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Survey reports decline in number of U.S. victims of clergy abuse
By Michelle Boorstein
Even as new clergy sex abuse scandals are unfolding across Catholic Europe, the American church today released its annual survey on the subject, showing -- as the survey has for years -- a drop in number of victims, allegations and perpetrators.
The annual survey-- funded by the bishops but done by independent researchers--relies primarily on data supplied by dioceses themselves. It said 398 new victims came forward last year with "credible allegations of sexual abuse" of a minor, down each year from 889 in 2004. They named 286 priests and deacons, 45 percent of whom had never been named before.
The U.S. church last year paid out $104 million, including $6.5 million for victims' therapy, $10.9 million for offenders (including therapy and living expenses) and $28.7 million in attorneys' fees.
Some advocates for abuse survivors called the survey a sham, noting it relies on data provided by dioceses and that there is no penalty for dioceses that don't participate.
To what degree things have changed in the American church since the scandal exploded in Boston almost a decade ago depends very much on one's viewpoint.
Some see the Catholic church as a model for other institutions dealing with children, pointing to the creation in most dioceses of a point-person to manage complaints and policies, payments to victims for counseling and other outreach and greater awareness of risks in picking candidates for the priesthood.
Others say none of the programs matter without a much tougher line on bishops and others who shuffled abusers to other ministerial posts or ignored the problem.
"The rigid hierarchy and bishops set the tone. As long as Catholic employees still see the bishops minimizing and denying clergy sex crimes, they'll do it, too," said David Clohessy, executive director of the group SNAP, or Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
Michelle Boorstein
| March 23, 2010; 11:21 AM ET | Category: God in Government Save & Share:
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Posted by: Believer4 | March 23, 2010 6:08 PM
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Dear Michelle: I am the pastoral advocate for the family mentioned above. The family has never been counted and so many others have not been counted. In my work with survivors, many never report their abuse to the Church...they go right to the police, rightly so. Imagine: eight years after the explosion of abuse in Boston, 400 new victims are coming forward. And, there is no doubt that 300-400 new victims annually will continue to come forward. This will not end in your or my lifetimes.
Posted by: hoatsie | March 23, 2010 6:30 PM
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i met people in the state i moved to 6 years ago who were abused by priests in california.when they kids or teens or adults.. they didnt hear about the window that was open for people abused sexually as children in california to file civil suits, in fact they were in the dark about the priest abuse scandal..
several of them said they would never say anything, a few said they wish they had known.. one woman (who died a month after i told her about the scandal) said that not only she but her husband and son had been abused by priests in the midwest when they were children.. her husband and son were dead from suicide.. she died of a heart attack.. most of the people i met lived in the same apartment complex as me..
that is why i say that in the united states the story is on going with many many victims of priests who are not ready to come forward to authorities and or who have killed themselves rathar than deal with the pain and or did not realize their pain was from the abuse by priests or others as children
it is just the beginning
Posted by: dangerous1 | March 23, 2010 10:35 PM
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I remember another survey back in 2003 which was backed by the Conference of Catholic Bishops. This one, a National Lay Review Board enlisting an independent committee headed by former Governor of Oklahoma, Frank Keating.
This panel of lay Catholics looked into how well the church was doing when it came to dealing with predator priests who were sexually abusing young parishioners.
In his final report Gov. Keating likened the behavior of the Roman Catholic Church’s dealing with the issue to that of the La Cosa Nostra. Needless to say he was fired, a new report was written which was glowing (of course) and all the bishops patted themselves on the back.
I just want to point out that Cardinal Roger Mahony of L.A. spearheaded this attack
against Governor Keating. Along with the other major players Bishop Wuerl of Pittsburg,
Cardinal Egan of N.Y., and Archbishop Brunett of Seattle.
Posted by: Nameless-1 | March 24, 2010 11:50 AM
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The RCC is a bunch of gangsters. Pedophilia is one issue. Money-laundering for the mafia is another, for which the Vatican is currently under investigation.
The list of the Vatican's criminal activities is very long.
On the bastard Egan there is quite a bit to say. Ditto the bastard Mahony, a recent guest panelist on this blog.
Posted by: FarnazMansouri | March 26, 2010 10:43 PM
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AN OPEN INVITATION:
The only way to cure the cancer of Catholicism is to begin each ceremony of ordination to the deaconate with castration.
A new blog tackles Church abuse, separation of Church and State, Atheism, Buddhism, Existentialism….
A new essay by Randall Duncan: MAN AND REASON, just posted!
Posted by: Schaum | March 28, 2010 1:08 PM
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The comments to this entry are closed.
Dear Michelle, let me tell you why there's less victims coming forward now. Myself and two of my brothers and three of my sisters were sexually abused as little kids. I came forward in 2004 and reported the abuse to Bishop William Murphy of the Rockville Centre diocese.
I asked to meet with the bishop along with several of my siblings and my mom. Bishop Murphy refused.
Since I went public 21 other victims of the priest that abused my family have come forward. Some are afraid to come forward because they see what I'm going through. I'm in Manhattan Supreme Court now with a law suit because through the bishop's law firm I been told I've been told that I can't meet with the bishop because I may harm or kill the bishop.
Ridiculous you say...that's why I'm suing the bishop and his law firm.
I was a Marine and retired from law enforcement; my brother is retired from the FDNY.
Again, the abuse started when some of us were as young as five years old.
I really can't go on anymore because right now I have tears in my eyes.