MN--Victims disappointed in judge’s ruling in clergy case

For immediate release: Wednesday, Aug. 26

Statement by Verne Wagner of Duluth, Northeast MN SNAP director (218- 340-1277, [email protected])

Kids are safer every time information about those who commit or conceal child sex crimes is made public. So we’re disappointed in Judge Shaun Floerke ruling that limits disclosures about clergy sex crimes and cover ups in Duluth in a civil lawsuit.

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/3825189-judge-denies-broad-access-church-abuse-documents

More and more often, clergy sex abuse victims are seeking both justice and prevention in litigation. They’re pushing for the disclosure of the names of clerics who abuse kids and clerics who enable clerics to abuse kids. They should be applauded for this. And judges should think long and hard before siding with church officials who continue to conceal horrific child sex crimes and against wounded victims who want to expose those crimes.

Civil lawsuits enable victims to expose “enablers” – those who ignore or hide abuse reports and help predators stay “beneath the radar.” And every time an “enabler” is publicly exposed, other prospective “enablers” – in schools, churches, summer camps, athletic leagues and day care centers – are deterred from similar wrongdoing.

So these pedophile priests aren’t just about “the past.” They’re about the present and future. They’re about making kids safer. We hope more judges understand this and rule accordingly.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has 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)

Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, d[email protected], [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Frank Meuers (952-334-5180, [email protected]), Verne Wagner (218- 340-1277, [email protected])

Judge denies broad access to church abuse documents

By Tom Olsen Today at 12:30 a.m.

A judge has denied a bid by alleged child-sexual-abuse victims to obtain broader access to documents maintained by the Diocese of Duluth.

In an order filed last week, 6th Judicial District Chief Judge Shaun Floerke ruled that  . . .

Read full article here