Curtis Wehmeyer, a former priest convicted of criminal sexual conduct and possession of child pornography.
Another day, another charge of
hiding abuse by priests:
The charges and accompanying civil petition, announced by the Ramsey County prosecutor, John J. Choi, are a sweeping condemnation of the archdiocese and how its leaders have handled sex abuse allegations.
“Today, we are alleging a disturbing institutional and systemic pattern of behavior committed by the highest levels of leadership of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis over the course of decades,” Mr. Choi said in a statement.
Though there have been several allegations of sexual abuse over the years by priests in the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Friday’s charges focus on the church’s handling of “numerous and repeated reports of troubling conduct” by Curtis Wehmeyer, who was dismissed as a priest in March.
In regards to the charges, Barbara Dorris of St. Louis (Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) released a statement crediting the Minnesota Legislature for passing legislation that made it possible for
victims to come forward:
By passing a three year civil window, lawmakers gave victims hope. Victims then filed suits and police reports. And now, a big and powerful Catholic institution faces charges. That’s not ideal but it’s progress.
The cover ups in the Twin Cities are so widely-documented at this point, we believe John Choi had little choice but to pursue the church hierarchy. We’re glad he did. But a charge is not a conviction. So it’s crucial that current and former church staff and members overcome their fears, pick up the phone and call the law, whether they’re victims, witnesses or whistleblowers.
They gave most of the credit to the victims who showed courage in coming forward and pursuing the case after the window was opened by the legislature.