Houston cardinal accused of ignoring abuse reports
HOUSTON — As U.S. Catholic leaders head to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis about a growing church abuse crisis, the cardinal leading the delegation has been accused of not doing enough to stop a priest who was arrested this week on sexual abuse charges.
Two people told The Associated Press they reported the priest and met with Cardinal Daniel Dinardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-houston. One of them says she was promised in a meeting with Dinardo, several years after she first reported abuse, that the priest would be removed from contact with children, only to discover that the priest remained in active ministry at another parish 70 miles away.
The priest, Manuel Larosa-lopez, was arrested Tuesday in Conroe, Texas. Both people who spoke to the AP are cooperating with police.
Larosa-lopez, 60, is charged with four counts of indecency with a child. Each count carries a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison.
The archdiocese issued a statement Wednesday confirming that both people had come forward to report abuse by Larosa-lopez. The archdiocese said it reported both allegations to the state Child Protective Services, and it was unaware of any other “allegations of inappropriate conduct involving minors” against the priest. A spokesman for CPS on Wednesday declined to comment, citing confidentiality of the reports.
Dinardo is head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He is meeting with Pope Francis on Thursday at the Vatican.