinstatement, he said, "I didn't realize they would be so upset."

Engels pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a teenager in 2005 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He died in 2019.

Father George Hiland, operating in Streator, began to abuse a 10-year-old boy in the 1960s. He would perform oral sex on the child and make the child reciprocate the act. The child, given the pseudonym "Peter" by investigators, said he and Hiland "had sex everywhere": the church choir room, the school cafeteria, a tunnel between the church and school, Peter's teacher's desk and even the cemetery where Peter's father was buried.

The summer before Peter started eighth grade, Hiland would take him to a farm twice a week, strip the child naked, cover him with mosquito spray and have sex with him. Hiland would reward the child with toys after every assault.

The Peoria diocese did not publicly acknowledge Hiland's abuse until 2018, after the attorney general's investigation began. Yet Myers became aware of the allegations in 1993.

Myers sent a letter to Hiland in 1994 in which he noted his sadness "at the circumstances which have prompted you to submit your resignation as the Pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish, Dwight, and to seek retirement status in the diocese.” 

Myers suggested Hiland could one day return to the church if he completed therapy. Myers then said to Hiland, “I want to thank you for your generous and fine priestly service in the Diocese of Peoria. Literally thousands of people share this gratitude, and, I am sure, offer their prayers and best wishes to you.”

More:Catholic Diocese of Peoria removes three men from priesthood, citing credible allegations of sexual misconduct

'That's not my man'

Father Samuel Pusateri pleaded guilty in 1991 to sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy at Saint Bede Academy in Peru, a ministry within the Peoria diocese.

Despite Pusateri being a convicted pedophile, Myers refused to publicly acknowledge Pusateri's ties to the Peoria diocese for years.

Pusateri was a member of the Order of Saint Benedict, operating within the boundaries of the Peoria diocese. When asked about Pusateri's assault conviction, Myers told investigators, "That's not my man."

The attorney general's report explained it as such: "Although religious order clerics like Pusateri must receive a diocese’s permission to minister within its territory, they generally are governed by their order rather than the diocese. Put another way, the dioceses disclaim responsibility of any sort for those clerics operating within their geographic bounds who are not technically diocesan priests."

But, as the Attorney General's Office found, Pusateri could very well have been considered Myers' "man." Myers advocated for him heavily after he was sent to prison, even leaving the door open for a possible Pusateri return to the Catholic order.

One month after Pusateri was convicted, Myers wrote a letter to the prison chaplain asking him for "your special attention for Father Samuel.” Myers, the Attorney General's Office says, then began a campaign advocating for Pusateri to celebrate prison Masses with grape juice instead of wine. Myers even wrote a letter to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would later be known as Pope Benedict XVI, asking if he could help with Pusateri's case.

Pusateri never returned to Peoria after his release from prison. But he did work at the Catholic Diocese of Joliet and in Rome, where he continued to work for the church until 2018, when the attorney general's investigation began.

More:Peru priest among those named in Illinois Attorney General's report on sexual abuse

'He can do some good and no harm'

Myers always publicly said he treated victims of sexual abuse with respect. The opposite was true, according to internal documents and communications found by the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

In 1992, a victim came forward and said he had been sexually assaulted by Father Edward Lohan, who operated in Peoria, Galesburg and Danville between 1941 and 1973. When the victim came forward, he was dismissed in a letter.

“Father Lohan is now 78 years of age," the letter said. "He is retired and lives quietly in an apartment attached to a retirement home. Father has had a severe heart attack and has had part of a foot removed. He walks with the help of a … cane. I think it is safe to say that he is now in a position in which he can do some good and no harm.”

Lohan died in 1993.

In the late 1970s, Father John C. Anderson began to sexually molest two young boys in Chillicothe. He would invite the boys to his home, or his mother's home, for a sleepover and fondle their genitals while they slept, according to the attorney general's report. He would then climb into bed with the children and masturbate next to them.

One of the boys, called "Adam," went to the Peoria Diocese for help in 1993 after his life crumbled while dealing with alcoholism to cope with his childhood trauma. The Peoria diocese suggested that Adam forgive Anderson.

Another Anderson victim, given the pseudonym "Paul," reported his instance of sexual abuse by Anderson in 1993. In a phone call with Myers, Paul was called a liar, even though the church knew there were other Anderson victims out there.

Paul told investigators he would never forget his 1993 phone call with Myers. "There was a dangerous man walking among them. And the diocese didn’t do a dang thing about it. They protected him," Paul said.

