Posted on 04/20/2011 11:01:34 AM PDT by bronxville
The Associated Press reported recently that three insurance companies receive upward of 260 reports each year of young people under 18 being sexually abused by Protestant clergy, challenging the assumption that clergy sexual abuse is an exclusively Catholic problem that does not take place in other churches.
That is a higher number than the annual average of 228 "credible accusations" brought against Catholic clerics in records reported by the Catholic Church in response to media scrutiny, a priest observed in a Fox News commentary questioning why the story isn't garnering more attention.
While the report about abuse in Protestant churches doesn't absolve guilty Catholic priests or those who enabled them, said Father Jonathan Morris, it offers a more complete picture. "The problem of sexual abuse has no denominational boundaries," he wrote.
The AP obtained figures on sex-abuse claims from three companies that insure the majority of Protestant churches in America--Church Mutual Insurance Company, GuideOne Insurance and Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company.
The largest company, Church Mutual, reported an average of about 100 sex-abuse cases a year involving minors over the last decade. GuideOne, with about half the clients of Church Mutual, said it has received an average of 160 reports of sex abuse against minors every year for the past two decades. Brotherhood Mutual said it received an average of 73 reports of child sex abuse and other sexual misconduct every year for the last 15 years but did not specify how many victims are younger than 18.
That compares to at least 10,667 people who reported plausible claims of childhood sexual abuse by 4,392 priests or deacons between 1950 and 2002 in a study commissioned by the Catholic Church with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York as part of its response to its clergy abuse scandal. That represents 4 percent of the approximately 110,000 diocesan and religious priests who served in the United States in those years.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops offers an extensive annual report monitoring sexual-abuse claims. There were 635 new allegations reported in 2006, 9 percent fewer than in 2005. A total of 14 allegations (2 percent) involved children under the age of 18 in 2006. The remaining 621 allegations were by adults alleging abuse as minors in previous years.
Protestant numbers are harder to come by, the AP reported, because the denominations are less centralized than the Catholic Church. Many churches are independent, making reporting even harder.
"This bad news for Protestant Churches is sad news for all of us," Father Morris wrote. "I would prefer the problem be limited to any one church--even if that church were my own--because it would mean more kids would be safe. But as I have said repeatedly over the last few years, the problem of sexual abuse of minors is not an issue of religious affiliation because there is nothing religious about abusing children. The phenomenon of sexual abuse of minors in church settings is the story of sick human beings taking advantage of their position of moral authority to prey on the weak and vulnerable. If Catholic clergy were to be faithful to their church's teaching, there would be no abuse in the Catholic Church. The same goes for Protestant clergy. The problem, then, is not one of corrupt doctrine, but of individuals being unfaithful to the most basic precepts of their own religious belief."
Insurance officials told the AP the numbers of sex-abuse cases has remained steady over the past two decades, but churches are doing more to prevent child-sexual abuse by conducting background checks, installing windows in nurseries and play areas and requiring at least two adults in a room with a child.
Still, said Patrick Moreland of Church Mutual, churches are particularly vulnerable to abusers.
"By their nature, congregations are the most trusting of organizations, so that makes them attractive targets for predators," he said. "If you're a predator, where do you go? You go to a congregation that will welcome you."
America's largest Protestant group, the Southern Baptist Convention, voted last month to refer a motion to study the feasibility of establishing a database of Southern Baptist clergy and church staff who are credibly accused of, have confessed to or were convicted of sexual abuse or harassment to the SBC Executive Committee.
This year's convention also adopted a non-binding resolution expressing "moral outrage" against the victimization of children.
Where’s the report on child abuse by muslim clergy?
Excellent point!
What about child abuse by the educational system?
What about child abuse at the hands of “teachers?”
Not surprising. The pervs go where the kids are. Almost every church has a youth program. Screening and background checks are key.
There is no such thing as child abuse for Muslims. If their prophet could marry a 6 year old and thigh her until she was 9 years old before consummating the marriage, then its not only ok, but a good thing.
It is vastly higher.
Our church also has a policy that teachers are never alone with children. Of course thats broken sometimes but it removes any question of a problem.
The usual Catholic haters will not be heard on this post, including some who profess to be Catholic that post numerous articles every day that portray the Church in a negative light.
Crickets!!!!!!
That is an excellent policy for any youth program. It protects both the kids and the adults.
The Easter Week Christian hit pieces are hitting a peak.
I agree with all of you yet the Catholic Church is singled out by the state-controlled MSM and by a few individuls here on FR.
Believe it or not Pravda has given a balanced perspective:-
“Much of the news coming out, in the effort to disguise ideological propaganda, contains the fundamental error of mistaking the wood with the trees ... especially when the aim is to denigrate. That is, from an isolated case, preferably rough outlines, and generalized in order to induce the reader to think that the whole is of the same nature. This generalization obviously has ideological connotations and follows a Political Agenda that seeks to deconstruct traditional society and all its secular institutions and to impose a New World Order after the manner of the sinister interests of the international oligarchy, the same ones that handle the financial markets and through them, largely control the global economy. We refer to cases of pedophilia within the ranks of the Catholic Church recently publicized by international news agencies.”...
http://english.pravda.ru/society/sex/30-03-2010/112790-to_confuse_wood_with_trees-0/
The Education Department have a 10% pediphilia rate and there’s zero in the news about it. Pravdas’ point is well taken.
this article sounds as if it is the work of Catholics who want to point the finger and say “but...but...but....THEY did it TOO!”
“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
Matthew 7:3
I had a protestant ask me once if priests not being allowed to marry contributed to the abuse. I told him that there are just as many, if not more, instances of abuse in protestant churches. Does having married pastors contribute to that????
Yes, they’ve posted two threads on the same topic within 24hrs on the week of Lent yet we all point our fingers at the Marxists...these posters are in bed with them. Their objective is just as the Pravda article portrayed which is the dissolution of the Catholic Church. The “religious” individuals here can’t see the forest for the trees. The Catholic Church goes down - we all go down - period!
It doesn’t matter if they are Catholic or Protestant or Catholic. They should be shot when found out and found guilty.
I don’t want to get into a anti Catholic thing here; but it seems the Catholic Church has not responded as forcefully as they should have to this.
Click the link in post #2. I’m posting this to show that it happens EVERYWHERE and most particularly where there are kids. The Catholic Church has done a yeoman’s job at preventative programs, so much so, that their programs been adopted by many Protestant Churches and other institutions.
“Protestant numbers are harder to come by, the AP reported, because the denominations are less centralized than the Catholic Church. Many churches are independent, making reporting even harder.”
The article disputes your claim. The objective of the relentless attack on the Catholic Church and only the Catholic Church ought to get you asking the question - why?
Why, when Protestants are higher in number and most particularly the Education Department. Is it the kids they’re concerned about or is it the take down the Catholic Church?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.