Despite years of investigations and victims coming forward, abuse in the Catholic Church continues to be a topic shrouded in secrecy and startling hypocrisy.

In December, Pope Francis finally declared the church would stop hiding sexual abuse allegations against priests, ending the rule of a 2001 decree that allowed sexual abuse allegations to be considered a “pontifical secret,” the Catholic Church’s most protected information.

A pontifical secret is different from the seal of the confessional, which must be kept confidential, according to America: The Jesuit Review. The pontifical secret only pertains to secrecy surrounding “the church’s judicial handling of clerical sex abuse and other grave crimes” in addition to some issues regarding the appointments of cardinals and bishops.

Such a hush-hush policy allegedly was intended to guard the dignity of all those accused and those doing the accusing, according to the church. To some, it appeared to embolden predators accused in the Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal.

With that high level of confidential protection removed, the church opened the door for sexual abuse claims to be told to the authorities. The Church would stop hiding predatory priests from the police and from prosecution.

The Vatican said the new attempt at transparency allows new allegations of sexual abuse to go through the legal system and is an attempt to re-establish trust between Church leaders and parishioners.

Fighting abuse in the Catholic Church

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston said in an August 2018 interview with the Catholic Sun, “I have no illusions about the degree to which trust in the bishops has been damaged by these past sins and failures. It will take work to rebuild that trust.”

Ten months later, parishioners were calling for DiNardo to step down from his position as leader of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. DiNardo was accused of improperly handling allegations of sexual abuse made against Frank Rossi in 2016.

Rossi allegedly had a sexual relationship with a woman who had asked for marriage counseling and then kept hearing her confessions in his role as her priest. DiNardo let Rossi retire as the Archdiocese’s vicar general and then transfer to another parish located in a nearby town.

Michael Norris leads the Houston chapter of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. Norris told the Houston Chronicle that he believes DiNardo knew of the allegations of misconduct against Rossi for two years, but never acted on the information.

Norris also alleges DiNardo knew about allegations against John Keller and Manuel La Rosa Lopez, but purportedly failed to do anything about those accusations, either.

Keller was removed from the ministry in January 2019 after 45 years of working as a priest among four Catholic churches in the Houston area. Credible allegations of sexual abuse were brought against Keller by two male adults who said they were victims of Keller’s abuse in the 1970s.

Keller allegedly inappropriately touched Mark Quinn when he was just 8 years old. Quinn is now in his early 50s and said he kept quiet for decades until the mother of another victim came forward seeking justice for son, who also allegedly had been sexually abused by Keller.

Carol LaBonte said Keller sexually abused her son by fondling him when he was on a trip. A teenager at the time, her son told his mother what happened and she immediately complained to the church. She told KHOU Channel 11 that the archdiocese said Keller “acted inappropriately” but that such touching did not amount to “abuse.”

Even though she had trusted the church to do something to make sure such abuse never happened again, she said the church did nothing. LaBonte said she was surprised that Keller’s name finally appeared on the list of priests who were credibly accused of sexual abuse. She wondered if the combined complaints from her son and from Quinn helped ensure the credibility the church was evidently seeking for decades.

In addition to allegedly sweeping the Keller accusations under the rug, DiNardo purportedly ignored allegations of sex abuse in the Catholic Church committed by Father Manuel La Rosa Lopez.

In addition to facing charges that he allegedly sexually abused children from the 1990s to 2000s, La Rosa Lopez is accused of raping a woman more than once in 2005 during the time she worked at a Catholic church in the Sugar Land area of Texas. La Rosa Lopez also allegedly propositioned a fellow priest at a hotel, promising to secure the priest’s assignment to a larger church if he would perform sexual acts upon La Rosa Lopez.

After DiNardo appeared in an uproar about how the church failed sex abuse victims for decades, his words rang shallow when parishioners saw DiNardo himself apparently did little to stop abusers himself.

Lawsuits filed against predators, churches

Catholic dioceses in several states have opened compensation funds for those who suffered from abuse within the church. For some, however, this is not enough; many survivors have turned to litigation.

Across the U.S., states have enacted new laws that allow adults to file lawsuits against the predators and the organizations that protected them. Many of these laws include a lookback window, which means even if the statute of limitations expired on a sex abuse claim, the survivor can still file a lawsuit. States that have instituted lookback windows include New York, California, and more.

In California, the passage of Assembly Bill 218 and its enactment on Jan. 1, 2020 opened a three-year lookback window for sex abuse survivors of any age to bring forth claims even if the previous statute of limitations had expired. In addition, the maximum age for a child sex abuse claim to be filed has been raised to 40 years old, up from the previous age limit of 26.

In cases where it can be proven the organization helped cover up the accusations of sexual abuse, the survivors may collect up to three times the amount provided in compensatory damages.

By Jan. 2, at least a half-dozen lawsuits were filed against the Catholic Church and several deceased members of the clergy who allegedly committed sexual abuse decades ago in Southern California.

One of the plaintiffs is Edward Ortega, now age 72, who said he was violently raped many times by Gregory Sheridan, who worked in the San Diego, Ramona and Fallbrook Catholic churches.

Ortega said he was 11 to 13 years old during the horrific episodes of abuse.

“When something like that happens, something inside of you dies and you never get it back,” Ortega told the Los Angeles Times.

Filing a Catholic sexual abuse lawsuit

If you or someone you love has suffered from sexual abuse within the Catholic church by a priest or other church leader, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation.

Filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by this kind of abuse, but it can at least help to provide some financial compensation, as well as help hold those responsible accountable for their actions and inactions.

Filing a lawsuit can be a daunting prospect, so Top Class Actions has laid the groundwork for you by connecting you with an experienced attorney. Consulting an attorney can help you determine if you have a claim, navigate the complexities of litigation, and maximize your potential compensation.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.