The percentage of priests who have abused children is about the same, or less than the percentage of abusive men in the general population - about 4 percent. Sexual abuse is even more prevalent in Protestant and Jewish denominations but this is rarely reported.
Not all of them are necessarily guilty of the charge, while perhaps many more are yet to come to light. Many children/adults are embarrassed of sexual abuse and never speak of it.
NOTE: This is only a report of US allegations, Ireland comes in second for the most reports of sexual misconduct in the Catholic Church, and many, many other countries have similar reports.
Other estimates from Ireland put the figures at approximately 30,000, with similar numbers in Canada... (Source found at link below: www.molestedcatholics.com/Estimating-the-numbers.php)
Additional Input and Opinions:The Church's Code of Canon Law 1395:2 says, "A cleric who has offended in other ways against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue, if the crime was committed by force, or by threats, or in public, or with a minor under the age of sixteen years, is to be punished with just penalties, not excluding dismissal from the clerical state if the case so warrants."
In other words, the ecclesiastical punishment for a most serious criminal offence is equivalent to a slap on the wrist with a wet lettuce leaf. The Code does not even oblige the Church hierarchy to notify the police or civil authorities that they believe a criminal offence has been committed by one of their number.
With such ecclesiastical leniency, some priest can, and do, abuse large numbers of choir boys and altar boys. It should always be pointed out that the great majority of Catholic priests are decent men, but the Church allows their good name to be tarnished as long as it fails to cooperate with the police once it has grounds to suspect a crime has been committed.
Another answer from our community:
Zero. The Code of Canon Law 1395:2 specifies that sex between priests and minors is an ecclesiastical crime.
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests was created in 1989.
There are more than 1,700 FAQ about Abused Children on WikiAnswers.
Hi - i don't exactly know your answer but children are neglected or abused every day!
About every one in three children get abused daily.
No disabled children do not understand that they are being abused.
No, most of them are not abused as children, myself included.
Max 100 times a day
Over millions of children from around the world are abused every day.
52,000
all the abused children fled from the man.
There are too many to count. We need to teach society about behaviors and what to watch for.
Jim Wade has written: 'Going missing' -- subject(s): Runaway teenagers, Runaway children, Social work with children, Social work with youth 'Caring for abused and neglected children' -- subject(s): Custody of children, Child welfare, Abused children, Long-term care 'Caring for abused and neglected children' -- subject(s): Custody of children, Child welfare, Abused children, Long-term care