Widespread sexual abuse of children by religious leaders has become a critical issue in many religious organizations – and one which is not receiving the swift resolution it needs to protect children.
Even 22 years after the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People made child sexual abuse a flashpoint issue for Catholic clergy, church leaders remain unresponsive, putting more people at risk of childhood sexual abuse [1].
If you’ve been a victim of clergy sexual abuse, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers is here to help. We’ve recovered millions in damages for victims of child sex abuse from clergy members in the Catholic Church and other religious organizations, ensuring that sexual offenders are held accountable in a civil court.
Clergy Sexual Abuse Statistics
Since the 2002 founding of the National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has released an annual report detailing the scope of the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.
The 2024 report demonstrates that sexual abuse allegations have dropped significantly since 2019. The number of allegations per year is as follows:
- 2019: 4,434 allegations
- 2020: 4,250 allegations
- 2021: 3,130 allegations
- 2022: 2,704 allegations
- 2023: 1,308 allegations [2]
Analysis of the allegations demonstrates that 71% of the abuse happened in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s before church officials began a significant drive to confront sexual misconduct in the Catholic Church [3].
Looking at all child sexual abuse cases from 2004 to 2023, just 4% of the abuse claims occurred after 2000, with 55% of credible allegations involving the sexual abuse of minors before 1975 [4].
Is Clergy Sexual Abuse Going Down?
Reports from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops may suggest that sexually abusive priests are leaving the church, preventing further trauma; however, this may not show the whole picture, as both the law and religious authorities are complicit in protecting priests and other religious figures from consequences.
In 33 states, church workers are exempt from mandated reporting laws that require individuals in positions of authority, like police officers or therapists, to report sexual abuse to law enforcement agencies [5].
Attempts to remove this clergy-penitent privilege have proven highly contentious. In Arizona, opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and other religious group representatives brought the legislature to a halt for weeks over a bill that would allow sexually abused children to sue a religious organization for damages [6].
Studies have also demonstrated that a sexual abuse survivor delays disclosing child abuse for, on average, about 17 years [7]. As such, current cases of Catholic priest sex offenders may not come to light for years, putting more children at risk.
Why Do Religious Leaders Sexually Abuse Children?
Sex crimes by priests, church staff, and other religious leaders do not have one specific cause. A landmark study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which reviewed cases of clergy sexual abuse from 1950 to 2010, could not identify a single factor that influenced clerical abuse, including celibacy and same-sex attraction [8].
Sexual abuse of minors is typically perpetrated by someone known to the victim; only 7% of abuse is by a stranger [9]. Additionally, abusers seek out opportunities to secure access to a child victim and gain the trust of their families, whether that is by joining religious communities or choosing a profession that requires close contact with children [10].
These factors, combined with a culture of secrecy that silences victims of sexual harassment, make clergy sexual abuse more common [11].
Statistics About Sexual Misconduct in Religious Institutions
Sexual abuse issues cost religious institutions a significant amount of money per year, as evidenced by the high cost of insuring churches and paying settlements.
- Reviewing insurance claims data, sexual abuse in religious settings accounts for 30% of all child sex abuse losses for insurers [12].
- Child sex abuse accounts for 24% of insurance losses for religious groups, second only to wage and hour losses [13].
- Catholic Church Insurance, having lost millions of dollars from Catholic Church sexual abuse, stopped issuing policies and voluntarily entered runoff in 2023, emphasizing the scale of this problem [14].
- From July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, Catholic dioceses across the country paid out $260,509,528 to victims who religious leaders sexually abused, a figure that was 66% higher than in 2022 [15].
Child Sexual Abuse in Specific Religious Communities
Clergy sexual abuse remains a crucial issue across the world and in all religious institutions, both in the United States and elsewhere. These sexual abuse cases show that both children and adults are at risk when institutions refuse to address clear dangers to their congregations.
Clergy Sexual Abuse at Catholic Orphanages
The issue of sexual abuse by Catholic priests first gained international attention in 1989 due to the case of the Mount Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland, Canada. Over 292 survivors came forward, discussing physical and sexual abuse stretching back to the 1940s. Only this year, the Archdiocese of St. John’s paid approximately $76 million to survivors [16].
The Sunday Express picked up the story in 1989, ushering in a global reckoning for the Catholic Church [17].
