Catholic Church Paid Over $5 Billion in Abuse Costs Over 20 Years

U.S. Catholic Church Faces Over $5 Billion in Abuse-Related Costs

In a revealing report from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, the U.S. Catholic Church’s financial burden related to sexual abuse allegations has been laid bare. Over a span of two decades, this financial responsibility has surpassed $5 billion.

The extensive 106-page report, released this month, meticulously accounts for the costs associated with allegations of sexual misconduct by clergy from 2004 to 2023.

Financial payouts, as detailed in the report, reached $5,025,346,893, with dioceses and eparchies responsible for over $4.3 billion of that sum. Religious communities contributed approximately $641 million.

“A combined three-fourths of these payments were for settlements paid to the victims (71%) and other payments to victims (4%),” notes the report. Attorney fees accounted for another 17% of expenses.

Defensive costs for accused clergy also contributed to these expenditures, making up 6% of the total. Notably, insurance companies only covered 16% of these costs, leaving the church communities to shoulder the majority.

In a significant development last September, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, the largest U.S. Catholic Diocese to declare bankruptcy, reached a $320 million settlement with over 600 survivors and pledged to enhance child protection measures.

Jeff Anderson of Jeff Anderson & Associates commented on the settlement, stating, “The credit for having saved so many kids in the future from the horrors inflicted on so many in the past goes to the courageous survivors for having fought, suffered, endured, and stood strong against darkness and deceit.”

Preventive measures and heightened awareness have seemingly contributed to a decline in abuse-related costs, dropping 17% in the study’s second decade compared to the first. The church’s expenditure on child safety initiatives also surged by 80%, totaling over $468 million in the latter decade.

The number of credible allegations, however, increased by 46% from the first to the second decade, attributed to factors such as more substantial legal actions and relaxed statutes of limitations in certain states.