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Cardinal Daniel DiNardo is president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, making him one of the most powerful Catholic leaders in the country. He was also one of the most outspoken critics about the church's treatment of the sexual abuse scandal.
But this summer, Reverend Manuel La Rosa-Lopez, a priest promoted by DiNardo, was arrested for allegedly assaulting two children. DiNardo, the archbishop of Galveston-Houston since 2006, has promised to publish in January the list of all Houston priests who have been, in the judgment of the church, "criminally charged" with 39, having sexually abused a child.
An investigation by CBS News revealed DiNardo's lack of action in dealing with allegations of sexual abuse in his own archdiocese.
John LaBonte said Reverend John Keller assaulted him at the age of 16. He added that DiNardo had allowed Keller to continue to chair one of the largest Catholic churches in Houston.
"I shrank, I was as if I was not there, I left my body, they say that there is theft and fear." I was frozen, "LaBonte said.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States, prepares for a press conference at the annual USCCB Fall Meeting , November 12, 2018 in Baltimore.
Patrick Semansky / AP
CBS News spent three months asking for a formal interview with DiNardo. He never made himself available. So we met him in the hallway at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore last week and asked him if he was aware of the fact that two priests were presenting credible allegations of sexual abuse in a active ministry.
"It depends on what names you are talking about," he says.
When he learned that the charges were about Keller and Brinkman, DiNardo replied, "It's not credible, and Terry [Brinkman] has never been credible. "
Regarding his list of priests credibly accused, he said that he was going to publish in January, said DiNardo: "We are working on the list".
CBS News spoke to more than 20 people who knew of allegations about priests in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Not one has been contacted by church authorities or investigators.
When DiNardo publishes his list of credibly accused priests, LaBonte will look for a particular name: John Keller. But he said that he did not think to see Keller's name, which is why he said that he wanted DiNardo to do everything he could.
"Do not leave any stone unturned, make efforts, correct the problem," said LaBonte.
Last month, the Justice Department in Washington asked DiNardo and each of the country's 264 Catholic dioceses to preserve their private internal documents, while a federal inquiry into the Catholic Church appears to be under way . In his statement to CBS News, DiNardo said: "The Church will cooperate fully with any investigation … [While] the church has made great progress in tackling this evil, we can and we will do better. "
