ABSTRACT
"Clergy abuse" has been reported within the most major Christian denominations, and the issue has been discussed in Jewish circles, though by far the largest numbers of stories have involved the Roman Catholic Church. This is a critical point that rarely receives notice in the literature for "clergy abuse" has become synonymous with the issue of "pedophile priests", a convenient alliteration that appears to blame Catholic clergy as opposed to pastors, preachers, ministers, or rabbis. Clergy sex abuse is a model example of a social problem that appears to undergo mushroom growth, receiving virtually no attention from media or policymakers before about 1984, yet becoming a major focus of popular concern within a few years. Apart from the mass media, certain professional interest groups have played an important claims-making role in defining and shaping the clergy abuse problem. The legal profession is an obvious example.
