Nov. 17--A former parishioner of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Lombard is suing the Diocese of Joliet and two former priests claiming he was sexually abused nearly 40 years ago by one priest and offered drugs by another.
The alleged victim, identified only as John Doe, alleges Fr. Henry Slade attacked him when he was 11 years old. The lawsuit also claims Fr. Philip Dedera heard the boy's screams but did nothing and then later offered him marijuana when he came out of Slade's bedroom. Both priests appear on the Diocese's published list of priests facing credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors.
Slade, 76, said Monday that he is innocent and has not been served with the lawsuit yet.
"That's not me," said Slade, who now resides in Colorado and said he is not involved in any type of ministry. "That's nothing that happened. I'm totally innocent of this."
"I never had anything to do with 11-year-old kids," Slade said.
A spokesman for the Diocese of Joliet on Monday declined comment, noting the pending lawsuit. Burr Ridge based attorney Jerome Vinkler, who represents the plaintiff, could not be reached for comment.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff had repressed memories of the alleged 1976 abuse and discovered it while undergoing treatment for "alcohol abuse, drug abuse and psychological injuries."
According to the lawsuit, Slade observed the boy "skipping mass and ordered him to go into the rectory at St. Pius X, and specifically to Slade's bedroom." The lawsuit goes on to say that the priest then ordered the boy to perform a sex act. When the boy refused, Slade "physically attacked the plaintiff" and sexually abused him, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit further alleges that Dedera was in the hallway and could hear the screams and cries of the boy through the door and did nothing to intervene. Rather, Dedera ordered the minor into his room where he offered him marijuana and told him "this will make your forget what happened," according to the lawsuit.
Both Slade and Dedera have been removed from the ministry according to the Diocese. Slade was removed in 1990 after he was arrested on charges he sexually abused an 18-year-old physically handicapped man. Slade, who at the time was pastor of St. Isidore Catholic Church in Bloomingdale, pleaded guilty one month after his arrest and was sentenced to one year probation, ordered to pay court fines and undergo counseling.
Dedera was removed in 2002 following credible allegations of abuse, according to the Diocese of Joliet website.
Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
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