Two US experts told Vatican officials yesterday that roughly 100,000 boys and girls in America have been sexually violated by Catholic priests. We believe that this is a very low estimate, especially since there are an estimated 6,000 predator priests in the US. (see: http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AtAGlance/USCCB_Yearly_Data_on_Accused_Priests.htm)

This is almost ten times the estimate that has been offered by US bishops for the past six or seven years. It’s a dreadfully sobering figure. Our hearts ache for these wounded men, women, teens and children.

We hope that this staggering estimate prods secular authorities to step up their efforts to expose child molesting clerics and the corrupt church officials who continue to move and hide and protect and enable them.

(Another expert told Catholic officials this week that 95% of accusations against priests are true. See http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/world/europe/vatican-urged-to-give-priority-to-abuse-victims.html)

This 100,000 estimate is the same number of alleged victims that was put forth in 1993 by Fr. Andrew Greeley in an article in the Jesuit magazine America.

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/timeline/1993-03-20-Greeley-HowSerious-1.htm

The two experts are Michael Bemi and Pat Neal.

Bemi  is the President and CEO, The National Catholic Risk Retention Group, Inc. - http://www.nationalcatholic.org/

Neal  is the Director of VIRTUS Programs and Services - http://www.virtus.org/virtus/about_tncrrg.cfm

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/world/europe/vatican-urged-to-give-priority-to-abuse-victims.html

Read the story here: http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/vatican-abuse-summit-22-billion-and-100000-victims-us-alone