Statement by Barbara Dorris of SNAP 314-503-0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)

Another credibly accused St. Louis predator priest has been “outed” but Archbishop Robert Carlson is providing only the sketchiest of details about him.

He’s Fr. John J. Ghio. Carlson will only say the accusations against him are “recently reported.”

http://archstl.org/node/4334559   

But we suspect that allegations against Fr. Ghio surfaced months or even years ago.

We applaud the brave person who was strong enough to step forward, get help, expose Fr. Ghio and warn the public about him. We hope this disclosure will help that individual in his or her healing. And we are confident that this move will make children safer.

We urge victims, and whistleblowers to contact secular authorities, not church officials. And we beg anyone who may have seen, suspected, or suffered clergy crimes - by this cleric or others - to come forward, call police, expose wrongdoing, protect kids and start healing.

Carlson should personally visit every parish where Fr. Ghio worked and beg anyone with information or suspicions about him to call law enforcement immediately. And he should put Fr. Ghio in a remote, secure, independent treatment center so that kids are safer. Until this happens, Carlson should disclose where Fr. Ghio is now, again, so that kids will be safer.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)