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Most Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Children Were Never Sent to Prison. Here's Why

By Lindsay Schnell
USA Today
November 11, 2019

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2019/11/11/catholic-sex-abuse-why-dont-accused-priests-go-jail/3997022002/

The Catholic Church has been under scrutiny from survivors, victims’ advocates and, in some cases, law enforcement, since early 2002, when the sex abuse crisis that involved church administration covering for thousands of priests first became public knowledge.

In the last two decades, there’s been major church reform, including the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which established guidelines for dealing with allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. Meanwhile, dioceses across the country have released lists of credibly accused priests, many of whom are deceased.

Most of these men have never faced criminal prosecution, often because of statute of limitation laws that advocates across the country are trying to change. And some claim they have been wrongly accused.

Mitchell Garabedian, Boston attorney, center, flanked by Robert Hoatson, former priest and founder of Road to Recovery, a victim's support organization, left, and James Faluszczak, survivor of abuse and former priest, right, hold a press conference on Diocese of Rochester priests accused of abuse outside the Diocese of Rochester in Rochester, New York, on Dec. 9, 2018. (Photo: Shawn Dowd, Democrat And Chronicle via USA TODAY Network)

How many Catholic priests have been accused of sexual abuse?

There’s some debate about the total number of Catholic priests, brothers and school officials who have been accused of sexual abuse.

As of Nov. 11, Bishop Accountability, a website that tracks accusations, has named 6,433 priests, brothers and Catholic school officials accused of abuse. Additionally, 154 archdioceses and dioceses have released the names of 4,771 credibly accused clerics, according to Jeff Anderson & Associates, a Minnesota-based law firm that specializes in representing sex abuse survivors.

Catholic Church: Jesuits name priests with 'established accusations' of child sex abuse

The church has drawn scrutiny from survivors’ groups for sometimes leaving known abusers off its credibly accused lists and for naming the same clergy members multiple times. Some archdiocese and dioceses have declined to release lists. Most religious orders have not released lists, though that is slowly changing.

Why don’t priests who abused go to jail?

Statute of limitation laws are a crucial piece of the priest sex abuse scandal. Statute of limitation laws limit how long someone can be legally prosecuted after a crime has been committed. These laws vary state to state, and are different for criminal and civil cases. Some crimes, like murder, have no statute of limitation.

In Connecticut, for example, the criminal statute of limitation for “any felony or misdemeanor offense involving sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or sexual assault of a minor, including risk of injury involving intimate contact with a victim under age 16” was eliminated, according to CHILD USA, a Philadelphia.-based non-profit working to end child abuse. In Arizona, victims up to age 30 can file civil claims. In New Jersey, the civil statute of limitations was recently extended “to age 55 or seven years from discovery, whichever is later, for claims against individuals and public and private institutions,” according to CHILD USA.

 

 

 

 

 




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