as originally posted to the site July 6, 2007.

~~~

By Bob Allen

The Associated Press reported recently that three insurance companies receive upward of 260 reports each year of young people under 18 being sexually abused by Protestant clergy, challenging the assumption that clergy sexual abuse is an exclusively Catholic problem that does not take place in other churches.

That is a higher number than the annual average of 228 “credible accusations” brought against Catholic clerics in records reported by the Catholic Church in response to media scrutiny, a priest observed in a Fox News commentary questioning why the story isn’t garnering more attention.

While the report about abuse in Protestant churches doesn’t absolve guilty Catholic priests or those who enabled them, said Father Jonathan Morris, it offers a more complete picture. “The problem of sexual abuse has no denominational boundaries,” he wrote.

The AP obtained figures on sex-abuse claims from three companies that insure the majority of Protestant churches in America–Church Mutual Insurance Company, GuideOne Insurance and Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company.

The largest company, Church Mutual, reported an average of about 100 sex-abuse cases a year involving minors over the last decade. GuideOne, with about half the clients of Church Mutual, said it has received an average of 160 reports of sex abuse against minors every year for the past two decades. Brotherhood Mutual said it received an average of 73 reports of child sex abuse and other sexual misconduct every year for the last 15 years but did not specify how many victims are younger than 18.

That compares to at least 10,667 people who reported plausible claims of childhood sexual abuse by 4,392 priests or deacons between 1950 and 2002 in a study commissioned by the Catholic Church with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York as part of its response to its clergy abuse scandal. That represents 4 percent of the approximately 110,000 diocesan and religious priests who served in the United States in those years.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops offers an extensive annual report monitoring sexual-abuse claims. There were 635 new allegations reported in 2006, 9 percent fewer than in 2005. A total of 14 allegations (2 percent) involved children under the age of 18 in 2006. The remaining 621 allegations were by adults alleging abuse as minors in previous years.

Protestant numbers are harder to come by, the AP reported, because the denominations are less centralized than the Catholic Church. Many churches are independent, making reporting even harder.

“This bad news for Protestant Churches is sad news for all of us,” Father Morris wrote. “I would prefer the problem be limited to any one church–even if that church were my own–because it would mean more kids would be safe. But as I have said repeatedly over the last few years, the problem of sexual abuse of minors is not an issue of religious affiliation because there is nothing religious about abusing children. The phenomenon of sexual abuse of minors in church settings is the story of sick human beings taking advantage of their position of moral authority to prey on the weak and vulnerable. If Catholic clergy were to be faithful to their church’s teaching, there would be no abuse in the Catholic Church. The same goes for Protestant clergy. The problem, then, is not one of corrupt doctrine, but of individuals being unfaithful to the most basic precepts of their own religious belief.”

Insurance officials told the AP the numbers of sex-abuse cases has remained steady over the past two decades, but churches are doing more to prevent child-sexual abuse by conducting background checks, installing windows in nurseries and play areas and requiring at least two adults in a room with a child.

Still, said Patrick Moreland of Church Mutual, churches are particularly vulnerable to abusers.

“By their nature, congregations are the most trusting of organizations, so that makes them attractive targets for predators,” he said. “If you’re a predator, where do you go? You go to a congregation that will welcome you.”

And this is something to applaud?

Sisi_Kill: And this is something to applaud?

Where does it say it is something to applaud?

SMH!!!!....

Na small pikin dey worry you...............

You go do until somebody go give you serious rebuttal wey go close this your mouth.......

I just dey wait.........

If you still can't figure out why the practice of pedophilia / child abuse has become a custom of the RCC then you are still a confused person.....whilst members of other churches are imperfect humans and can sometimes engage In such acts,the RCC as just one group would always come first.....the law on celibacy is the main reason why you guys always end up in scandals.........when you
Restrict matured men from marrying you must be ready to see the end result....


If you still haven't noticed this truth,you can keep fooling yourself......

E no go even take months we go soon hear another scandal......

I cross my leg dey wait........

ijawkid: SMH!!!!....

Na small pikin dey worry you...............

You go do until somebody go give you serious rebuttal wey go close this your mouth.......

I just dey wait.........

If you still can't figure out why the practice of pedophilia / child abuse has become a custom of the RCC then you are still a confused person.....whilst members of other churches are imperfect humans and can sometimes engage In such acts,the RCC as just one group would always come first.....the law on celibacy is the main reason why you guys always end up in scandals.........when you
Restrict matured men from marrying you must be ready to see the end result....


If you still haven't noticed this truth,you can keep fooling yourself......

E no go even take months we go soon hear another scandal......

I cross my leg dey wait........

Abeg go siddon joor.kettle calling a pot black.Go and solve your own abuse case with candance conti

Lol..christianity really is the most unified and harmonious religion in the world.
Its definitely the true one.

chukwudi44:

Abeg go siddon joor.kettle calling a pot black.Go and solve your own abuse case with candance conti

Lol.......just candace conti's case??........I thought barri§ter had replied you with something very interesting....

You are just so jejune.....I can see that.....you are gonna be caught up in a web that you would find hard to get out of....just wait......

We watch your sex scandal cases on CNN...

Some more would come....I go just sidon for my house watch am.......

