Cruces Diocese Lists 28 Suspected Sex Abusers

By Angela Kocherga
Albuquerque Journal
November 9, 2018

https://www.abqjournal.com/1244332/cruces-diocese-lists-28-suspected-sex-abusers.html

The Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces released the names of 28 priests who have been “credibly accused” of sexually abusing minors.

“These stories are shocking and demand that we find ways to work together and address the issues honestly and openly,” said Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, the Apostolic administrator. Kicanas is serving in that role until a new bishop is named to replace Bishop Oscar Cantu, who left Las Cruces for the Diocese of San Jose.

“By publishing this list, the Diocese of Las Cruces is seeking to be transparent and accountable, and we invite anyone who may have been abused by church personnel to come forward and report that abuse to the proper authorities,” Kicanas told a news conference Thursday.

The list is also being shared with the state Attorney General’s Office, which in September asked all Roman Catholic dioceses in the state to turn over personnel records related to any past or present allegations of sexual abuse. Diocese officials said they are working with the AG’s office to get assurances that the victims’ names would be protected before sending the files.

The diocese covers most of southern New Mexico. Some of the accusations involved abuse that occurred within the diocese, while others include priests accused in another diocese before they arrived in the Las Cruces Diocese. Several of the priests had multiple complaints.

Some of the communities where the assaults occurred include Las Cruces, Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Silver City, Ruidoso and Bayard. Two of the allegations involve priests assigned to the New Mexico Military Institute in 1984 and 1990. Four involve priests who served at St. Jude Parish in Alamogordo.

The alleged abuse dates back to the 1950s through 2000, but the incidents were often not reported until years later. The most recent complaint was in 2018, and involved Father David Bentley. He is the “subject of an unresolved lawsuit” at a perish in Deming, as well as multiple complaints in the Diocese of Albany outside New Mexico.

All of the priests had been removed from ministry, and several have died.

Father David Holly, who was assigned to a parish in Alamogordo from 1972-1975, was convicted and served time in prison, where he died in 2008.

Five of the priests also served in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, which published its own list of 74 clergy members credibly accused of sexual abuse last year.

In 2014, the Gallup Diocese released a list containing 34 priests and other religious accused of abusing minors.

The allegations in southern New Mexico were deemed credible by the Las Cruces diocese’s Sexual Abuse Review Board, which includes people with expertise in law enforcement, mental and children’s health.

According to the diocese there have been no credible allegations of child sexual abuse after 2000, the year the Catholic Church implemented the “Charter for the protection of Children and Young People.”

By making the list public, the diocese is also encouraging others to report sexual abused by clergy members. “I hope any victims out there will come forward,” Kicanas said.

The diocese has a victim assistance coordinator on staff to take complaints and ensure victims get the help they need.

“I was told by victims and I’m sure other bishops were told the same, you can’t change what happened to us, but you can make sure it never happens again,” Kicanas said.

The document released Thursday stated that since 2002, the Diocese of Las Cruces has implemented protocols that include safe environment training and background checks for all clergy, employees and volunteers.

It said that in the past five years, it has trained 17,000 people on how to recognize and report sex abuse.

“Additionally, all children in our religious education classes currently receive Circle of Grace training to teach them about the sacredness of their bodies and how to recognize and ward off inappropriate advances.”

The priests and religious mentioned in the document are Santiago Almaguer, Daniel R. Barfield, David Bentley, Bernard Bissonnette, Albert Chavez, Wilfred Diamond, Miguel Esquivel, Dennis Fountain, Samuel Garcia, Kerry Guillory, David Holley, Irving Klister, Laurier Labreche, Wayne Ladenburger, Rosario Lopez, Richard Lynch, Manuel Perez Maramba, Phillip Martin, Diego Mazon, Arthur C. Morgan, Arthur O’Sullivan, Bruno Primavera, Casild Pudei, Fran Sierra, Benjamin Silva, Dennis Tejada, John Tickle, David Viramontes.