Sexual Abuse in the Illinois Catholic Church
A multi-year investigation released in 2023 by the Illinois Attorney General found that 451 Roman Catholic priests and other members of the religious faith abused 1,997 children between 1959 and 2019. Previously, only two Roman Catholic dioceses in Chicago had released evidence of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, divulging the names of 103 church leaders and priests accused of such abuse [18].
Catholic Clergy Abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore
Over 150 abusive priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore abused more than 600 children from the 1940s to 2002, including some instances of physical torture [19]. Last year, the Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy in expectation of the high cost of clergy sex abuse settlements [20].
Sexual Molestation in the French Catholic Church
A 2021 report found that French Catholic Church officials and other members of the organization sexually abused more than 330,000 children over 70 years [21]. Reparations claims began in 2022, and 1,351 victims have come forward. The average compensation has been 35,310 euros, and 66% of the claimants are men [22].
Sexual Abuse in Protestant Christian Churches
While clergy sexual abuse by Catholic priests achieves the most attention, Protestant congregation members are also at risk. A 2023 literature review found that amongst three insurance companies that cover approximately 160,000 churches, there were 7,095 sexual abuse insurance claims from 1987 to 2007, or about 260 claims per year [23].
Landmark Cases of Clergy Sexual Abuse
In 2023, a woman won $2.3 million in a lawsuit against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Riverside, California. She alleged that church staff was aware she was being sexually abused both at home and on church-owned property but did nothing to protect her [24].
In a criminal case from late 2023, a former Catholic priest from Rhode Island was sentenced to six years in federal prison after admitting to owning thousands of files of child pornography [25]. His loved ones claimed the man suffered from substance abuse and had been sexually abused himself as a child [26].
The insurance company Chubb is currently suing the Archdiocese of New York over insurance payouts for over 1,500 abuse cases, recently brought after the passage of the state’s Child Victims Act of 2019 and Adult Survivors Act of 2022. This law allowed previously time-barred cases to be pursued [27].
Chubb has argued the Roman Catholic Church was aware of the clergy’s sexual abuse but failed to act, violating the known loss doctrine and making them not responsible for the settlements [28].
The Diocese of Monterey in California recently informed its parishioners that it may declare bankruptcy after being named as a defendant in over 100 clergy sexual abuse lawsuits dating from the 1950s to 2002 [29]. These lawsuits were all filed between 2019 and 2022 after the passing of the Child Victims Act, which has lengthened the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits [30].
Child Sexual Assault Settlements from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers is one of the leading personal injury law firms for clergy sex abuse cases across the country. We recognize the severe and lifelong consequences of sexual molestation, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and physical pain.
We work hard to secure the best compensation possible for victims. These are some of our most successful settlements against clergy members and religious organizations.
$14,200,000 – This settlement was realized on behalf of six victims who were groomed and fondled by a priest at a religious school. This priest was hired despite having allegations of prior sexual abuse at a different institution.
$4,100,000 – A deacon assaulted a woman at a large Midwestern church.
$3,000,000 – A man was sexually abused as a child by a religious figure. This case was successfully argued despite the church attempting to dismiss the suit based on the statute of limitations.
$2,800,000 – A settlement for sexual abuse that occurred at a church-affiliated summer camp.
Contact a Clergy Sexual Abuse Attorney Today!
Clergy abuse statistics demonstrate that religious institutions of all faiths may harbor abusers – and all victims deserve justice. We work hard to recover fair compensation for victims of sexual abuse cases, working from a framework that prioritizes the needs of survivors.
If you’ve suffered abuse by clergy members or were not protected by religious communities, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers is here to help. Our clergy sexual abuse lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you owe us nothing unless we can win you a settlement. To schedule your free consultation about clergy sexual abuse, call us 24/7 at (888) 424-5757 or contact us online.
References: [1] AP News, [2] United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, [3] Catholic News Agency, [4] Catholic News Agency, [5] WBUR, [6] WBUR, [7] Children and Youth Services Review, [8] John Jay College of Criminal Justice, [9] Psychology Today, [10] Children’s Advocacy Centers of Mississippi, [11] The Tablet, [12] Bitner Henry Insurance Group, [13] Bitner Henry Insurance Group, [14] Insurance Business Magazine, [15] Catholic News Agency, [16] America Magazine, [17] America Magazine, [18] National Public Radio, [19] PBS, [20] WBAL-TV, [21] AP News, [22] AP News, [23] Qualitative Criminology, [24] Los Angeles Times, [25] United States Attorney’s Office, [26] Catholic News Agency, [27] OSV News, [28] OSV News, [29] KSBW-8, [30] KSBW-8
