UNITED STATES
National Catholic Register
by BISHOP R. DANIEL CONLON
09/22/2012
Stories in the news over the past year have shown the horrific reality of something Catholics learned when the clergy sexual-abuse crisis rocked the Church in the United States — the sexual abuse of children is a much larger problem than most people realize, one that has destroyed countless innocent lives and, sadly, does not receive the attention it deserves until a “big name” is involved.
One out of four females and one out of six males are abused before they reach the age of 18.
Society still has not come fully to terms with the sweeping scope of this problem and the reality that so many people are living with the pain it has caused.
Victims of abuse — from within their churches, their schools and even their families — carry heavy burdens of crippling shame. This sometimes results in “self-treatment” to deaden the pain with drugs and alcohol. There can be difficulties with relationships, trusting others or managing anger.
Sadly, many lose their faith in God and even end their own lives.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.