The Peoria diocese did not report claims against Anderson to authorities until the attorney general's investigation began in 2018. Anderson died in 2009.

More:'He messed up my life': 2 Chillicothe boys endured repeated sexual abuse by priest

'Those involved will get on with their lives'

In 1998, more than a dozen people came forward with sexual abuse allegations against Monsignor Norman Goodman of the Peoria Catholic Diocese.

Goodman was given the high title of "monsignor" by the pope himself. It is a title that shows "exceptionalism" within the church.

But Goodman was a sexual predator, one who amassed 19 total victims during his time in the Peoria Diocese. He would fondle young boys, sometimes sticking money down the front of their pants while doing so, according to the attorney general's report.

But when survivors of Goodman came forward, Myers and the diocese brushed them aside. One of Goodman's accusers was still a child at the time of the allegations. The Logan County prosecutor's office declined to press charges at the time.

Myers and the Peoria Diocese publicly celebrated the news.

“The Peoria Diocese is confident the issue will now be put to rest, and those involved will get on with their lives," they wrote in a news release.

When one of Goodman's victims, "Jacob," sat down with diocese officials and asked for a public apology and Goodman's removal from the diocese, he was told that was not happening.

“If you have such a problem with it, you need to catch (Goodman’s) hand in the cookie jar.” Jacob told investigators he was told. “A cookie jar would be a boy’s pants.”

It wasn't until 2002, after Myers had left the Peoria Diocese, that the church acknowledged Goodman's abuse. Goodman died in 2013.

More:After years of denial, Peoria diocese admitted extensive sexual abuse by Illinois monsignor

Myers leaves for Newark, faces more scrutiny over sexual abuse

Myers left the Peoria Diocese in 2002 to take over as the head bishop of the diocese in Newark, New Jersey. He died in 2020 at the age of 79.

Despite his many instances of mishandling sexual abuse claims in the Peoria Diocese, the post-death biography on the archdiocese of Newark website credits Myers with being a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

His biography states, "Archbishop Myers helped draft the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the linchpin document that guides the Church in dealing compassionately with victims of abuse and openly with civil authorities."

Even in New Jersey, Myers was accused of covering sexual abuse claims against priests during his 11-year tenure as archbishop.

Myers also came under scrutiny in New Jersey after the Catholic Church paid to build him a $500,000 addition to his home that would include a pool, library and elevator.

As archbishop of Newark, one of the largest dioceses in the country, Myers oversaw the church making payments to two former priests who were sexually abused by a church cardinal as young men. Yet those settlements came with no formal admission or recognition of the abuse, according to the New York Times.

In 2013, a coalition of sexual abuse survivors of the Catholic Church in New Jersey demanded an investigation be launched into Myers' mishandling of sexual abuse claims in that state.

Again in New Jersey, Myers was accused of portraying a priest found guilty of molesting young boys as a victim, pushing the church away from accountability.

In January, it was discovered that, much like in Illinois, the New Jersey Catholic Diocese had also engaged in widespread cover-ups of sexual abuse claims against clerics.

Myers' Newark Diocese was no small player in those claims.

Following his death, New Jersey Attorney General Mitchell Garabidian said of Myers, “While the passing of any person is unfortunate, many clergy sexual abuse victims feel as though Archbishop Myers was not held sufficiently accountable for his leadership role in the clergy sexual abuse cover up," according to nj.com.

—

'Inexplicably failed': How the Catholic Diocese of Peoria failed to fully address sex abuse

This article is being published as part of a series based on an investigation by the Illinois Attorney General's Office

JJ Bullock

Journal Star

June 1, 2023

• The former vicars general acknowledged the Peoria diocese had failed to notice warning signs of an abusive priest.

• A sexual abuse survivor said that the Catholic Diocese of Peoria backed out of a deal to pay for his counseling.

• Some cases of sexual abuse investigated during Daniel Jenky's tenure as bishop were severely mishandled, according to a statewide investigation.

Former Archbishop Daniel Jenky took over leadership of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria in 2002 with a promise and an ambition. He was going to do far more than his predecessors to address claims of sexual abuse by children against clerics.

But Jenky fell short of his promises, according to the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

Its investigation into Illinois Catholic churches was, in many ways, a scathing criticism of John Myers' systemic mishandling and denial of sexual abuse claims within the Peoria diocese. The in-depth report also revealed that Jenky mishandled claims of abuse and mistreated survivors.

