This report is supported by NM Political Report, a nonprofit newsroom working to increase New Mexicans’ engagement in politics and public policy.
Reported by: Josh Lee, Las Cruces, New Mexico
This report is original reporting by a New Mexico-based independent journalist with support NMreports.org and its readers and sponsors.
The Catholic Church’s handling of decades-old sexual abuse allegations involving priests who served in southern New Mexico and West Texas has again come under scrutiny. Eight new lawsuits against the Diocese of Las Cruces and the Diocese of El Paso allege that church officials knowingly concealed child abuse to protect the institution’s reputation.
The lawsuits, filed by the Davis Kelin Law Firm and Huffman Wallace & Monagle, allege systemic abuse of minors spanning more than three decades—from 1956 to 1990—involving children aged 3 to 15.
“There’s a perception in these communities and across the country that this is a closed chapter in the Church’s history, that this is the past,” says Levi A. Monagle, partner at Huffman Wallace & Monagle. “On a day-to-day basis, this is still the present and the future for abuse survivors that live with this.”
The newly filed complaints name seven priests: Monsignor Albert Chavez, Father David Holley, Father Emilio Roure, Father Wilfrid Diamond, Monsignor Gonzalo Morales, Father Bernard Bissonnette and Father Joaquin Resma. An eighth, unidentified visiting priest is also referenced in the filings.
“The Diocese of Las Cruces and El Paso were actively receiving priests from the Servants of the Paraclete facility in Jemez Springs in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s,” says Monagle. This facility was intended for clergy rehabilitation but has since been accused of allowing known abusers to return to ministry without sufficient safeguards.
“So you ended up with some pretty notorious serial offenders like Father David Holly and Father Bernard Bissonette in active parish ministry in those dioceses,” says Monagle, “despite the fact that their records clearly indicated that they had abused multiple children and that they remained a threat to children.”
The suits allege that Church officials not only failed to report allegations to law enforcement but, in many cases, actively concealed or ignored credible reports of abuse. The dioceses are accused of protecting priests at the expense of victims.
The parishes named in the lawsuits include Our Lady of Health in Las Cruces, Our Lady of Purification in Doña Ana, Immaculate Conception in Alamogordo, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mesilla Park, St. Anthony in Anthony and St. Eleanor in Ruidoso.
The lawsuits suggest that additional victims and abusers remain unidentified or unacknowledged.
“Survivors very frequently believe that they’re alone in this experience,” says Monagle. “They think that the priest abused them for some reason that was unique to them. And that’s just not the case. It’s pretty rare to come across a priest who abuses one and only one child over the course of their career. Usually, these guys are serial offenders.”
The law firms have set up information for victims and their families at NMPriestAbuse.com. The site has data on known perpetrators and resources for help.
“I think it’s important for these survivors to understand that they’re not alone and that they didn’t do anything wrong,” says Monagle.
The lawsuits’ plaintiffs are seeking not only damages but structural change within the Church. The filings call for transparency, support for survivors and a full accounting of how these abuses were allowed to continue.
Neither the Diocese of Las Cruces nor the Diocese of El Paso responded to requests for comment.
This report is supported by NM Political Report, a nonprofit newsroom working to increase New Mexicans’ engagement in politics and public policy.
Reported by: Josh Lee
This report is original reporting by a New Mexico-based independent journalist with support NMreports.org and its readers and sponsors.