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Two Catholic dioceses along the Texas-New Mexico border are facing legal complaints linked to allegations of child sexual abuse involving several priests and parishes between 1956 and 1990.
Legal representatives from Davis Kelin Law Firm and Huffman Wallace & Monagle announced July 17 that they have initiated eight lawsuits against the Diocese of El Paso in Texas and the Diocese of Las Cruces in New Mexico, CBS4 reported.
The complaints involve claims that multiple clergy abused minors, some who were reportedly as young as 3 years old, between 1956 and 1990, KVIA reported.
Attorney Levi Monagle, one of the lawyers involved in the case, said many victims have only recently come forward.
“We are shocked by the number of victims and the ages of the victims who continue to step out of the shadows,” Monagle said, according to CBS4. “The abuse perpetrated by these priests is repulsive. And that this went on for so long and involved so many priests is completely unjustifiable.”
To support those affected, the firms launched an informational website, NMPriestAbuse, which includes a reporting hotline and links to counseling and advocacy resources. The legal team said that victims and their families can still seek justice regardless of how much time has passed since the incidents.
In a statement, the Diocese of El Paso acknowledged awareness of the lawsuits but said it could not discuss specific details while the litigation is ongoing.
“The Diocese of El Paso works very diligently to cooperate with all parties involved when cases like this are brought forward,” the statement read. “The diocese takes all matters of abuse as grave and serious situations and will work to ensure that justice is served.”
It also outlined the diocese’s ongoing safe-environment protocols, including annual abuse prevention training for clergy, employees, and volunteers.
The diocese further encouraged anyone with knowledge of abuse to report directly to law enforcement, as well as to diocesan offices dedicated to victim assistance and safeguarding efforts.
CatholicVote contacted the Diocese of Las Cruces for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
The priests identified in the filings include both diocesan clergy and religious order members. Among the names listed are Monsignor Albert Chavez, Father David Holley, Father Emilio Roure, Father Wilfrid Diamond, Monsignor Gonzalo Morales, Father Bernard Bissonnette, and Father Joaquin Resma.
The lawsuits name the following churches as locations where the alleged abuse occurred: Our Lady of Health in Las Cruces; Our Lady of Purification in Doña Ana County; Immaculate Conception in Alamogordo; Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mesilla Park; St. Anthony in Anthony, New Mexico; and St. Eleanor in Ruidoso.
