Monday, June 18, 2007
260 reports of abuse yearly in Protestant churches
SEX SCANDALS Long-sought number surfaces
BY ROSE FRENCH
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The three companies that insure the majority of Protestant churches in America say they typically receive upward of 260 reports each year of young people under 18 being sexually abused by clergy, church staff, volunteers or congregation members.
The figures offer a glimpse into what has long been an extremely difficult phenomenon to pin down -- the frequency of sex abuse in Protestant congregations.
Religious groups and victims' supporters have been interested in the figure ever since the Roman Catholic sex abuse crisis hit five years ago. The church has revealed that there have been 13,000 credible accusations against Catholic clerics since 1950 -- 228 a year.
Protestant numbers have been harder to come by because the denominations are less centralized than the Catholic church. Some of the only numbers come from three insurance companies -- Church Mutual Insurance Co., GuideOne Insurance Co. and Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co. Together, they represent a large chunk of all U.S. Protestant churches.
Abuse reports don't always mean the accused was guilty.
Even with hundreds of cases a year ''that's a very small number. That probably doesn't even constitute half,'' said Gary Schoener of the Walk-In Counseling Center in Minneapolis. ''Sex abuse in any domain, including the church, is reported seldom.''
Insurance officials said churches are working harder to prevent child sex abuse by conducting background checks, installing windows in play areas and requiring at least two adults in a room.
Patrick Moreland of Church Mutual said churches are particularly susceptible to abusers.
''By their nature, congregations are the most trusting of organizations, so that makes them attractive targets for predators,'' he said.
BY ROSE FRENCH
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The three companies that insure the majority of Protestant churches in America say they typically receive upward of 260 reports each year of young people under 18 being sexually abused by clergy, church staff, volunteers or congregation members.
The figures offer a glimpse into what has long been an extremely difficult phenomenon to pin down -- the frequency of sex abuse in Protestant congregations.
Religious groups and victims' supporters have been interested in the figure ever since the Roman Catholic sex abuse crisis hit five years ago. The church has revealed that there have been 13,000 credible accusations against Catholic clerics since 1950 -- 228 a year.
Protestant numbers have been harder to come by because the denominations are less centralized than the Catholic church. Some of the only numbers come from three insurance companies -- Church Mutual Insurance Co., GuideOne Insurance Co. and Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co. Together, they represent a large chunk of all U.S. Protestant churches.
Abuse reports don't always mean the accused was guilty.
Even with hundreds of cases a year ''that's a very small number. That probably doesn't even constitute half,'' said Gary Schoener of the Walk-In Counseling Center in Minneapolis. ''Sex abuse in any domain, including the church, is reported seldom.''
Insurance officials said churches are working harder to prevent child sex abuse by conducting background checks, installing windows in play areas and requiring at least two adults in a room.
Patrick Moreland of Church Mutual said churches are particularly susceptible to abusers.
''By their nature, congregations are the most trusting of organizations, so that makes them attractive targets for predators,'' he said.
