Allegations Against Former Florida Priest Found Credible, SNAP Urges Outreach

Now that allegations against a former priest from the Diocese of St. Augustine have been found credible, church officials must use every tool at their disposal to share the information with their parishioners and do outreach to still-silent victims, encouraging them to come forward and file a complaint with police.

Fr. John Dux was suspended last May after allegations that he had abused a child while he worked at St. Patrick Parish in Gainesville, FL. In recent years, Fr. Dux had been living and working within the Diocese of Charleston, SC. We call on church officials from both states to immediately publicize the credible allegations and take steps to bring victims forward.

Church officials can start by adding Fr. Dux’s name to their lists of credibly accused priests. Bishops from both the Diocese of St. Augustine and the Diocese of Charleston should immediately visit each location where Fr. Dux worked and personally beg victims to come forward and make a report to police and prosecutors. Then they should ensure the information about Dux is published in parish bulletins and on diocesan websites.

For every victim of clergy abuse that comes forward, there are certainly many more still suffering in silence. Church officials in Charleston and St. Augustine must do the right thing now and take every step possible to inform the public and help bring survivors forward.

CONTACT: Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

SNAP Network is a GuideStar Gold Participant