Clergy Abuse: Protecting Victims and Seeking Justice
Houses of worship are important and holy places for many Americans to practice their faith and religious study. They are revered, venerated, and trusted, with religious leaders serving as figures of spiritual and moral guidance. Unfortunately, they are also places where great harm has been done to the most innocent in our society—young children.
Churches can be close-knit communities, and reporting abuse can be difficult, if not downright impossible. Many victims feel helpless to stop the abuse and experience great shame and isolation if the abuse is reported. Too often, victims suffer for years in silence with painful and horrific stories of abuse. Even when abuse is reported, cover-ups of sexual predators are too common, and corrective action may never occur, with offenders rarely being turned over to law enforcement.
Clergy Abuse in the Catholic Church
In 2002, it was revealed that clergy sexual abuse was widespread in the Catholic Church. Since that time, thousands of victims have stepped forward to report the horrific abuse they suffered as children at the hands of priests, nuns, and other members of the Church.
It was also revealed that the Catholic Church knew the abuse was widespread and had deliberately moved sexually abusive priests to other parishes instead of removing them from their positions. This appalling practice allowed the abuse to spread to new victims.
The 2004 John Jay Report, commissioned and funded by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and based on a study of 10,667 allegations against priests accused of sexual abuse of minors between 1950 and 2002, showed that 22.6% of the victims were age 10 or younger, 51% were between ages 11 and 14, and 27% were between the ages of 15 and 17.
Help for Victims
Clergy abuse occurs in many types of religious institutions. Whether it is a pastor, priest, minister, bishop, or other religious official, too many children are suffering great harm. Fortunately, it is becoming safer for victims to step forward with their stories of abuse and seek rightful compensation for the countless moments of traumatic suffering and pain.
At Bishop Legal, we understand the difficulty victims of abuse face when accusing a member of the church of sexual abuse. We stand up for victims—they do not deserve to suffer in silence. By contacting our sexual abuse lawyers, you are not only taking a stand against the damage that has been caused, but you are also helping prevent others from being similarly harmed.
Our knowledgeable and aggressive attorneys work diligently and have the expertise to obtain the documentation needed to prove a case, even if the abuse occurred decades ago.
Don’t wait until it’s too late to take action. Call our sexual abuse lawyers now to get the help and protection you need to defend your legal rights!