Child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church: a review of global perspectives

Abstract

Child sexual abuse by Catholic priests is a global issue. Reports of abuse proliferated in the US in 2002, giving the appearance that it was an American phenomenon. However, by 2010, it was clear that abuse in the Catholic Church had affected countries around the world. Scholars in the US have published reports evaluating the nature, scope, and causes of the problem. Similarly, public inquiries and commissions have investigated the crises in other western and English-speaking countries, and research is ongoing. The reports have produced similar findings and recommendations for preventing abuse in the future, including better education and training about abuse; the need to respond quickly and thoroughly to victim–survivors; transparency in response to abuse; and coordinated responses with civil authorities.

Keywords:

• child sexual abuse
• Catholic Church
• sexual victimization

Notes

1. The US Catholic Church is divided into 14 regions, averaging just over a dozen dioceses per region.

2. This section reviews attributes of individuals at the time they suffered abuse. As such, I use the term “victim” in this section. In recognition that those who suffered abuse are survivors, I use the term “victim–survivor” throughout the remainder of the article.

3. The Catholic Church has a unique hierarchical structure that many have blamed, at least in part, for the sexual abuse crisis. Briefly, the authority of each diocese lies solely with its leader (bishop, archbishop, or cardinal). Only the Holy See, or the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Church in Rome, may provide governance to the diocesan leaders, often through complex processes.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Karen J. Terry

Karen J. Terry is a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and in the Faculty of the Criminal Justice Doctoral Program at the Graduate Center, CUNY. She holds a doctorate in criminology from Cambridge University. Dr Terry’s research focuses primarily on sexual offending and victimization, and she was recently the principal investigator for two national studies on sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests.