Child Abuse by Priests – the Ultimate Sin

Clerical Child Sexual Abuse Statistics

To better understand the impact of child sexual abuse, examine the following facts and figures:

•    1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18 years.
•    65 to 75% of child sexual abuse victims are girls; however, when a priest is the abuser, the majority of victims are teenage boys.
•    30 to 40% of victims are abused by a family member, and 50% are abused by someone the family knows, such as a priest.
•    Only 10% of child sexual abuse offenders are strangers.
•    30% of victims never disclose the abuse to ANYONE.
•    Fabricated sexual abuse reports are only 1 to 4% of all reported cases.

If the perpetrators of child sexual abuse are not reported and stopped, most abuse again. 70% of child sex offenders have between 1 and 9 victims, and at least 20% have 10 to 40 victims. Thus, if a clergy member has sexually abused you or a loved one, it is critical to disclose the abuse with others in order to prevent the abuse of more children.

The psychological consequences of child sexual abuse may include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, eating disorders, and alcohol or drug abuse.

When the Perpetrator is a Priest

Some statistics point to the fact that there is not a higher level of child sexual abuse by priests compared to married clergy members or even schoolteachers. However, the psychological consequences of sexual abuse by a priest may be far greater. The Catholic Church views their priests as a direct link to God. Therefore, children may experience particularly intense shame and betrayal when sexually abused by a priest. Some have described it as a robbery of spiritual security.

When abuse occurs, children typically will not tell, because they fear no one will believe that the priest would do such a thing or that they themselves will be blamed for the abuse. Even when they do make accusations, often there is a cover-up. Many accused abusers in the Catholic Church have been simply reassigned to other parishes, putting other children at risk for abuse.