MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314-566-9790 cell, SNAPclohessy@aol.com )
We are thrilled that Minnesota’s highest court will take another look at the criminal abuse case against Fr. Christopher Wenthe of the St. Paul Archdiocese.
It’s worth noting that the issue here is a legal technicality. There’s little or no doubt that he abused his power and broke the law by sexually exploiting a parishioner. (Whether the constitutionality of that law is ultimately is upheld is the unresolved question.)
It’s also worth noting that there’s still time for others who may have seen, suspected or suffered Fr. Wenthe’s crimes to step forward. By doing so, they can help prosecutors, themselves, and others.
(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 18,000 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)
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