Sex abuse allegations against a priest within the Diocese of Dallas have people in the Catholic community seeking answers about the investigation.
At mass over the weekend, Bishop Edward Burns told parishioners at St. Cecilia Catholic Church that former Reverend Edmundo Paredes is being investigated for criminal sexual acts. Three men came forward and said it happened when they were teenagers. “They came forward together,” said Bishop Burns. He said the investigation of more than 300 “predator priests” in Pennsylvania facing allegations of sexual abuse prompted the Diocese of Dallas to inform the public.
He said initially, it was at the victim’s request to keep it quiet. A statement from the Diocese of Dallas reads, “There was concern for the victims who asked that it not be made public out of great fear that it would compromise their anonymity in the community. Because he had not been at St. Cecilia or any other parish since June 2017, Bishop Burns tried to be sensitive to the victims’ request.”
People in the community still want to know more about the investigation. The Diocese of Dallas filed police reports to the Dallas Police Department when the victims came forward.
WFAA reached out to the Dallas Police Department. A public information officer said they are looking into the request.
“I would welcome hearing from the chief [of police] about the status of the investigation,” said Paul, a member of Dallas’s Survivors Network of those Abused By Priests (SNAP). Paul said he was involved in a different case of priest abuse in Dallas. It took him decades to come forward.
Paul believes there are more than three survivors in this new case. He said in sexual abuse situations, there are many victims who feel like they need to remain silent. He hopes more victims will come forward.
Earlier, officials also said that they have not been able to locate Paredes. He is from the Philippines and takes yearly trips there, Diocese spokeswoman Annette Gonzales Taylor said.
Bishop Edward Burns said that they have hired two private investigators to try and track the man down.
"Now that we know of his criminal sexual acts, we want to get a handle on him," said Burns.
Statement from Diocese of Dallas on sex abuse allegations against Reverend Edmundo Paredes by wfaachannel8 on Scribd