Poll finds many Catholics unaware of church steps to prevent abuse

Published: 2007-05-18

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Only one-third of Catholics in a national survey said they had heard of the U.S. bishops' policies to prevent child sex abuse and respond to abuse allegations, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate said May 16. Only one-sixth said they have heard of the abuse prevention programs in their own diocese, it added. CARA, an independent church research agency at Georgetown University in Washington, surveyed 1,048 self-identified Catholics through Knowledge Networks, which has a panel made up of a large random sample of U.S. residents who agree to participate in a variety of online polls in return for free Internet access. Those without home computers are given equipment to access the Web through their television. With more than 1,000 respondents, CARA said the margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percent. It said that those surveyed were presented with 13 specific policies and procedures implemented by the bishops to prevent abuse, deal with allegations and reach out to victims. The bishops have committed themselves to those policies and procedures since June 2002, when they adopted their "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People."

Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .