Texas couple stands by misconduct story

The Texas couple that accused top U.S. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of mishandling a sexual misconduct case involving his former deputy is denying his office’s claims against them, saying the church is mistreating them the way it mistreats other victims.

DiNardo’s Galveston-Houston archdiocese has said that the couple fabricated quotes in an Associated Press story and demanded $10 million, and that it “categorically rejects” the story as biased and onesided. George Pontikes said Wednesday he stood by his comments recounting meetings with DiNardo in 2016 and 2017, and called the diocese’s response disappointing but not surprising.

“It is another example of a smoke screen designed to cover up wrongdoings,” said Pontikes, president and CEO of the Houston-based construction firm Satterfield & Pontikes.

His wife, Laura Pontikes, had approached DiNardo’s Galveston-Houston archdiocese in April 2016 to report that the then-vicar general had taken advantage of problems in her marriage and business to manipulate her into a sexual relationship. Emails turned over to the archdiocese and AP show that while the sexual relationship grew, Monsignor Frank Rossi heard Pontikes’ confessions, counseled her husband on their strained marriage and solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations for the church.