Bishops say reports show sad reality of priests who preyed on young

Published: 2004-02-27

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The picture that emerges from two new reports on the extent and causes of the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis is "sadly, one of those who broke faith with their people, their priesthood and their religious vows to use their sacred position to prey on the young and vulnerable," said the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville, Ill., told reporters after the Feb. 27 release of the research and analysis that "the terrible history recorded here is history." While the bishops "did not need this additional evidence to know that many have been harmed" by those acting in the church's name, the new evidence "serves as an urgent summons to act as fully as possible in reaching out to victims," he said. The John Jay College of Criminal Justice released a statistical study titled "The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950-2002." It was accompanied by "A Report on the Crisis in the Catholic Church in the United States" by the National Review Board, the panel of lay people commissioned by the bishops to evaluate the causes and context of sexual abuse within the church.

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