On Jan. 31, the Dioceses of Texas posted the names and details of all the Catholic priests with child sexual abuse charges back from the 1950s up to the present.
'Credibly Alleged' Offender Priests
The Houston Chronicle compiled and created an interactive list accessible to everyone on the internet. The clickable names show the priests' names and the churches that they served during their tenures.
Furthermore, it shows when the convicted and alleged offenders were born, ordained, and died. It also includes their previous assignments and their status with the Catholic Church. Each of the names on the list has had one victim.
Additionally, other names have minor details on the reports against them. This includes the number of charges and even the situation of the victims.
The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston alone posted 42 priests. One of the victims, Kevin Johnson, said that he was not impressed with the list.
"It doesn't tell me anything that I didn't already know," said Johnson.
The victim was 16-years-old when he was allegedly molested by Walter Dayton Salisbury, SSJ, back in the 1970s. The page revealed that the church ordained Salisbury in 1959 and that he had a total of 2 convictions of child molestation.
According to the reports, the number of accused doubled from a previous 2004 study by Bishop Joseph Fiorenza.
Furthermore, the list even involves priests with ongoing charges. Manuel La Rosa-Lopez faces four counts of indecency with a child in Montgomery County. La Rosa-Lopez had multiple postings over the years. He was assigned to Sacred Heart in Conroe, St. Francis de Sales in Houston, and St. John Fisher in Richmond. The details on the list revealed that the police arrested La-Rosa-Lopez on Sept. 11.
The other was John Keller of the Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Houston. Keller was recently removed from the ministry. The ministry did not provide details of his release.
Houston Chronicle also interviewed Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the head of the archdiocese.
"I have to be very careful about talking about the charges of La Rosa-Lopez as it is an ongoing investigation," he explains.
Cardinal DiNardo emphasized the importance of accountability. The cardinal said that the church, its leaders, and even himself should be accountable.
Robert Scamardo was the legal counsel of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston from 1997-2002.
In his interview, he admitted that he was also an alleged victim of child sexual abuse at the hands of a priest named Daniel Delaney. He expressed his hope that the list will ensure that no child will ever have to suffer again at the hands of a priest.
Dallas Charter
As per the report, the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People," also known as the Dallas Charter, was the answer of the Catholic Church for the 2002 Boston Globe revelation.
The Pulitzer Award recipient investigation "Spotlight Investigation: Abuse in the Catholic Church" placed the World's eyes on the issue of sexual abuses by Catholic priests back in 2002.
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Dallas Charter directs action for the following:
- Creating a safe environment for children and young people
- Healing and reconciliation of victims and survivors
- Making prompt and effective responses to allegations
- Cooperating with civil authorities; Disciplining offenders
- Providing for means of accountability for the future.
The Dallas Charter, in its preamble, acknowledged the abuses. It is also where the Catholic Church apologized for its shortcomings to the victims and the Catholic people.
More from Crossmap: Former member of Christian fraternity receives 7-year sentence after sexual assaulting three women
