Abuse Case Mishandlers Should Resign, Declares Study Committee

Friday’s shocking report on the controversial clergy sex scandal threw a deeply scathing blow on the face to the Roman Catholic Church. The study, lead by Robert Bennett, Chairman of the Research Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People, found that an astounding four percent of American clerics since 1950 have been accused of molestation. Eighty one percent of those molested from the 4,392 alleged attackers were males, leading many to link homosexuality to the frequency of assaults. In addition, the study showed that the victims’ ages while attacks were: 5.8 percent ages 7 and under; 16 percent ages 8-10; 50.9 percent ages 11-14; 27.3 percent ages 15-17. On Sunday Feb 29, Bennett appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press with the Archbishop of Washington, to say that the bishops who mishandled the abuse cases should voluntarily resign.