Where are the credibly accused priests?
HOUSTON – A year ago, there was hope: justice for the victims of clergy sexual abuse.
"We want to substantiate what those young people who have suffered, the victims, the survivors, that's what today is all about," said Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston on Jan. 31, 2019 in an interview with KPRC 2.
But one year later, what has come of these revelations that accused over 40 priests from the Archdiocese of an unthinkable act?
Where is the transparency?
"We at SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) are calling for true transparency, not the opaque transparency of a stained glass window from a church in denial," said Eduardo Lopez de Casas, co-leader of SNAP Houston and clergy abuse victim.
Lopez de Casas grew up in church, rarely missing a Sunday Mass even in his darkest times.
"I was abused over 40 years ago, and I never left the church," Lopez de Casas said.
"When I went off to college, I probably didn't go to church for a month and a half thinking, 'Oh my gosh I don't have my parents waking me up anymore, my Sundays are free!' Eventually, I just couldn't stand it. I had to go back to church."
Then Lopez de Casas went to work in the church as a music director for Spanish language services, most recently at Prince of Peace in Tomball.
"Every weekend, I sang at most of the funerals, most of the weddings," he said. "The amazing thing is that when I went to work there, I did not know anything about the man that was going to become my boss... John Keller."
Keller was removed from the church the same day his name appeared on the list.
The Archdiocese has kept quiet about Keller's whereabouts and the same for the others on the list, which has left parishioners and victims guessing.
Houston retirement home
Lopez de Casas questioned the rationale for places like the Fiorenza Priests Retirement Residence at St. Dominic Village that houses priests with the Archdiocese funds.
KPRC 2 Investigates looked into the history of that retirement center, which is next door to Hermann Park in the Medical Center.
A few credibly accused priests, such as Charles Schoppe, Denis Lynch, Anthony Stredny and Dennis Peterson, were at one time or another connected to the address. But, n...