Still, the Catholic Diocese of Peoria praised Jenky's handling of sexual abuse claims in a news release that seemed to cherry-pick certain findings of the statewide investigation that found over 2,000 children have been abused within Illinois Catholic churches by over 450 clerics between 1950 and 2019.

"Over the past twenty years, the Diocese under Bishop Daniel Jenky’s leadership, with the assistance of the Diocesan attorney Patricia Gibson, the Vicars General and the Diocesan Review Board has endeavored to treat all survivors with the utmost respect and sensitivity," the release read in part. "As noted in the Attorney General’s report, the Diocese has implemented significant changes that have made the Church safer for children. The Diocese reports all allegations of abuse to civil authorities. To the Diocese’s knowledge, there is not a single priest of the Diocese with a substantiated allegation who is currently in ministry or who has not been reported to authorities."

The diocese did not respond to attempts for further comments for this story.

More:The list of 51 Peoria Catholic Diocese clergy named in a 2023 report on child sex abuse

A 'continuity of leadership' issue

The misdeeds of Myers' tumultuous tenure as bishop continued in what the attorney general's office described as a "continuity of leadership" issue.

Jenky surrounded himself with many of the same people who had worked with Myers in covering up claims of abuse. Because of this, "some of Bishop Myers' methods were able to continue," the report said.

Upon taking over as bishop from Myers, Jenky appointed Monsignor Steven Rohlfs — Myers' vicar general — as the new chancellor and moderator of the curia, a position which serves as the bishop's chief of staff. He would also name Patricia Gibson as the diocese's vice chancellor.

Both Gibson and Rohlfs, according to the report, "had significant involvement in responding to child sex abuse allegations against diocesan clerics during both Bishop Myers’ and Bishop Jenky’s tenures."

Gibson, who left a private law practice to work full time for the diocese, would later serve as a central figure in one abuse survivor's account of mistreatment by the Peoria diocese.

Details on unthinkable horrors:Inside the scathing report on abuse in the Catholic Diocese of Peoria

Internal investigation uncovers some, not all abusers

One of the first things Jenky did after taking over for Myers was create a "diocesan review commission." The group of 13 had the task of exploring instances of sexual abuse. The ultimate goal was to remove abusive clerics from the church while making their transgressions known to the public.

The commission's review resulted in Jenky asking seven clerics to step down from the diocese in 2002. Their names were then added to the public list of known sexual abusers within the church.

"Bishop Jenky’s public announcements represented a bold step toward accounting for child sex abuse by diocese clerics," the attorney general's report said. "They also represented a step away from the 'keep it quiet' approach employed by his predecessors."

Yet, problems still persisted in Jenky's approach.

After the attorney general's investigation began in 2018, state officials prompted the Peoria diocese to search the files maintained by the vicars general on sexual abuse in the church. For whatever reason, the diocese did not search these files prior to the attorney general's office prompting them to, despite "vicars general would have been closely involved in handling such claims," the report said.

Upon searching the files, three more names of priests found to have sexually abused children were discovered. They were added to the public list in 2018. The names "somehow fell through the cracks," the report said.

The Peoria diocese now has a long list of written procedures on how sexual abuse claims should be handled. That list includes a line which says, "The Diocese is committed to providing victims of such misconduct with appropriate pastoral care and professional assistance to address these consequences of abuse by any personnel of the Diocese."

More:Peru priest among those named in Illinois Attorney General's report on sexual abuse

'Inexplicably failed'

While Jenky's internal review of sexual abuse claims was viewed as a step forward by the attorney general's office, other cases of sexual abuse investigated during his tenure as bishop were severely mishandled, according to the report.

"For other priests, the diocese inexplicably failed to acknowledge credible allegations against them," the report said.

Father Samuel Pusateri was criminally convicted in 1991 of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy in the Peoria diocese. He served time in prison for his crime. Yet, he was not publicly acknowledged by Jenky or his commission following their public release of names of priests found to have substantiated claims of sexual abuse of children.

Jenky and the diocese didn't publicly acknowledge Pusateri's crimes until after the attorney general's investigation began, according to the report.

Father Toussaint Perron of Henry County was also criminally convicted of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and served three years in prison. The Peoria diocese first knew of his crimes in 1992. Perron's name was not added to the public list of names until 2019, after the attorney general's investigation began. Perron died in 2011.

