UNITED STATES
peterborre
Clergy sex abuse costs in America, 2004 through 2013: $3 billion and counting
Overview
The 2013 Annual Report of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, The Implementation of the Charter for Protection of Children and Young People, was released in mid-March. It includes an appendix by Georgetown’s Center for Applied Research for the Apostolate (CARA) – a Survey of Allegations and Costs related to clergy sex abuse for the period 2004 through 2013.
The Georgetown CARA data are the most comprehensive presentation of clergy sex abuse costs incurred throughout Catholic America by dioceses, by Eastern Rite eparchies, and by major religious orders (‘Conference of Major Superiors of Men’).
Responses in the most recent survey were received from 194 out of 195 dioceses and eparchies (the Diocese of Lincoln NE did not respond); and from 155 out of 215 ‘clerical and mixed religious institutes’.
Yet to my knowledge this has had very little pick up in the mainstream media; strange because it is certainly not ancient history, as discussed below.
Makes one wonder what dozens of religion correspondents on the Catholic beat are up to these days, besides cheer-leading.
From CARA’s detailed tabulations covering the past ten years, some fascinating data come into focus. Major findings are presented and discussed below.
Major Findings
Aggregate costs relating to clergy sex abuse for the period 2004 through 2013, incurred by dioceses, eparchies and major religious orders for men, totaled more than $3 billion.
If there is any bias in this reported total, it would be to understate the amounts because the methodology was self-reporting by the dioceses (etc.: i.e. the eparchies and the religious orders)
Also, the exclusion of costs incurred prior to 2004 leaves out of the total of $3 billion the significant outlays made by dioceses (etc.) during the 1980s, the 1990s and the early years of the new millennium. For almost twenty years, beginning with reports of clergy sex abuse in Louisiana in 1984, the issue remained mostly under the media radar.
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