major development today in an
investigation dating back to the 1950s
14 Texas diocese and Archdiocese
including the Archdiocese of Galveston
Houston released lists disclosing the
identities of clergy credibly accused of
sexual abuse statewide we're talking
about hundreds of names here in the
Galveston Houston archdiocese 42 names
in San Antonio 56 Dallas 31 and 17 and
Fort Worth here's a closer look at some
of those names you might recognize
Manuel La Rosa Lopez who just last year
was charged with four counts of
indecency with a child involving two
victims
Fernando Guzman was convicted of abusing
a fourteen-year-old girl at a Grimes
County church and was put on the state
sex offender registry and Richard
edilene was accused of repeatedly
groping a girl from 1981 to 1982 in that
case we're told his accuser was given
five thousand dollars right now only two
cases are under investigation I think
what's important is that there is no
statute of limitations or continuous
sexual abuse of a child indecency with
the child or our rate of sexual assault
of a child any of these former
parishioners who are alive remain within
the aim of law enforcement
it was our legal expert Brian Weiss we
also spoke with a crisis management
expert about how the church has handled
the release of these lists it's a good
that has been done so the release of the
names is a small first step I think in
the right direction that needs to be
open in order for the faithful to heal
we also spoke with a crisis management
expert about how the churches handled
this release and tonight one woman is
hoping to reveal and heal by sharing her
story of survival she says that she
experienced sexual abuse by a priest
when she was very young
our Brittany Jeffers live tonight with
this woman's story Brittany bill and
Dominique Fisk was understandably a very
emotional day for parishioners as well
as sexual abuse survivors waiting for
this list to be revealed now I did speak
with one woman today who tells me that
she does believe that this is a step in
the right direction but she tells me
that she is saddened that it took this
long
Monica Bias says the sexual abuse
started when she was a toddler and it's
something she's had to carry with her
every day since childhood today the
Archdiocese of Galveston Houston and 14
other Texas Catholic Diocese released
the names of clergymen who have
allegations of sexual abuse byah says
her perpetrator and the priest who
signed this document for her first
communion is on that list it felt good
to see that his name was on there and
validating as far as that little child
had a voice finally Villa's attended Our
Lady of st. John Catholic Church in
Houston in the 1960s and 70s she alleges
that Lawrence Peguero sexually abused
her throughout her childhood
it happened for years even in the
confession box according to the clergy
disclosure list Peguero was ordained in
1947 he was assigned to churches in
Houston Beaumont in Galveston he retired
in 1993 and Peguero
passed away in 2000 byah says that she
was nervous before the list was released
she says it is a step towards healing
but there's much more that needs to be
done I hope that more names will be
released when I spoke with my eyes one
thing that she continued to reiterate is
that she hopes that other survivors will
be aware of different services and
resources well as different avenues to
report abuse now we do have a list of
all of those resources on our website at
click2houston.com live here tonight in
Northeast Houston on Brittney Jeffers
KPRC Channel 2 News