1. About a year ago, TIME magazine published a long article in which it gave the number of priests accused of child abuse as 'perhaps 2000'.

2. More recent articles have given the number at about 1200, with about half, or 600, priests being accused by ONE PERSON ONLY, very suspicious because paedophilia does not usually work that way.

3. The number actually convicted has been given at about 40. No doubt there will be more convictions, but the final number will be small, probably less than 1/4 of one percent (!) of Catholic priests, and this covers the entire postwar period, more than 50 years. This is surely far, far, below the average for the general population, as would be expected.

4. I saw a breakdown by country, and the figure for Poland, for example, was 1! One bad priest in 50 years in a country of over 38 million, and nearly all Catholics.

5. Child abuse has also become a big problem among Mormons, Amish and Jehovah's Witnesses. Once again, the first two sects have very puritanical teachings on issues involving human sexuality. I know nothing of the JW's teachings in this regard, but their files are said to contain well over 20,000 cases of ADMITTED abuse (not allegations), usually within family or extended family situations, the offenders being ALL clergy by definition, with virtually none of these having been reported to civil authorities.

6. Does anyone believe the figures, if they existed, would be lower for what are commonly called the 'mainline' Protestant denominations? It's a serious problem across the board. Caf, I gotta say that I'm really surprised that you would call the RCC a haven for child abusers.
In our previous long dialogue on Biblical issues, I never detected any anti-Catholic prejudice. Disagreeing with doctrines is not prejudice. Ignoring facts may be.

7. Just for the record, I have never identified myself as a CAtholic on this board (that I can remember), because I don't want to create the impression that I speak for the Church. Of course, I speak here only for myself.