New Lawsuits Allege Systemic Abuse and Concealment by Dioceses of Las Cruces and El Paso

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 …