Sadly, the sexual abuse scandal that has so plagued the Catholic Church in the United States shows no real signs of abating. According to statistics compiled by a commission sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, there were 783 credible charges against Catholic clergy last year. Of the 783, 9 of those charges concerned abuse that occurred last year. The remainder of the charges stem from abuse that happened in the 1960’s or 1970’s. The report also notes that 4,827 priests have been accused of sexual abuse by 12,537 youths-most of whom were boys or young men at the time.
The scandal has touched every diocese and every state in the country. It can not be said to have affected only a certain demographic of the Catholic population. It’s a systemic problem that requires a systemic solution. I don’t see such an approach anywhere on the horizon.
