Let’s run some numbers from this article.
Data Shed Light on Child Sexual Abuse by Protestant Clergy
The three companies that insure a majority of Protestant churches say they typically receive upward of 260 reports a year of children younger than 18 being sexually abused by members of the clergy, church staff members, volunteers or congregants.
And later:
Religious groups and victims’ supporters have been keenly interested in the figure since the Roman Catholic sexual-abuse crisis erupted five years ago. The church has said it has recorded 13,000 credible accusations against Catholic clergymen since 1950.
13,000 sounds bad, right? Not as bad as 260 of course.
Except that for Catholic clergy, it’s 13,000 since 1950.
And the companies insuring Protestant congregations are reporting 260 per year.
Since 1950, that would be 14,820.
Obviously this is a numbers game that is not good for anyone. Still – it shows how the reach of the evil of sexual abuse across denominations. And, in spite of similar numbers, the Catholic Church has taken the most punishment for this, both financially and in the eyes of the general public.
And if a reader wasn’t thinking and didn’t do the math, the Catholic Church would still be taking the most heat from this article.