Article
Clergy Sex Abuse Claims Dropping
Posted Apr 11, 2007, 08:44 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A report by the Roman Catholic Church says sex abuse claims against clergy dropped in 2006 for the second consecutive year.
Last year the church had 714 abuse claims, down from 783 in 2005 and 1,092 in 2004, the Associated Press reports.
Costs related to abuse cases also declined by about 15 percent, mainly because of a drop in settlement payments. The church paid nearly $399 million in 2006 for settlements and lawyer fees.