Catholic dioceses across Texas on Thursday are planning to release names of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse.
If you are a victim or are aware of abuse in the church, below is the protocol for reporting that abuse, according to guidelines from the Dallas and Fort Worth dioceses, which cover all of North Texas:
From the Dallas Diocese:
1) Call law enforcement. For Dallas cases, abuse reported to police should be directed to detective David Clark, a police spokesman said.
2) Situations involving abuse of minors must be reported to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services at 1-800-252-5400 or online at www.txabusehotline.org.
3) Call the Diocese victims' assistance coordinator, Barbara Landregan, at 214-379-2812 or by email at blandregan@cathdal.org.
From the Fort Worth Diocese:
1) Call the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services/Child Protective Services (CPS) at 800-252-5400 and follow the directions to file a report with a case worker/online report (Request a case number or a copy of the report).
2) Call the Police and ask to file a report of abuse (Request a case number or a copy of the report).
3) Report the alleged abuse to your supervisor, Priest or Principal (who will report to diocese) with copy of CPS report made or written report with contact information on all concerned, description of abuse, dates if known and how you learned of the abuse. Call the Diocese victims' assistance coordinator at 817-945-9345.
4) In the case of alleged abuse by clergy or Church personnel, contact a diocesan authority directly.
