Scale of church sex abuse ‘unbelievable’

IT is likely that priests and others in the Boston Archdiocese sexually abused more than 1,000 people over a period of six decades, Massachusetts’ attorney general said yesterday, calling the scandal so massive it “borders on the unbelievable”.

The report, the result of a grand jury investigation that explored whether church hierarchy should face criminal charges for turning a blind eye to allegations of abuse, said the archdiocese received complaints from 789 alleged victims, involving more than 250 clergy and other workers.

However, when other sources are considered, the attorney general said, it is likely the abuse affected more than 1,000 victims from 1940 until today.