Cardinal Daniel DiNardo

Photo: Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Archbishop Emeritus of Galveston-Houston (Retired)

Dioceses/Religious Orders: Diocese of Pittsburgh, Diocese of Sioux City, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Iowan survivors called on DiNardo to resign as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for his role in concealing the admitted abuse of two priests while bishop of Sioux City. As archbishop of Galveston-Houston and president of the USCCB, DiNardo left accused priests in active ministry. The day DiNardo released a list of credibly accused priests in Galveston-Houston, he allowed a priest on the list to lead mass. After a woman accused DiNardo’s vicar general, Msgr. Frank Rossi of sexual manipulation in 2016, DiNardo told her he would not counsel women again, yet still reassigned Rossi to another diocese with the agreement of Beaumont Bishop Curtis Guillory.

SNAP filed a complaint against DiNardo under the pope’s 2023 decree Vos estis lux mundi on April 15, 2025

Vos estis lux mundi, Pope Francis’ 2023 decree, allows any bishop, cardinal, or religious superior to be reported and investigated for abuse or cover-up. These complaints, submitted to the Vatican, are not verdicts of guilt. They are evidence-based calls for investigation—each meeting the church’s own standard of “serious indications” that a violation occurred. In civil terms, this is equivalent to probable cause or reasonable grounds to investigate.

Every filing draws from a solid foundation of survivor and eyewitness testimony, public records and church statements, independent investigations by media and legal experts, official church documents and canonical proceedings, testimony, depositions, and court-ordered documents from criminal and civil cases.