- Aug 8, 2012
- 6,291
- 7,430
- 75
- Country
- Australia
- Faith
- Atheist
- Marital Status
- Divorced
German Catholic Church ‘Abused Thousands of Children’
The latest chapter in the ongoing saga of the Catholic Church and child sexual abuse…
According to a leaked study, commissioned by the German Catholic Church, around 3,677 children were sexually assaulted by around 1,670 Catholic priests between 1946 and 2014. The study was due to be published on 25 September.
Based on the study, only 38% of the alleged perpetrators were prosecuted with most facing only minor disciplinary procedures. About one in six cases involved rape.
Most of the victims were boys, and more than half were aged 13 or younger.
Predatory clerics were often moved to new communities, where no warning was issued about their actions.
The study was compiled by three German universities, using 38,000 documents from 27 German dioceses. Its authors said the true extent of the abuse may be even greater, as some records were "destroyed or manipulated".
This is the latest in a series of major investigations into child sexual abuse and cover-up within the Catholic Church. Thousands of instances of clerical abuse of children have been uncovered in Chile, Ireland, Australia, the Netherlands and now, Germany, while perpetrators have been protected and, sometimes, aided and betted by Church hierarchy. There are documented cases of abuse, or allegations, from Spain, Italy, Malta, Austria, Belgium and Switzerland.
Within the USA, broad scale abuse has been uncovered in Boston and, more recently, Pennsylvania. New York, New Jersey, Missouri, Illinois and New Mexico are now in the process of launching their own investigations. Los Angeles diocese has paid out millions in compensation to victims of abuse while a Wisconsin priest is suspected of abusing some 200 boys at a school for the deaf despite the fact that his activities were reported to Church hierarchy.
Given the current known extent of the abuse, it seems reasonable to assume that there is more to uncover.
OB
Links:
German Catholic Church ‘Abused Thousands of Children’ (BBC)
Catholic Sex Abuse Scandals Around the World (BBC)
States take on Catholic Church (NY Times)
The latest chapter in the ongoing saga of the Catholic Church and child sexual abuse…
According to a leaked study, commissioned by the German Catholic Church, around 3,677 children were sexually assaulted by around 1,670 Catholic priests between 1946 and 2014. The study was due to be published on 25 September.
Based on the study, only 38% of the alleged perpetrators were prosecuted with most facing only minor disciplinary procedures. About one in six cases involved rape.
Most of the victims were boys, and more than half were aged 13 or younger.
Predatory clerics were often moved to new communities, where no warning was issued about their actions.
The study was compiled by three German universities, using 38,000 documents from 27 German dioceses. Its authors said the true extent of the abuse may be even greater, as some records were "destroyed or manipulated".
This is the latest in a series of major investigations into child sexual abuse and cover-up within the Catholic Church. Thousands of instances of clerical abuse of children have been uncovered in Chile, Ireland, Australia, the Netherlands and now, Germany, while perpetrators have been protected and, sometimes, aided and betted by Church hierarchy. There are documented cases of abuse, or allegations, from Spain, Italy, Malta, Austria, Belgium and Switzerland.
Within the USA, broad scale abuse has been uncovered in Boston and, more recently, Pennsylvania. New York, New Jersey, Missouri, Illinois and New Mexico are now in the process of launching their own investigations. Los Angeles diocese has paid out millions in compensation to victims of abuse while a Wisconsin priest is suspected of abusing some 200 boys at a school for the deaf despite the fact that his activities were reported to Church hierarchy.
Given the current known extent of the abuse, it seems reasonable to assume that there is more to uncover.
OB
Links:
German Catholic Church ‘Abused Thousands of Children’ (BBC)
Catholic Sex Abuse Scandals Around the World (BBC)
States take on Catholic Church (NY Times)