HARTFORD, CT, March 20, 2012 – Sexual abuse
of children, while not exclusive to the Catholic Church, may be more
widely prevalent due to the doctrine and practices of Catholicism,
according to Robert Orsi ’75, Professor of Religion and the Grace
Craddock Nagle Chair in Catholic Studies at Northwestern University, and
Terry McKiernan, founder and president of BishopAccountability.com.
Allegations of sexual abuse and cover-up by
religious officials, as well as the investigation and prosecution of
these crimes, received significant media coverage in past decades, and
continue to produce scandal for the Catholic Church. One recent example
includes a 60 Minutes segment that aired on March 4, 2012 that
profiled Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, who addressed the
effects that these events have had in Ireland on the Church and its
followers.