SCOTLAND
The Tablet
25 November 2013 16:41 by Sabrina Sweeney
More than half of allegations reported to the Catholic Church in Scotland over a six-year period were of a sexual nature, according to a report prepared for the Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Service.
The audit report revealed that 46 allegations of abuse were reported between 2006 and 2012.
Some 55 per cent of the allegations were of a sexual nature, 19 per cent reported physical abuse, 11 per cent alleged verbal abuse and 15 per cent related to alleged emotional abuse.
More than half of the allegations – 56 per cent – were made against priests, while 22 per cent were claims against volunteers.
The audit report is one of three initiatives announced by the Catholic Church in Scotland “in a spirit of openness and transparency”, following a series of scandals, including a spate of allegations of sexual abuse at Fort Augustus Abbey School. Earlier this year the most senior Catholic in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O’Brien announced he was stepping down after allegations of sexual misconduct appeared in the press.
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