US Church claims detailed

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By Robert Piggott
BBC religious affairs correspondent in Washington

More than 11,000 allegations of sex abuse have been made about Roman Catholic priests in the US since 1950, a new report is expected to show. One diocese has already confirmed that nearly 4,440 priests - 4% of the total - have been accused of such assaults. Groups representing victims of abuse say the final figure will be higher. The US Church has faced two years of withering criticism over the failure of bishops to tackle sex abuse by clergy, including of children.

A senior cardinal, Bernard Law, of Boston was forced to resign 15 months ago as details emerged of abusive priests being sent from parish to parish, rather than being removed entirely from contact with children. Now the Church is braving itself for a renewed onslaught as the scope of the abuse becomes more clear.

Some Roman Catholics will hope the report will help to close a painful and humiliating chapter in the Church's history. But groups representing victims claim that people molested in their youth wait on average until they are 44 years old before breaking their silence. They say there could therefore be thousands of cases still to emerge.

Roman Catholic leaders, who have described the report as a sobering and important milestone in the sex abuse crisis, stress that the issue broke out suddenly and is rapidly dying away. They are however likely to face renewed pressure for change, including greater transparency in Church government, an increased role for lay people, especially women, and even a review of compulsory celibacy for priests.

From:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3491926.stm