High-ranking US cardinal allowed a priest accused of sexual abuse to lead mass

HOUSTON (AP) — The cardinal who leads the U.S. bishops’ conference allowed a priest to celebrate Mass on the same day his name appeared on a list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo told the Rev. John T. Keller Wednesday evening that he would be placed on administrative leave the next day, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston said in a statement Friday.

DiNardo allowed Keller to lead the 9 a.m. Thursday Mass at his parish because Keller “was already scheduled to celebrate it.”

Hours later, Keller was listed among 40 clergy members removed from office due to “current allegations that are currently under investigation.” Fourteen dioceses in Texas on Thursday named those credibly accused of abuse and identified 286 priests and others accused of sexually abusing children.

Michael Norris, a member of the advocacy group Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, accused DiNardo on Friday of waiting “until the last minute to remove” Keller because he knew the case was drawing media attention.

Allowing Keller to celebrate mass on Thursday morning was “nonsense,” said Norris.

“The idea is, if you remove someone from the department, you remove someone from the department,” Norris said. “You remove the defendant immediately.”

As head of the Catholic bishops, DiNardo shaped the U.S. Catholic Church’s response to the clergy abuse crisis and met with Pope Francis on the issue.

At the same time, his handling of cases in Houston was questioned. Another local priest, Rev. Manuel La Rosa-Lopez, was charged in September with four counts of indecency with a child. Two people who said La Rosa-Lopez victimized them told The Associated Press they felt DiNardo didn’t do enough to stop La Rosa-Lopez, who was also on the list released Thursday was standing.

DiNardo and the archdiocese said they recently received new allegations against Keller.

But allegations that Keller made a 16-year-old boy drink alcohol and then groped him have been public since at least 2003, when the Dallas Morning News reported that Keller had been ordered to undergo counseling “to ensure he was fit for the purpose.” future is not at risk.” inadequate behaviour.”

According to the newspaper, Catholic officials in Houston said at the time that the behavior “did not qualify as sexual abuse” and allowed Keller to remain at his parish, Prince of Peace Catholic Community in northwest Houston.

CBS News aired an interview with the man in November and another interview Thursday with a second person who accused Keller of inappropriately touching him when he was 8 years old.

The archdiocese declined to comment on Keller’s case beyond its statement in which it said it had reported allegations against Keller to civil authorities and encouraged victims to cooperate with any investigation.

Keller was still listed as Pastor of the Prince of Peace on the church’s website Friday.