Father Eugene Kane admitted to having oral sex with a child in the back of his car. The diocese became aware of this in 1990. Yet, he too, was not added to the public list until 2019. Kane died in 2009.

Pusateri last worked for the Catholic Church in Rome until the attorney general's investigation began in 2018.

Despite having public admission from Kane and criminal convictions for Perron and Pusateri, the Peoria diocese said the claims were "unsubstantiated."

From 'playboy' to child abuser:Texas priest infamous for time at Illinois retreat

'Merciless, self-preserving hands of the Diocese of Peoria'

A boy given the pseudonym "William" is noted as a sexual abuse survivor of Father Kenneth J. Roberts, who worked under the Peoria diocese in Peru.

William's story of mistreatment in the years following his sexual abuse claims is one of the more eye-opening findings laid out by the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

William, who was in the fifth or sixth grade at the time of his sexual abuse in the 1980s, says Roberts brought him into a lonely room at Saint Bede Abbey school in Peru during a religious retreat. In that room, Roberts held William against his body and kissed him repeatedly on the mouth. William couldn't get away from the grown man holding onto him.

In the years that followed the incident, William said he felt numb. He turned to alcohol and attempted suicide.

William decided to report the incident to the Peoria diocese in the early 2000s. In 2004, under Jenky's leadership, the diocese agreed to pay for William to attend counseling. But shortly after the deal was made, payments stopped, despite the diocese making a public statement that it would pay for victims' counseling.

William went to the new chancellor, Gibson, who was appointed by Jenky. She "flatly refused" William's request for counseling payments to begin again, according to the attorney general's report.

William then took his case directly to Jenky. He also told William no payments would be made. Jenky suggested the official who originally made the deal with William had been mistaken, according to the attorney general's office.

Roberts had been visiting Peru from the Diocese of Dallas. William had also made a deal with the Dallas diocese. Because of that, the Peoria diocese felt it did not have to honor its deal.

"I am sorry that you feel betrayed and hurt by this process, but we believe that we have dealt with you fairly and in cooperation with the efforts made by the Diocese of Dallas," Jenky reportedly told William.

William said the Peoria diocese called his settlement with the Dallas diocese "double dipping."

William then also reached out to the vicars general of the Peoria diocese who told him “It was always my belief,” he wrote, “that these things happened on our watch and that we were responsible for what happened in the diocese. I wasn’t going to blame Dallas."

The former vicars general also acknowledged the Peoria diocese had failed to notice warning signs of Roberts' behavior.

"I had seen [Roberts] be quite affectionate with the kids (in a way that I would never have felt comfortable doing) but I simply told myself I was too constricted and should not think ill of such a holy man. In hindsight I should have gone with my instincts and said something to him, but in those days I just didn’t think (or want to think) that such a thing could be happening," the former vicars general said.

William would reach out to a cardinal within the church and the Chicago Archdiocese looking for help. He found none.

In early 2009, he was about to make a deal with the Peoria diocese when he received a "traumatizing" phone call from Gibson, according to the attorney general's office.

Gibson allegedly asked William if, for money, he would go on the record and say that Jenky never tried to pull Peoria's original offer from him or to say that the person who struck the original deal was acting outside of their authority.

William wouldn't do it. His wife said she had never seen him so broken, according to the report.

Gibson screamed at William, he told investigators. All of her sentences allegedly began with "why can't you just..."

William asked Gibson in return why Jenky couldn't just honor the original deal. The Peoria diocese eventually backed down.

Later, when the attorney general's investigation began, documents showing communication between William and the diocese were not given to investigators. William has called the aftermath of his abuse and its handling by the church “trust-shattering, spiritually disillusioning revictimization at the merciless, self-preserving hands of the Diocese of Peoria."

Roberts died in 2018.

Jenky retires, Tylka becomes new Peoria Bishop

Bishop Daniel Jenky retired from the Peoria Diocese in 2022 on his 75th birthday, as is custom in the Catholic Church.

Louis Tylka, who had served under Jenky for two years, took over as bishop.

"Only time will tell if Bishop Tylka will continue to push the Diocese of Peoria forward in handling cases of child sex abuse by Catholic cleric," the attorney general's report said of Tylka.

In a news release, the Catholic Diocese of Peoria said there have been no abuse claims that have gone unreported to authorities, to their knowledge, under Tylka's leadership.

—

John A. Carroll, MD

www.haitianhearts.org