Catholic Church’s paedophile scandals across the world

The Catholic Church has been shaken by a string of paedophile scandals over the past 25 years and the topic is high on the agenda as Pope Francis heads to Ireland. Here is a rundown of some of the high-profile cases:

UNITED STATES

A grand jury investigation into dioceses in Pennsylvania published in August threw light on sexual abuse, systematically covered up by the Church, by “over three hundred predator priests,” of which more than 1,000 child victims were identifiable.

Between 1950 and 2013 the US Catholic Church received 17,000 complaints of sexual abuse said to have taken place in the period 1950-1980 involving around 6,400 clerics. Experts speaking at the Vatican said in 2012 the number of abused US minors is probably close to 100,000.

CHILE

The Church in Chile has also been recently rocked by accusations of a wide-scale cover-up of child abuse. Local prosecutors said in July they are investigating 158 members of the country’s Church – clergymen and lay people – for perpetrating or concealing the sexual abuse of children and adults dating back as far as 1960.

So far 38 inquiries involving 73 people have been opened over the alleged sexual abuse of a total of 104 victims, most of whom were minors at the time.

During a visit to Chile in January, Pope Francis stirred controversy by supporting a bishop, Juan Barros, accused of covering up for paedophile priest Fernando Karadima during the 1980s and 1990s. Francis said he was convinced of his innocence and called on victims to present proof of his guilt. Francis later apologised and invited some of the victims to Rome in May as well as summoning all Chile’s bishops, who then presented their resignations. Five, including that of Barros, have been accepted by the pontiff.

AUSTRALIA

Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican’s third-highest ranking official, faces prosecution in Australia for historical child sexual offences.

In July the Vatican announced the departure of Philip Wilson, the archbishop of Adelaide, who had been found guilty of failing to report allegations against notorious paedophile priest Jim Fletcher in the 1970s. Wilson was sentenced to a year in detention, which he will serve at home, becoming one of the highest-ranking church officials to be convicted of concealing sexual abuse.

GERMANY

Since 2010 hundreds of cases of sex abuse against minors in religious insti- tutions have emerged in Germany.

The most high-profile involve Jesuitrun Canisius college in Berlin and a choir in Ratisbonne, southern Germany. In the latter case at least 547 children were allegedly victims of abuse, including rapes, between 1945 and the early 1990s.

IRELAND

Accusations of child abuse in Catholic institutions in Ireland date back several decades, with the number of underage victims estimated at around 14,500. Several bishops and priests accused of committing or covering up the abuse have been punished. Marie Collins, who was raped by a hospital chaplain at the age of 13, quit a Vatican anti-paedophilia panel in March 2017 in protest at the lack of action.

The Pope will discreetly meet the victims of sex abuse during his trip.