In church after church around the world, reports have come to light about children being molested by someone in the place where they should feel safest.
The Roman Catholic Church is reeling from staggering financial judgements in lawsuits filed by molestation victims. Most of these cases have come into the spotlight many years after the alleged sexual crimes occurred. For decades, the Catholic Church quietly settled abuse cases out of court and shuffled paedophile priests to different parishes.
Not until the early 1980s did the news media start digging into allegations that had surfaced in places such as New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1992, the Boston scandals began a nightmare of litigation for Roman Catholic diocese administrators in the United States. After more than a decade, the end of litigation is not yet in sight.
