The Catholic Church in
England and Wales has defrocked 52 priests for sexual abuse since 2001.
The National Catholic Safeguarding Commission (NCSC) also said 465
sexual assault claims were made against clergy members between 2003 and
2012. The Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service (CSAS) said the Church
had put in “robust measures” to tackle abuse.
But it admitted it had “no
real knowledge” of how many victims there were. There are about 4,500
Catholic priests in England and Wales, according to the NCSC. ‘Indefensible failings’