Catholic Clergy Abuse in Texas

In this section you can view a list of Catholic Church clergy in the state of Texas who have been accused of the sexual abuse of minors and/or adults.

In 2002, a investigation conducted by reporters at The Boston Globe uncovered a large number of child sex abuse incidents perpetrated by Catholic priests throughout the state of Massachusetts. This explosive investigation had a ripple effect that put dioceses throughout the U.S. under close scrutiny. Numerous reports of credibly accused priests surfaced in other states, including Texas.

These revelations have resulted in several substantial monetary settlements for Texas-based victims of these crimes. Other lawsuits are still pending.

A number of Catholic dioceses in Texas have harbored priests and other individuals affiliated with the Church who have been accused of sexual misconduct. Accused clergy are suspected of having taken advantage of their authority, and the trust it engendered, to sexually exploit one or more persons in their care. Many of these alleged victims were minors at the time.

Church-affiliated organizations involved in alleged abuse include:

• The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
• The Archdiocese of San Antonio
• The Diocese of Amarillo
• The Diocese of Austin
• The Diocese of Beaumont
• The Diocese of Brownsville
• The Diocese of Corpus Christi
• The Diocese of Dallas
• The Diocese of El Paso
• The Diocese of Fort Worth
• The Diocese of Lubbock
• The Diocese of San Angelo
• The Diocese of Tyler
• The Diocese of Victoria

To date, close to 300 priests in Texas have been accused of sex abuse. Reported cases of clergy abuse in Texas reach back as far as the 1930s. The Texas Attorney General’s Office has been criticized in recent years for what is widely perceived as its reluctance to properly investigate these cases.

Texas Law on Sexual Abuse Cases

In 2019, the State of Texas increased the time limit for filing a civil claim for childhood sexual abuse. As a result of this change of law, you now have until age 48 (30 years from your 18th birthday) to make a civil claim in Texas. Prior to this change, the age limit was 33.

The modification in the law was made due to the increasing awareness of the late-developing impact of many child sexual abuse cases, with many people becoming fully aware of their victimization only years after the incident(s) occurred.

This law is not retroactive. Texas does not provide the "lookback window" that certain other states do. If you reached your 33th birthday before September 1, 2019 (the date the new law went into effect), you cannot file a civil claim. It is still possible to file criminal charges, however.

For criminal charges, the State of Texas does not enforce a statute of limitations for cases involving the sexual assault of a child. Offenders can be criminally prosecuted no matter how much time has elapsed.

How Can You Get Help for a Texas Clergy Abuse Case?

Saunders & Walker, P.A., has years of experience with providing legal council to individuals who have been sexually abused by priests. If you have been victimized by a member of the Catholic clergy, you may qualify for financial compensation, even if the abuse occurred decades ago, and even if the offending individual is deceased.

For a free consultation, call Saunders & Walker at (727) 579-4500.

Note on the List of Accused Catholic Clergy in Texas

These names were taken from the Texas page of of bishop-accountability.org, a website that maintains an up-to-date nationwide database of Catholic priests who have been accused of sexual abuse.

Some of these individuals have been convicted of sex abuse; many others have not. The majority of them are deceased. Please visit the website linked above if you would like further information about the nature of the accusations associated with any of these individuals.

Those listed below are entitled to the presumption of innocence unless they have been found to be guilty by a court of law. Accusations and out-of-court settlements should not, by themselves, be considered proof of guilt.

These names have been gathered from a variety of sources, such as newspaper reports, court documents, and lists publicly issued by dioceses (such as Cardinal Daniel DiNardo’s list covering the Galveston-Houston archdiocese). The list includes several non-priests who had a position of authority within the Catholic Church.