Drop in clerical sex abuse reports – but 400 new cases in US last year
Some 400 new allegations of clerical sex abuse were reported in the United States in 2009, down from 620 cases in 2008 and 889 in 2004, when the first report tracking child predators in the US Catholic Church was issued.
Payouts for sex abuse cases last year also dropped sharply to $104.4 million (€78.4m), according to the report compiled by the Washington-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA).
