Child Molestation is a Sin!Study: 10,667 Accuse Priests of Sex Abusehttp://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap ... Abuse.html
Study: 10,667 Accuse Priests of Sex Abuse
By RACHEL ZOLL
AP Religion Writer
WASHINGTON (AP)--The two church-sanctioned studies documenting clerical sex abuse over the last half-century gave victims a bit of what they've been seeking for so long--recognition of their suffering from America's Roman Catholic bishops.
The reports concluded there were many more accused priests and abused minors than church officials had previously acknowledged, and that bishops bore much of the blame for leaving so many young people at risk. A tally released Friday said 4,392 priests had been accused in 10,667 cases of molesting minors from 1950 to 2002.
The panel of lay Catholics who oversaw the studies rebuked the prelates for their insensitivity to victims. America's top bishop called it an "urgent summons" for church leaders to help those who suffered.
"We have nothing to fear from the truth or from the past if we learn from it,"' said Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the studies released Friday were validating.
"It's one thing to say we suspect that there are still thousands out there. It's another thing to know it," he said.
The documents represent an unprecedented look at the abuse crisis, partly because they were done with the cooperation of church leaders.
The National Review Board, the lay panel, issued both a survey totaling molestation claims and costs, and a companion study explaining how the problem happened.
In addition to the nearly 11,000 abuse claims over the decades, researchers also said that the nation's dioceses estimated there may be 3,000 additional victims who have not filed complaints.
About 4 percent of all American clerics who served during the time studied were accused of abuse. The percentage of abusers in society at large is unknown because studies are inconclusive.
The new data provides a startling look at what victims endured.
About half were molested for a year or more, and 17 percent of families had more than one child victimized. The researchers noted that priests who had just one claim against them often assaulted that one victim repeatedly. Relatively few priests committed only minor acts of abuse such as touching over a victim's clothes, the researchers said.
Only 2 percent of abusers were sent to prison for what they had done.
"There is absolutely no excuse for what occurred in the Catholic Church," said Robert Bennett, a Washington attorney and review board member. "This is not a media crisis or a personnel crisis. It's the age-old question of right and wrong, good and evil."'
The tally also calculated abuse-related costs such as litigation and counseling at $572 million, and noted that the figure does not cover at least $85 million in settlements over the past year. The survey was conducted for the review board by John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Sue Archibald, president of the victim advocacy group The Linkup, said the reports were a positive step. But she called the studies ``an incomplete body count'' that focused too narrowly on healing the church instead of helping victims.
"Today's most important question should be, 'What happens tomorrow?'"' Archibald said.
The review board said neither celibacy nor the presence of gay priests were causes of the scandal, but both issues needed to be examined.
It noted that more than 80 percent of the alleged victims were male and over half said they were between ages 11 and 14 when they were assaulted.
The reports also raised questions about whether bishops who sheltered accusers should resign. Bishops answer only to the Vatican, not each other. Still, the review board urged them to find a means to hold each other responsible for failures to protect children.
Peter Isely, a Milwaukee psychotherapist and board member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said he was less concerned about the overall numbers than about who was monitoring guilty priests.
He said bishops should release the names of offenders in the clergy to fulfill their pledge of protecting children.
"A number is not very useful to Catholic parents who want to know if there has been a sex offender in their parish or school," Isely said.
The reports also raised questions about whether bishops who sheltered accusers should resign.
NO! Absolutely not. Why would they even ask such a question? The accusers are the innocent victims of sick, twisted men. If the question had been, "Should bishops who sheltered molestors resign?" then I'd say, "DEFINITELY!!"
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