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Several priests on Catholic Diocese of Austin's 'credibly accused' list had legal history of misconduct

One of the 22 Austin priests accused of sex abuse by Catholic diocese is on the Texas sex offender registry.

AUSTIN, Texas — One of the men named on a list of "credibly accused" priests from the Catholic Diocese of Austin is on the sex offender registry, online records showed.

Rafael Ozuna, 75, was ordained as a deacon in 2007 and served at St. Joseph in Killeen and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Temple.

According to the Texas sex offender registry, Ozuna was convicted in 2011 of indecent sexual conduct with a eight-year-old child and received six months probation. He was removed from the ministry in 2010 after he was charged.

Credit: Sex Offender Registry

VIDEO: Catholic Diocese of Austin: 22 priests have been accused of sex abuse

KVUE worked to find out more information about the allegations against the other listed priests.

Paul Clogan, a priest at the time, was arrested in 2005 outside of a Marble Falls movie theater after groping a child.

According to a 2003 Austin American Statesman article, a man accused Dan Delaney of molesting him in a hotel room during a youth trip as a child. The Austin diocese reached a $250,000 settlement.

Another Statesman article showed that the diocese removed Father Dan Drinan from ministry in 2002 after a family accused him of misconduct.

The diocese settled a 2016 lawsuit that claimed priest Milton Eggerling sexually assaulted an altar boy on numerous occasions in the 1970s.

Friday, St. Edwards University sent KVUE a statement about priest Gerald Muller who used to teach at the school. They say there was an "incident" involving 17-year-old student in the '80s, and the university found out about it in 2017.

Here’s part of the statement:

“I recognize that these egregious breaches of trust are difficult and sad news for our university community. All of us at the university grieve for the victims of sexual abuse. Maintaining the physical and emotional safety of our students is central to the mission of St. Edward’s.”

The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault sent KVUE a statement Friday:

“It is crucial that the Roman Catholic Church acknowledge the immense harm many of its clergy have done to individuals who trusted them, and the role the Church itself has played in protecting abusers. Naming credibly accused priests is a necessary first step. However, for an institution known for decades for silencing survivors, it is not sufficient. History shows the Church cannot be trusted to do its own internal investigations, and we have no way of knowing whether this list is comprehensive and unbiased. The Church has an enormous amount of work to do to earn the public’s trust.”

22 Austin people were named in a list released Jan. 31. Here's the complete list:

  • Ricardo Aguilar, laicized, Diocese of Austin 
  • Paul M. Clogan, deceased, Diocese of Portland, Maine
  • Daniel Joseph Delaney, deceased, Diocese of Austin
  • Daniel Michael Drinan, laicized, Congregation of Missionaries, Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  • Milton Eggerling, deceased, Diocese of Oakland, previously of the Diocese of Sioux Falls
  • Claude Faust, deceased, Diocese of Austin
  • James Gallagher, deceased, Diocese of Austin
  • Jim Castro (a/k/a Santiago) Garcia, priest for the Archdiocese of Kingston, Jamaica, Archdiocese of Kingston, Jamaica
  • James H. Greenwell, deceased, Third Order Regular of St. Francis, previously of the Order of Friars Minor
  • Chester Culver Hand, Jr., deceased, Diocese of Austin
  • Conrad Kinder, deceased, Society of the Divine Word
  • Michael Francis Krol, deceased, Diocese of Austin
  • Gerald Muller, restricted, Congregation of Holy Cross (Religious Brother)
  • C. Richard Nowery, deceased, Congregation of Holy Cross
  • James R. O'Connor, laicized, Diocese of Austin
  • Rafael Rendon Ozuna, laicized, Diocese of Austin (Deacon)
  • Longinus Juventius Reyes, removed from ministry and retired, Diocese of Austin
  • Victor G. Robles, removed from ministry and retired, Diocese of Austin, previously of the Society of Jesus
  • Alberto Matta Tijerina, removed from ministry, Diocese of Austin, previously of the Diocese of San Angelo
  • Vincent Waiches, deceased, Diocese of San Diego, previously of the Society of the Divine Word
  • Adrianus Johannes Willemsen, deceased, Diocese of Austin, previously of the Congregation of the Mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
  • Louis J. Wozniak, removed from ministry and retired, Diocese of Austin

The Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops announced their decision to release the lists from all 15 Catholic diocese in Texas back in October.  

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'He groped us during confession' | Austin women speak out after accusing Catholic priest of sexual abuse

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Timeline: A history of priest sex abuse in the Catholic Church

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