A former altar boy from Pennsylvania alleges that predator priests were kept in active service by the Catholic Church despite reports of abuse.

Predator priests have been a concern in the Catholic Church for decades, with a Pennsylvania grand jury recently releasing a report consisting of over 1,000 victims who were allegedly abused by Catholic Church clergy throughout the state.

According to the report, the alleged childhood sex abuse was conducted by over 300 predator priests or church officials across six dioceses that cover 54 out of 67 counties in Pennsylvania.

This report has already spurred legal action from members of the public. In a lawsuit against the Church, a former altar boy alleges he fell victim to one of these predator priests. The lawsuit alleges the Allentown diocese did not inform their members that one of these predator priests, who admitted to sexually abusing another boy a decade prior, was actively serving in their area.

The lawsuit also alleges that the priest had been approved to work with kids near a clinic in New Mexico for troubled clergy members that was dubbed “Camp Ped” by church officials.

“It was known as ‘Camp Ped’ in Catholic circles back in 1990s. … It was started to help priests with drinking problems and did a good job of that. But it had no experience or ability to treat pedophilia,” the claimant’s attorney said in a press conference, according to NBC News.

Overview of Catholic Church Sex Abuse

The Catholic Church sex abuse lawsuit was filed by a man identified as John Doe, who alleges he was abused while he was an altar boy between the years 1999 and 2001 at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in a small town 30 miles north of Allentown.

The alleged predator priest, Bruno Tucci, allegedly told the claimant to “put his arms out like Jesus on the cross,” while he fondled the claimant’s genitals. The man says he is still suffering from chronic emotional damage from the trauma, including anger and depression, as a result of the abuse.

This is the first Catholic Church sex abuse lawsuit to seek damages from the Church, and is one of the few claims that has been allowed to proceed because the statute of limitations did not run out.

According to John Doe’s attorneys, this lawsuit will be used to identify other alleged predator priests that abused children in the Allentown diocese. The plaintiff hopes that other victims will be encouraged to come forward.

The lawsuit is targeting former Allentown diocese Bishop Edward Cullen and current bishop of the diocese, Alfred Schlert, along with the Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete, which operated the New Mexico facility from 1965 to 2002.

According to the lawsuit, Tucci was sent to the so-called “Camp Ped” facility after he admitted to sexually abusing a child in 1991, but the diocese reportedly took no disciplinary action against him.

Tucci eventually returned to his position, spurring concern from his earlier victim from 1991. Even though the victim expressed concern to the diocese, church officials allegedly did nothing.

Tucci allegedly preyed on the claimant who filed this Catholic Church sex abuse lawsuit. Tucci was removed from active ministry in 2002 and eventually removed from the priesthood in 2007.