In 1985, a Louisiana Roman Catholic priest pleaded guilty to molestation. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the issue of sex abuse in the Church, priests’ sex abuse, and other Catholic Church sex abuse scandals became national news when The Boston Globe published a series of articles exposing the truths behind the horrifying allegations of sex abuse in Catholic Churches.
It became clear that the Catholic and Roman Catholic churches demonstrated a pattern of covering up clergy sex abuse and Catholic priests sex abuse across the entire United States, turning this into a nationwide scandal.
Catholic Church Sex Abuse Scandals
Thousands of victims, mainly boys, came forward reporting their abuse experienced at the hands of the Catholic Church, often being abused on multiple occasions. The most conspicuous element of this scandal was not only the severity and the large number of allegations but also the fact that Catholic bishops and the leadership kept these crimes secret. This cover-up allowed the perpetrators to simply change positions and continued to have unsupervised contact with the young boys and girls.
While the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) created a “zero tolerance” policy, in December 2019, the Associated Press reported that the Roman Catholic Church hid the identities of more than 900 clergy members who were accused of child sexual abuse.
Since the 1980s, the U.S. dioceses have received more than 17,000 complaints and paid around $4 billion to clergy abuse victims. Unfortunately, many of these settlements bought the silence of victims as well. While the Department of Justice has not yet charged the Catholic Church with conspiracy or any charge around the fact that there is a long history of covering up complaints, transferring priests to new parishes, and silencing accusers, law firms continue to advocate for victims’ rights.
Many states passed laws that allow claims to still be brought by creating look back windows and extending the statute of limitations on bringing a child sex abuse case. Irrespective of whether there will be federal prosecution charges against the church for the Catholic Church sex abuse scandals, victims deserve to have their voices heard and receive remedies for their personal impacts of the clergy sex abuse crisis.
The Victims, The Perpetrators, and How the Church is Reacting
The number of sex abuse victims in the Catholic Church is rapidly growing as the years progress. In the 2018-19 audit year, the U.S. Roman Catholic bishops reported 4,434 sex abuse allegations against clergy, tripling since the previous year. This increase is likely due to the encouragement victims receive that they can receive retribution from the abuse the Church has caused them. The victims date back for decades and experts estimate that hundreds of thousands of victims exist, as the amount reported does not accurately represent the actual number of victims.
The question is, how did these priests, clergy, and other members of the Church get away with sex abuse? The vast amount of underreporting and covering up of these abusers is a significant contributor to how this abuse happened. Clergy abuse victims can and should take action against the individual abusers and the Church itself. With the help of an experienced law firm, victims can file lawsuits on civil, criminal, state, and federal levels in order to receive justice.
Numerous U.S. dioceses created compensation programs for victims who demonstrate credible claims. The Church also claims to be conducting more than 2.6 million background checks for clergy and employees in addition to volunteers. The Catholic Church has also created training programs for both adults and youths to be able to identify the warning signs of sexual abuse and steps to take to report such abuse.
Advocates emphasize the importance of addressing this issue on legal statewide levels. These advocates are also pressing for state attorney generals to investigate clergy sex abuse in each of their states and remove leadership that has enabled this crisis. This is a key step to ensuring that the abusers who were formerly hidden are revealed to their communities.
What To Do If You Were A Victim of Church Sex Abuse
Over the last two years, the Michigan Attorney General conducted an investigation into Michigan’s Catholic churches. The investigators identified 454 priests who are accused of sexually abusing 811 victims. However, these numbers do not represent the actual number of abusers and victims. Of those 454 priests, the attorney general has charged eleven of them, leading to two convictions so far. The state also created a clergy abuse tip line (1-844-324-3374), which generated 750 tips, revealing 435 more victims and 316 more accused priests. The investigations will continue in the upcoming months and years.
More state attorney generals are conducting investigations into the statewide abuse in their respective states. On an institutional level, the Catholic Churches must be held accountable. While the process can often be confusing, an experienced law firm can help you navigate these processes to receive the amount you deserve for the abuse you endured.
Law firms are organizing survivors and advocating for the necessary change in the Church and outside of it. While the damages and pain victims have endured cannot be easily healed, as the emotional, physical, mental, and often financial scars will affect the victims for the entirety of their lives, the lawsuits are filed against both the institutions and the individuals can help victims receive much-needed support.
Contact a law firm now to learn about what you can do and how you can receive the support you need if the Catholic Church caused your abuse. The Catholic Church sex abuse crisis is an ongoing epidemic that requires institutional change. A law firm can help you determine if you can still file a claim and help you gather all of the necessary documents and evidence to demonstrate the abuse you endured.
Many legislatures throughout the United States are changing the laws to allow clergy abuse victims to continue to file claims, even if the abuse happened decades ago. We can help you find the best attorney and law firm to determine your legal options. You do not have to go through this alone. Contact us now to learn more.