ABSTRACT
Child sexual abuse by Catholic priests is a global issue. Reports of abuse proliferated in the U.S. in 2002, and by 2010 it was clear that abuse in the Catholic Church had affected countries around the world. Despite the scope of the problem, very few Catholic priests have been criminally charged with sexual abuse, and few clerical leaders have been held accountable for their management of the problem. This chapter reviews the nature and scope of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, how abuse allegations have affected the Catholic Church globally, and the steps the Catholic Church has taken to respond to and prevent abuse in the future.
