Changes

==Recent Controversy==

==Recent Controversy==

[[Image:Cerro_de_Angeles.jpg|right|thumb|Cerro de los Angeles, Madrid, Spain.]]

[[Image:Cerro_de_Angeles.jpg|right|thumb|Cerro de los Angeles, Madrid, Spain.]]

Widespread controversy erupted in 2001 and the years following over past abuse of minors by some Catholic clergy involving inappropriate sexual contact.  The difficulty spanned multiple churches and, unfortunately, difficulty in knowing how to deal with it sometimes led to the priests who were involved being moved from church to church by the presiding Bishops. For the most part the Catholic Church quietly cleaned this up internally in the mid 1980s.  The vast majority of allegations of abuse that came to light in the 2000s occurred before this time period.  Of course most priests were not involved, but the damage that could be done by even a small number of priests if not properly checked was horrible.  Although words like pedophile were often used in the press, in truth 90% of the cases involved priests making overtures towards teenage boys, and not pedophilia.  It was a case of breaking vows and non-celibate [[homosexuality]].<ref>http://cc.msnscache.com/cache.aspx?q=72992710807995&mkt=en-US&lang=en-US&w=98cf251&FORM=CVRE4</ref>.  

Widespread controversy erupted in 2001 and the years following over past abuse of teenage boys by some Catholic priests involving inappropriate sexual contact.  Worse, bishops typically covered up the episodes and moved the offending priests to new positions. For the most part the Catholic Church quietly cleaned this up internally in the mid 1980s.  The vast majority of allegations of abuse that came to light in the 2000s occurred before this time period.  Of course most priests were not involved, but the damage that could be done by even a small number of priests if not properly checked was horrible.  It was a case of breaking vows and non-celibate [[homosexuality]].<ref>http://cc.msnscache.com/cache.aspx?q=72992710807995&mkt=en-US&lang=en-US&w=98cf251&FORM=CVRE4</ref>. There were no reports of  girls as victims, or nuns as perpetrators.  

Due to the scandal, the U.S. Catholic church has paid out more than $2 billion in abuse claims.<ref>[http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070715/la_archdiocese_070715/20070715?hub=CTVNewsAt11 L.A. Catholic church settlement]</ref>

Due to the scandal, the U.S. Catholic church has paid out $2.6 billion in abuse claims. The Los Angeles diocese settled claims by 550 victims for $660 million. Similar scandals hit the Catholic Church in other countries, notably Ireland.

Incidents of abuse are not unique to the Catholic Church. A recent article from Associated Press (June 19, 2007) reported that three companies which insure the majority of Protestant churches in America indicated that they receive 260 reports annually of minors being abused by  clergy, church staff, or volunteers.<ref>http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2007/06/18/80877.htm</ref> There is a general consensus that this type of abuse is not relegated to any religion in particular, but is a systemic societal issue.<ref>http://www.reformation.com/CSA/AbuseNotSimplyAChurchProblem.htm</ref>

Incidents of abuse are not unique to the Catholic Church. A recent article from Associated Press (June 19, 2007) reported that three companies which insure the majority of Protestant churches in America indicated that they receive 260 reports annually of minors being abused by  clergy, church staff, or volunteers.<ref>http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2007/06/18/80877.htm</ref> There is a general consensus that this type of abuse is not relegated to any religion in particular, but is a systemic societal issue.<ref>http://www.reformation.com/CSA/AbuseNotSimplyAChurchProblem.htm</ref>