Washington D.C., Mar 15, 2009 / 09:34 am
The 2008 report of the National Review Board established to examine clerical sexual abuse in the U.S. has been released, saying that most recent claims of abuse concern alleged offenses from 35 to 40 years ago and reporting that most alleged offenders are deceased or out of the priestly ministry.
The National Review Board’s 2008 Annual Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People includes audit results of 188 of the 195 diocese and eparchies in the United States. The report also presents 2008 data collected by the Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) for its Annual Survey of Allegations and Costs.
According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) press release summarizing the report, U.S. dioceses altogether received ten credible allegations of clerical abuse offenses committed against a minor in 2008.
A reported 620 victims also made 625 allegations against 423 alleged offenders concerning abuse in previous years. About 60 percent of identified offenders in new allegations in 2008 had been identified in previous allegations.