Study puts priestly abuse at 4%
2004-02-27 17:41
Rachel Zoll
Washington - Two church-sanctioned studies documenting sex abuse by United States Roman Catholic clergy say about four percent of clerics have been accused of molesting minors since 1950.
The studies blame bishops' "moral laxity" in disciplining offenders for letting the problem worsen.
The diocese of Yakima, Washington, said in a news release on Thursday that a survey compiled by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice found 4 392 of the 109 694 clergy who served in that five-decade period faced allegations of abuse.
The survey was overseen by the National Review Board, a lay watchdog panel the bishops formed at the height of the molestation crisis.
The board had a Friday morning news conference scheduled in Washington to discuss the John Jay report and a companion study that examined the causes of the abuse troubles.
A source who has read both documents said the causes report placed much of the blame on bishops.
Many of accused have since died
It apparently said their "moral laxity" created an atmosphere that allowed the abuse problem to fester.
Dioceses nationwide had received 10 667 abuse claims since 1950, according to the John Jay study.
Of those, claims by about 6 700 were substantiated. About 3 300 were not investigated because the accused clergymen were dead.
Another 1 000 or so claims proved to be unsubstantiated, the diocesan news release said.
The national report also tallied abuse-related costs at $533.4m.
The causes report acknowledged that some bishops recognised the gravity of the problem early on and spent years lobbying the Vatican to change church law so they could move faster against abusers.
The study also said the bishops were sometimes ill-served by therapists and lawyers they sought out for guidance.
Still, there have been widespread reports of bishops who sheltered abusers and the board used harsh language to criticise churchmen who failed to act.
It said these bishops were guilty of "neglect" and insensitivity toward victims that allowed the "smoke of Satan" to enter the church, said the source.
Estimates of the number of guilty clerics have varied dramatically through the years. Church officials have said anywhere between one percent and three percent of clergy abused minors.
The Rev Andrew Greeley, a sociologist at the University of Chicago, put the number at four percent. Psychologist Richard Sipe, a former monk who researches sexuality in the priesthood, said it could be as high as five percent.
The bishops have apologised repeatedly for any wrongdoing and have enacted several reforms to protect children since the long-simmering abuse problem erupted more than two years ago in Boston.
The bishops authorised the new, landmark studies to restore trust in their leadership.
- AP