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	Local Man Reacts to Clergy Abuse By Laura Kennedy WDIO April 7, 2010 http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/S1500877.shtml?cat=10349 [with video] Authorities say Reverend Joseph Jeyapaul is accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old Minnesota girl back in the 1980s. That's when Jeyapaul was working in a diocese in Roseau County. Duluth resident Verne Wagner spoke Tuesday about his own abuse. He was molested by a Proctor priest back in the mid 1960s. Now, he works with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Wagner says recent discoveries of alleged abuse within the Catholic church have him frustrated with how the cases were handled. "In Minnesota, we have a law that says that if you know children are being molested or hurt, it's mandatory you report that," said Wagner. "Are these people above the law that they aren't held responsible?" In regard to the Jeyapaul case, the Vatican says it had recommended the priest be defrocked, but that his local bishop in India refused. The bishop says he disciplined Jeyapaul by sending him to prayer. The Jeyapaul story comes less than two weeks after news of late Wisconsin priest Father Lawrence Murphy, who allegedly abused more than 200 deaf boys decades ago. The Vatican says in that case, they only found out about the alleged abuse in 1996--two years before Murphy died. Wagner says hearing about cases like these opens a wound in him that never seems to heal. "I can't just sit by and let these people get away with this, and yet I feel like I've opened up a can of worms," said Wagner. "All those sores, those scars are ripped open and I just feel raw again." Wagner says he wants to see something positive come out of this situation. The Vatican says even though these cases of alleged abuse happened long ago, acknowledging them and making amends to victims is critical for the church's credibility. Contact: lkennedy@wdio.com
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