Members of the clergy who sexually abused children in their parish. Clergymen primarily abused adolescent males, but some abused both male and female children. This problem first became known to the general public in the 1980s, and extensive media reports of cleric child abuse continued into the 1990s; sporadic reports still appear. Many lawsuits were filed by adults who alleged abuse in their childhood. For example, in 2003 in California alone, 800 lawsuits were filed by individuals alleging cleric sexual abuse. Expert estimates of the percent of all Catholic priests who had sexually abused children from the 1950s to 2002 range from 2 to 4% of all priests. (Note that the converse is true, or that 96 to 98% of priests did not sexually abuse children.)

Experts estimate that 4,392 priests abused children from the 1950s to 2002, and of these, about 149 priests were alleged to have victimized 10 or more children each. These serial abuser priests were responsible for nearly one-third of all the allegations of child sexual abuse incidents in the United States. It is estimated by experts that 10,667 children and adolescents alleged having been abused by priests from 1950 to 2002. About 10% of these allegations were not substantiated. (This does not mean that the allegations were untrue, but rather that it was not determined whether they were true or false.) Also, in about 20% of the allegations, the priest was either inactive or dead, so no investigation occurred, an outcome which distressed the alleged victims.

In some cases in the past, if it became known that a priest was alleged to have molested a child or children, he was simply moved by his bishop to another parish, where the sexual abuse usually continued unabated. Some abusers were moved repeatedly, but often with the same effect: continued child sexual abuse.

Some abusers were sent to treatment centers, but the "cure" rate for child sex offenders is generally low.

It should also be noted that not all members of the clergy who are also sexual offenders are Catholic priests, and some were members of other religious denominations; however, most information on members of the clergy who have committed child sex abuse is based on cases of abusers who were Catholic priests. In addition, the sexual abuse perpetrated by Catholic priests occurred for so many years and on such a large scale, often with the knowledge of the church hierarchy, that this scandal was particularly shocking to many people.

Recent research has revealed that most priest abusers did not abuse large numbers of children. However, there were some serial abusers who were flagrant. In 2002, it was revealed by the media that Father John Geoghan, a serial pedophile in the Boston archdiocese, had been transferred from parish to parish, although there were many complaints of child molestation against him. One hundred and fifty adults complained that Geoghan had fondled or raped them.

The first complaint about Geoghan's sexual abuse of a child had been received in 1979, and additional reports were received in the 1980s and the 1990s. Yet he was not suspended from priestly duties until 1998. In 2002, Geoghan was arrested for molesting a boy in a swimming pool. He was convicted of molestation and sent to prison for nine to 10 years. In 2003, Geoghan was murdered in prison.

Another flagrant abuser was James R. Porter, a priest who reportedly abused about 200-300 children over 20 years, including about 100 boys and girls in three parishes where he served. He was sent to a treatment center in 1967, but the sexual abuse of boys continued after he left treatment. In 1993, Porter received a prison sentence of 18-20 years for his abuse offenses.

Cardinal Law publicly acknowledged in Boston in 1984 that he had relocated priests accused of sexual abuse to new parishes. In 2002, amid the wake of continued reports of priests who had committed child sexual abuse and the public outcry that continued, Cardinal Law resigned from his position as archbishop of Boston.

Of course, it should be noted that not all cleric abusers were in Boston, and there were complaints from dioceses nationwide from alleged victims of past child sexual abuse by priests.

There were so many lawsuits in the diocese of Boston that the church filed for Chapter 11 protection, according to Thomas Plante in his 2004 article for Ethics & Behavior. Plante said that in 2002, an estimated 350 priests in the United States were charged with child sexual abuse accusations that were credible.

In 2001, Pope John Paul II e-mailed a public apology for the cleric perpetrators of child sexual abuse and said, "Sexual abuse by some clergy has caused great suffering and spiritual harm to the victims. . . . Sexual abuse within the church is a profound contradiction of the teaching and witness of Jesus Christ. . . . The synod fathers wish to apologize unreservedly to the victims for the pain and disillusionment caused to them."

As Cynthia Crosson-Tower said in her book Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect, "The hierarchy so central to the administration of this denomination is encumbered with numerous layers of authority amidst which reports of clergy misconduct can be lost. Instead of being answerable to their parishes, as is the case in many denominations, Catholic priests work for their bishops. If a bishop does not know what is transpiring at the parish level, or if he chooses not to respond, an abusive priest may be allowed to continue his perpetration. And, traditionally, priests were seen as representatives of God and therefore not subject to public scrutiny."

Plante agreed that the ethical obligations of the superiors of abusive priests is an important issue to consider, and said, "The lesson that may be especially important to grasp is that church leaders, such as bishops and other religious superiors, have not adequately managed clergy sexual abuse issues when it has come to their attention."

He also added, "Certainly religious superiors are culpable if they were aware of problematic abusive behavior among priests under their supervision and failed to responsibly manage the wayward priest to minimize additional harm. Many have complained that bishops and other religious superiors were too focused on preventing scandals from receiving press or legal attention or were too willing to minimize and deny the impact of clergy sexual abuse behavior."

Some experts say that the clergy offers some benefitsthat are uniquely suited to perpetrators who are also sex offenders.

For example, members of the clergy receive the respect of their community, while at the same time, they often receive unquestioned acceptance. They are often held apart from the community in the minds of many people, which also offers the perpetrator the benefit of social isolation.

Some priests may have felt "safe," knowing that unless their ordination was in some way deficient, within the Catholic Church a priest is a priest for life. However, this does mean that church leaders had no way to act. They could withdraw the abusive priest from a public ministry. This is more difficult with a diocesan priest, who typically has a parish, but it is possible.

References:

1)         Crosson-Tower, Cynthia. Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2005.

2)         John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States, 2004. Available online. URL: http://www.usccb.org/nrb/johnjaystudy.

3)         Langevin, R., S. Curnoe, and J. Bain. "A Study of Clerics Who Commit Sexual Offenses: Are They Different from Other Sex Offenders?" Child Abuse & Neglect 24, no. 4 (April 2000): 35-545.

4)         The National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People. A Report on the Crisis in the Catholic Church in the United States. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, February 27, 2004.

5)         Plante, Thomas G. "Bishops Behaving Badly: Ethical Considerations Regarding the Clergy Abuse Crisis in the Roman Catholic Church." Ethics & Behavior 14, no. 1 (2004): 67-73.

6)         Pope's Web apology over sex abuse, 2001. Available online. URL: http://articles.cnn.com/2001-11-22/world/pope.apology_1_sexual-abuse-national-catholic-reporter-nuns-and-other-women?_s=PM:WORLD.

7)         Sataline, Suzanne. "Catholic Parish Pays High Price for Independence." Wall Street Journal CCXLVI, 134 (December 20, 2005): A1, A9.

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