Leaked report says 4,450 priests abused 11,000 children since 1950

Published: 2004-02-16

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- CNN reported Feb. 16 that, according to a draft report it obtained on sexual abuse of minors by U.S. Catholic priests and deacons, roughly 4,450 clergy allegedly abused 11,000 minors between 1950 and 2002. "Whatever they reported is premature," said James Levine, dean of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, which last year conducted a nationwide study of Catholic clergy sexual abuse of minors and plans to release its report Feb. 27. The study was commissioned by the National Review Board established by the U.S. bishops to help them deal with the clergy sex abuse crisis. "We're still finalizing our report," Levine told Catholic News Service Feb. 16 by telephone. He said "it would be irresponsible" for him to comment on the figures reported by CNN. He said a final portion of the CNN news story, reporting underlying causes of abuse, simply did not come from a draft of the John Jay study. CNN cited that study as its source for the causes as well as the figures it gave. "We are not dealing with causes. We are dealing with scope and incidence. ... That's not verbiage from us," Levine said. Illinois Appellate Court Justice Anne M. Burke, acting chair of the bishops' all-lay National Review Board -- which commissioned the John Jay report and plans to issue its own report Feb. 27 on the causes and context of the abuse -- told CNS Feb. 16 she had no idea what was the source of the CNN report on causes.

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