Catholic Officials Fight against Victims of Houston Priest even as Cleric Stands for Criminal Trial
Once again, rather than fight a lawsuit on its merits, Catholic officials in Houston are relying on technicalities to escape responsibility for a clergyman who is currently facing criminal charges in Montgomery County. We hope that parishioners and the public will see through this latest attempt to avoid accountability and demand better from their leaders.
Fr. Manuel LaRosa Lopez is facing two criminal counts of indecency with a child. While he is presently only being charged with two counts, there is at least one additional accuser known to the public. Despite this, Catholic officials in Houston are fighting the claims brought in a civil lawsuit by two of the priest’s victims.
Attorneys for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston are not necessarily disputing whether or not these victims – currently filing suit as Jane Doe and John Doe – were abused. Instead, they are arguing that due to the arbitrary time limit imposed by Texas’ archaic statute of limitations, their claims should not be heard.
Just once we would like to see Catholic officials and their attorneys fight lawsuits on the merits, not technicalities. We hope that parishioners in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will pay attention to this news and see that, once again, their leaders are choosing to protect their reputations and finances instead of working honestly to compensate victims of rape at the hands of one of their clerics.
It seems clear to us that Catholic officials have little interest in changing the way that they do business, so we hope that parishioners will speak out against the archdiocese’s continuing failure to protect children, support survivors, and prevent abuse. It is the people in the pews, not those behind the pulpit, who we believe will ultimately create the necessary change. We hope this story will compel those folks to take action on behalf of victims today.
CONTACT: Eduardo Lopez de Casas, SNAP Houston ( [email protected], 832-641-6319), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director