MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
Statement by Verne Wagner, Duluth SNAP director
We belong to a support group called the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). We’re here to discuss the newly-outed five predator priests who have worked in Duluth. We’re here to warn parents and the public about the two of them who are still alive. And we’re here today to prod Duluth Catholic officials to find some courage, do what’s right, disclose more information and take real steps – not cosmetic ones, not superficial ones – to protect kids.
Let’s start with the obvious, the simple and the pressing: One of these clerics, Fr. Charland, is a psychologist in the Twin Cities. Other than being a priest, could there possibly be a more dangerous job for a child molester to have?
Why isn’t there an alert on every Catholic website in Minnesota, saying “WARNING – a credibly accused child molester is now working as a therapist! Please don’t let your children near him!”
Facing legal pressure, Catholic officials have reluctantly but publicly put Fr. Charland’s name on a list of publicly and credibly accused abusers. They obviously admit he’s dangerous. But they refuse to take even a quick, cheap, simple step to keep kids away from him. Shame on them.
We beg every single Catholic lay person and staff person in the Duluth diocese to contact Bishop Sirba and urge him to warn families about Fr. Charland. He could literally be molesting a girl in his office this afternoon or a boy in his neighborhood this evening. Bishop: Stop splitting hairs and making excuses and claiming ignorance. Start taking action to prevent more devastating child sex crimes.
We have a few other requests today.
We beg who was hurt by any these priests to speak up and get help.
We beg them to call secular authorities, not church officials.
We beg them to call independent sources of help, like our support group.
We beg former Catholic employees in Duluth and across Minnesota to “come clean” with information or suspicions about these priests.
We beg these ex-employees to call police and prosecutors.
Current Catholic officials in Duluth and across Minnesota, we beg them to “come clean” with more information about the priests and to use their vast resources to aggressively seek out their victims.
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