Catholic sex abuse claims drop again
The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops and religious orders received 714 clergy sex abuse claims in 2006, the second consecutive year that the number of allegations has dropped, according to a report on the church’s child protection reforms being released in New York today.
Dioceses and religious orders paid nearly $399 million in 2006 for settlements with victims, attorneys’ fees and support for accusers and offenders. For 2005, that figure was $467 million -- considered the highest ever for a single year.
The findings are part of an annual review that the bishops first commissioned in 2002.
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