Clergy Sexual Abuse in the Roman Catholic Church

Although clergy sexual abuse has been reported in nearly all religions and denominations, the Roman Catholic Church has been at the center of some of the most sensationalized clergy sexual abuse cases. In some instances, abusive priests were allowed to torment children for decades. Many Roman Catholic families involved in priest sexual abuse incidents held their priest in great esteem, and trusted them with the wellbeing of their children. When this trust was abused, and they approached church officials for help, they were often at best ignored. At worst, they were intimidated into staying silent. Often, abusive priests were simply moved from parish to parish to keep abuse allegations quiet.

In 2004, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice released a report of the scope of priest sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church that was commissioned by the US Bishops National Review Board. The John Jay report found that about 4 percent of US priests ministering from 1950 to 2002 were accused of sex abuse with a minor. The study said that 4,392 clergymen-almost all priests-were accused of abusing 10,667 people, with 75 percent of the incidents taking place between 1960 and 1984. For the entire 52-year period “the problem was indeed widespread and affected more than 95 percent of the dioceses and approximately 60 percent of religious communities,” said the study.

The most staggering instance of priest sexual abuse and cover ups in the US occurred in the Boston Archdiocese. One priest, John J. Geoghan, molested hundreds of young Catholic school boys for over 20 years before he was convicted on criminal charges. For much of that time, the leaders of the Boston Archdiocese knew of Geoghan’s appalling conduct, yet did little to stop him. To cover up Geoghan’s conduct, church leaders moved him from parish to parish, maneuvers that only allowed the abuse to continue.

The list of Roman Catholic officials who apparently remained silent despite evidence that Geoghan was molesting children grew to include a cardinal, five bishops and several parish clergy, according to legal proceedings and public statements. This is often the case as many religious officials are known to have swept these allegations of abuse under the carpet for years.

The clergy sexual abuse scandal has resulted in massive settlements and rulings in favor of abuse victims. In 2007, the Los Angeles Archdiocese settled with 500 victims of clergy sexual abuse. The $660 million settlement was the largest church settlement of sexual abuse lawsuits to date. In 2002, the Boston Archdiocese agreed to pay a total of $157 million to 983 claimants in several different settlement agreements. The Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., agreed to pay $129 million to 315 claimants; the Diocese of Orange, Calif., agreed to pay $100 million to 90 claimants, and the Diocese of Covington, Ky., settled with 350 claimants for $85 million. Other cases are pending around the country, including in the Archdiocese of New York.