Absolutely sickening!

This was taken from the February 26,2004 Free Press -----

A national, church-sanctioned study documenting sex abuse by U.S. Roman Catholic clergy found that about 4 percent of clerics have been accused of molesting minors since 1950, a diocese said Thursday.

The Diocese of Yakima, Wash., said in a news release that the survey compiled by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice found 4,392 of the 109,694 clergy who served over that five-decade period faced allegations of abuse.

The survey was overseen by the National Review Board, a lay watchdog panel the bishops formed at the height of the abuse crisis. The review board had a Friday morning news conference scheduled in Washington to discuss the report and a companion study on how the abuse crisis developed.

Dioceses nationwide received 10,667 abuse claims since 1950, according to the news release. Of those, claims by 6,700 were substantiated. About 3,300 were not investigated because the accused clergymen were dead.

The national report also tallied abuse-related costs at $533.4 million <--think about this the next time you put your envelope in the 'gift' basket.

And these are only the cases that have been reported. How many more do you think there are that are still in silence.

Well, I'm certainly glad to say that I have no associated with the church....and the dirty deeds it protects.

''Sexual abuse'' Is Sickening

Again, let's focus on what is really going on here instead of attacking a certain group of people. The abuse is everywhere, not just in the Church. The percentage in the Church is 4 percent(any percent is not good), but what is the percentage of sexual abuse in the entire world? That is what needs to be addressed. Laying the blame and pointing the finger doesn't accomplish anything.

One more thing...

You stated ''these are only the cases that have been reported. How many more do you think there are that are still in silence?'' I'm sure a lot more, but not just in the Church. You see, abuse is everywhere. What about the ''silent'' ones who have been abused in their own familes by fathers, brothers, uncles, cousins, etc. Or outside the family by teachers, couselors, group leaders,''friends'' of the family, neighbors, etc. These people don't make up a special ''group'', so they cannot be accounted for like the Church can account for their priests. Don't you think families have also ''covered up'' the abuse for the shame they are afraid it can bring? We need to educate parents and their children to prevent sexual abuse. Sexual abuse in our society is where the problem is, not just in the Church.

Our Diocese

This link will show you the press release given out on February 5, 2004. This was before the John Jay (national) report.
http://www.aodonline.org/aodonline-sqlimages/PressReleaseStatements/AOD/040205AllegationReport.pdf

People always want to have something to hate, so the truth isn't going to change the way bill feels. Just thought it needed to be out there.