By Darren Barbee
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
March 1, 2006
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/13988979.htm
FORT WORTH -- An Arlington woman said Tuesday that she, her sister and her family never backed away from sexual misconduct accusations against a former Arlington priest.
Roman Catholic officials have said that the woman's family confirmed there was no "sexual abuse" involving the Rev. Joseph Tu Ngoc Nguyen.
Based on a separate allegation, Tu was suspended Sunday from his duties at the Houston parish where he has served since 1994, officials said. Tu has been temporarily removed and is presumed innocent, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston said. Tu, who declined comment Tuesday, has been accused by three girls and three women of sexual misconduct in the 1970s and '80s.
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| Joseph Tu Ngoc Nguyen |
It was the second suspension for Tu, a member of the Dominican Order.
The first came in 1993, after the Arlington woman told Fort Worth diocese officials about incidents that she said happened when she was 7 or 8 years old, in the late 1970s.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, said Tu took her and her sister into his office, closed the door, held them both closely and repeatedly kissed them.
Tu was temporarily removed from his duties at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Arlington. Tu was cleared, according to the Dominicans and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
The woman, who was then in her 20s, said she heard nothing from the Fort Worth diocese after making her report. She only recently learned that Tu was still in ministry. She questions how the Dominicans investigated her allegations.
"The Dominicans never talked to us," the woman said. "They never did an investigation that involved me, my sister or my parents."
Last year, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston said, "The alleged victims' family confirmed that there was no sexual abuse." An archdiocese spokeswoman said late Tuesday that church officials based the statement on a report given to them by the Dominicans.
Statements made by the Dominicans last year indicated that the claims against Tu "were not substantiated as acts of sexual abuse against minors." The Arlington woman spoke to the Star-Telegram on Tuesday evening, and Dominican officials could not be reached for comment.
Tu's attorney said during a court hearing last week that two girls involved have said the priest kissed them but that they never accused him of sexual abuse.
The woman said Tuesday that the actions of which she accused Tu made her uncomfortable. "Would you allow your 7-year-old into a closed room with someone ... [who] would hold her close and kiss her?" she asked.
Tu was returned to active ministry after "a clinical assessment ruled out any sexual attraction to minors," according to the 2005 Dominican statement.
Since 1994, Tu has served in the Houston area. Archdiocese officials have said they have received no misconduct allegations against him.
Tu's status received renewed attention during the past several months, as state District Judge Len Wade weighed whether to unseal the records of several priests. Among those seeking the documents are several accusers and the Star-Telegram and Dallas Morning News. Last week, Wade ruled that he would unseal the records of six priests but did not decide how to handle Tu's records.
As part of the case, a Tarrant County schoolteacher filed court documents last month stating that when she was a teen in the 1970s, Tu came to her home and fondled her breasts.
Darren Barbee, (817) 390-7126 dbarbee@star-telegram.com
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