BishopAccountability.org

Editorial: Troubling allegations against Catholic Diocese

Las Cruces Sun-News
February 10, 2018

http://www.lcsun-news.com/story/opinion/editorial/2018/02/10/troubling-allegations-against-catholic-diocese/327024002/

Father Ricardo Bauza, pastor of St. Genevieve's Catholic Church, conducts a burial ceremony for 10 indigent men in August 2011 at St. Joseph's Cemetery. Bauza is accused of sexually abusing a parishioner in Hobbs, where he was reassigned in 2014.

[Note from BishopAccountability.org: This editorial references a statement by Bishop Oscar Cantú. That statement is available here.]

The allegations against a former priest in the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces that are contained in a recent lawsuit are disturbing. The alleged cover-up by church officials, if true, would be beyond disturbing.

The lawsuit involves Father Ricardo Bauza, who had previously served as pastor of St. Genevieve Catholic Church in Las Cruces. The allegations in the lawsuit involve complaints made by several people after Bauza had been moved to St. Helena Catholic Church in Hobbs.

The adult man who filed the lawsuit claims that on two different occasions when he was using the shower at the parish rectory, Bauza entered the shower naked and began to wash the other man’s body, including his genitals.

The complaint also accused Bauza of showing photos of his penis and other sexually explicit images to church workers.

One worker also alleged that Bauza had engaged in sexual activities with other men in the church rectory. And, a cleaning lady told investigators that when she was cleaning the rectory one day, she saw Bauza standing naked in the hallway with his backside exposed to her.

Court records show that Bauza was charged in October with one misdemeanor count of criminal sexual contact. There is an active court warrant for his arrest.

Connie Flores, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiff, said she believed the alleged abuse was not limited to Hobbs, but also likely occurred during his time at St. Genevieve’s.

“We are convinced there are victims in Las Cruces, and we hope these victims come forward,” she said.

She also said that the two workers who reported the alleged sexual misconduct were fired by the diocese, and are now contemplating lawsuits of their own.

Florez points to a statement by Bishop Oscar Cantú in November announcing that he had asked Bauza to "absent himself from the parish" and enter into rehab as evidence of a lack of concern for the alleged victims.

“Why order Father Bauza to therapy if he didn’t believe the allegations? And if he believed the allegations, why not report them to the police himself?” she asked. “Why continue to tell parishioners that Father Bauza is on ‘sabbatical’?"

Those seem like fair questions. Bishop Cantú did not respond to requests from the Sun-News for comment.

We will let the judicial process play out before making any final decisions, but the fact that these allegations are still being made against the church today is incredibly frustrating, given all that it has been through.

We first started hearing rumors about sexual abuse within the church in the 1990s. By the 2000s, a global scandal had erupted. It was revealed that not only were deviant priests committing acts of abuse, often against children, but these acts were being hidden by church leaders. Instead of turning over abusers to law enforcement, they were being quietly transferred to different parishes, where the abuse would start anew.

The church has gone through a painful reckoning, and has vowed to do better in the future. This case should give everyone reason for concern.




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