For decades, young girls were sexually abused within the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church community in Duluth, Minnesota—and the people who should have protected them did nothing.

According to an investigation by the Minnesota Star Tribune and ProPublica, church leaders including Daryl Bruckelmyer knew that Clint Massie had been sexually abusing children. Instead of reporting him to law enforcement as required by law, they pressured victims—some as young as kindergarteners—to “forgive and forget.” They told families to stay silent. They let Massie hug children in church even after his abuse was known. He admitted to police there “could be hundreds” of victims.

Massie is finally in prison. But the church leaders who enabled him for years have never been charged. And because Minnesota law doesn’t clearly define unpaid clergy as mandatory reporters, they may never be. That’s a betrayal of justice.

We are calling on St. Louis County Attorney Kimberly J. Maki and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to reopen the question of whether church leaders who knowingly concealed Massie’s crimes can still be prosecuted. At the very least, the public deserves a full explanation of why they haven’t been held accountable.

At the same time, we demand that Minnesota legislators fix the loophole that allowed these failures to go unpunished. All clergy—paid or unpaid—must be legally required to report child sexual abuse. Period.

Too many children were harmed. Too many adults stayed silent. Let’s make sure this never happens again—not in Duluth, not anywhere.

Add your name to demand real accountability for the people who protected a predator, and real reform to protect children in every Minnesota faith community.

Photo: Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune