Fighting Against Clergy Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church

Catholic clergy sexual abuse refers to the sexual abuse done by the officials of a church, such as priests, deacons, and bishops. It usually refers to the cases where a church official has taken advantage of their position and has sexually abused a minor. Sexual abuse is horrifying and devastating, and when it is done against children by the very institutions that teach us humanities and protect us from evil, it becomes even worse. In the past few years, many clergy sexual abuse victims have come forward, which shows us how big the problem has really been. Sadly, the institutions knew what was going on in their churches, and they still refused to take any action letting the abuse continue for years. These unspeakable acts by the clergy Catholic Church left the victims with psychological scars that have affected them throughout their lives.

The Extent of Sexual Abuse in Catholic Churches

Sexual abuse in catholic churches has been happening for a very long time, and it was uncovered in the initial report that there were more than 100,000 victims in the United States alone. This report was done by Fr. Andrew Greeley in 1993. There are other statistics related to this issue that shows us the real extent of Clergy abuse. A very clear picture of the entire issue can be painted by viewing the following facts:

• So far, more than 8600 survivors have received compensation of more than $3.8 billion from the Catholic Church. These are just the numbers who chose to take action and have won compensation.
• According to the U.S. Department of Justice, only 30% of sexual abuse cases in the Catholic Church have been reported so far.
• The problem has existed for over 50 years as around 8% of priests in Manchester alone have been implicated in these crimes since then.

How Was Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Uncovered?

The church tried their best to keep this under wraps, but with the constant efforts of the media, the truth was finally uncovered. The biggest reveal came when the Boston Globe (who did a thorough investigative piece on this issue) filed a motion to make the church documents public. Once the issue became a hot topic in Boston, the whole country started to do investigations, and a lot of victims bravely came forward to confirm the news.

How Can A Victim Get Compensation for Clergy Catholic Church Abuse?

If you or someone you know was unluckily a victim of this crime, then you must know that you can come forward and get compensation for what you have gone through. The law is very supportive of victims and has ensured that everyone who has gone through this horrible experience gets justice. They have also set up some other funding programs for the victims that can be really helpful. 

It is never too late to come forward, and you can always hire an expert attorney to help you through the complicated process of law. Winning such a case might finally provide the victim with some comfort.