02/27/2004: "Priestly Abuse Study released today"

CNN has this article on the release of the data on the Priestly sexual abuses between 1950 and 2002. The results are:

-10,667 abuse allegations.
-Ordained persons accused of abuse totaled 4,392, about 4 percent of all priests.
-56 percent were accused to have abused one victim.
-3.5 percent were accused to have 10 or more victims, accounting for 27 percent of all allegations

What that says to me is that 3.5% of 4% (0.14%) of the accused priests were the cause of this "scandal". In other words out of the 100,000 priests that represented The Church over that time, about 150 of them were the source of the scandal. Sure the other priests are a problem, but they don't constitute a scandal of the church because most of them seem to have been delt with in a reasonable quick fashion and were prevented from repeatedly disgracing God and His Church. It was those few that were allowed to repeatedly sin against The Church and its members that are the source of the scandal.

I know that the Diocese of Sacramento had about 1.5% of priests acused of abuse with very few repeat offenders. It was previously reported in local news outlets. I wonder if those 150 truly scandalous cases were spread across the country, or localized to a small number of diocese.

In the end, it is time to pray (as always). May this Lent be a time of repentance for our Church, that she may regain the glory that Christ has called her into service for.