If any organization has to talk about pedophilea,the RCC should be the last....they are the kings of pedophilea....I won't waste my time bringing it to you.....I'll stick to my debating bible doctrines rather than gravitate to your low state......

Wat catholic church can do, protestant can do better. Lol

ijawkid: SMH!!!!....

Na small pikin dey worry you...............

You go do until somebody go give you serious rebuttal wey go close this your mouth.......

I just dey wait.........

If you still can't figure out why the practice of pedophilia / child abuse has become a custom of the RCC then you are still a confused person.....whilst members of other churches are imperfect humans and can sometimes engage In such acts,the RCC as just one group would always come first.....the law on celibacy is the main reason why you guys always end up in scandals.........when you
Restrict matured men from marrying you must be ready to see the end result....


If you still haven't noticed this truth,you can keep fooling yourself......

E no go even take months we go soon hear another scandal......

I cross my leg dey wait........

There is no excuse for abusing kids, that thing is sick and the perpetrators should face the most severe consequences if and when found guilty- I don’t care who they are. But the fact is that child sex abuse scandal is not just a Catholic priests thing, it’s everywhere. Take for example what is happening with Jimmy Savile and BBC in UK and that is just a tip of the ice berg.

Your assertion that the child sex abuse has something to do with Celibacy is quite silly. 99% of these sex abuses allegations/acts were against young boys. Do you actually think that if these priest had gotten married they wouldn’t have abused these little boys? These priests were Gay Paedophiles and if they had the opportunity to get married, they would probably remained single. Women is not there interested as you can see. So it has nothing to do with celibacy. If these priest were getting young girls pregnant then you may have a case but that weren’t the case.

Abuse happen in public schools, sports clubs, boys scout club, Protestant Churches, Synagogues, Mosques. The most scary part is that most sex abuse happens at home and this a fact. The problem is that since the culprits and victims are from the same family, most of them never get reported so as not to “tarnish” the family name.

@op

Protestant Sex Abuse [size=14pt]Equals[/size] Or Exceeds Catholic Sex Abuse In The United States
Do you know the implication of this comparism above?

PROTESTANTS; REFFERED TO NON-CATHOLICS, WHO DOES NOT SHARE CATHOLIC FAITH AND THE SOVEREIGN OF THE POPE.
WELL IN THE UNITED STATES ALONE,

WE HAVE 223 MAJOR PROTESTANT CHURCHES VS (only) THE CATHOLIC CHURCH,

YET THE CATHOLIC CHURCH'S SEX ABUSE ALONE EQUALS 223 MAJOR PROTESTANT CHURCHES,

IS THAT A CREDIT? 95 PER CENT OF THE U.S PARISHES WERE CONTAMINATED WITH SEX ABUSE INVOLVING PRIESTS TARGETING YOUNG BOYS. CATHOLIC PRIESTS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WIDESPREAD GAY MOLESTATIONS THAT SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE IN THE U.S THAT CONSUME ALMOST 8 DIOCEESE THAT WERE SEEKING FOR BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION,CATHOLIC CHURCH BUILDINGS WERE SOLD TO SETTLE CLAIMS.

(1)CATHOLIC CHURCH

vs

(223)PROTESTANT CHURCHES; (1)Baptist Church (2)Apostolic Faith Church .............(223)

chukwudi44:

Where does it say it is something to applaud?

That there is an article written about sex Abuse in the church with the title Protestant Sex Abuse Equals Or Exceeds Catholic Sex Abuse In The United States IS applauding it.

Abuse is Abuse. . .what is the competition for?

Duh!!!

Chukwudi44 lost his battle despite he is the umpire.

................

Anyigala:

There is no excuse for abusing kids, that thing is sick and the perpetrators should face the most severe consequences if and when found guilty- I don’t care who they are. But the fact is that child sex abuse scandal is not just a Catholic priests thing, it’s everywhere. Take for example what is happening with Jimmy Savile and BBC in UK and that is just a tip of the ice berg.

Your assertion that the child sex abuse has something to do with Celibacy is quite silly. 99% of these sex abuses allegations/acts were against young boys. Do you actually think that if these priest had gotten married they wouldn’t have abused these little boys? These priests were Gay Paedophiles and if they had the opportunity to get married, they would probably remained single. Women is not there interested as you can see. So it has nothing to do with celibacy. If these priest were getting young girls pregnant then you may have a case but that weren’t the case.

Abuse happen in public schools, sports clubs, boys scout club, Protestant Churches, Synagogues, Mosques. The most scary part is that most sex abuse happens at home and this a fact. The problem is that since the culprits and victims are from the same family, most of them never get reported so as not to “tarnish” the family name.

You're still not being truthful......

Most priests if they were married won't have gotten involved in child molestation....

If you had observed closely child molestation cases has occured more with the priestly class than the laity.....

That is why the law on celibacy would always be the bane behind the pedophilea cases in the RCC........

Remember we are focusing more on the church than on other organizations.....

These priests have directed all there sexual desires and urges on young boys,since they can't be married.......

I want you to sincerely see that that" law on celibacy"" for the priesthood is a major reason why the RCC will continue to receive non-stop reports of child molestation.......