Richard Sipe, a researcher and author in the field of sexual abuse, estimates that one in four children abused by priests are girls, "but girls aren't getting a fourth of the attention."įurthermore, he said, four times as many priests are involved with women as with minors of both genders combined. In the shadows are "thousands upon thousands" of cases of women and girls who have been sexually abused by priests, said Gary Richard Schoener, a Minnesota psychologist and expert on sexual abuse by clergy. Throughout the scandal's repeated disclosures, most of the attention has focused on the sexual abuse of boys and young men. In a nearby hotel, victims plan their own news conferences while monitoring the bishops' deliberations. Within this context, the country's almost 300 Roman Catholic bishops will conduct their work at the annual meeting with an audience of almost three times that many reporters. and Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee _ have stepped down after being accused of inappropriate sexual relationships. Four bishops Anthony O'Connell of Palm Beach, Fla. Several, including the cardinals of Boston and New York, have been accused of harboring child molesters by moving them from parish to parish and diocese to diocese. The bishops themselves are not unscathed. bishops are formulating a national policy on clergy misconduct. The allegations, affecting dioceses from New England to the West Coast, are so widespread and serious that U.S. And more than 300 lawsuits alleging clerical sexual abuse have been filed in 16 states since January, according to The Associated Press. Two priests have committed suicide after being accused of abuse. Numerous reports of sexual misconduct and cover-ups in the Catholic Church have broken around the country this year, resulting in the suspension or resignation of more than 200 of the nation's 46,000 priests and potentially costing the church millions of dollars in legal fees and settlements. Harold will be keeping watch on the bishops as they debate the most contentious issue of the meeting _ whether to establish a policy of "zero tolerance" for past sexual misconduct.Īnd she wants to make sure at least some women's voices are heard. As Bishops Talk, Women are Listening, by Gayle White, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Īs the nation's Catholic bishops meet today in Dallas to address the church's sex abuse scandal, Ellie Harold of Norcross, Ga., will also be there _ making sure that she and other victims are not ignored.
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