Sex Abuse Scandal Cost US Catholic Church Over $2 Billion and Counting

(Plymouth Meeting, PA)- American Catholic Dioceses have spent $2.1 billion so far on settlement-related costs for the multi-decade sexual abuse scandals involving their priests and bishops, reports Reuters.

Recently, American cardinal Joseph William Levada announced that more than 4,000 cases of sexual abuse of children by priests have been investigated during the last ten years.

"The number is shocking and dramatic but, sadly, more cases are likely to emerge," says Peter S. Pelullo, a frequent guest on the Dr. Drew show and author of the recently released
book "Betrayal and the Beast."

In his book Mr. Pelullo focuses on his own journey as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and sexual predation. For many years he kept hidden and refused to face his own debilitating issues as a survivor-the shame, frustration, multiple addictions, depression, and other influences that directly impacted his life. Finally, at the age of fifty-five, Mr. Pelullo confronted the sexual abuse he endured as a child.

Mr. Pelullo's personal experience of sexual abuse led him to create the Let Go…Let Peace Come In Foundation, which helps and supports adult victims of childhood sexual abuse throughout the world. The foundation is committed to supporting the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and its research toward preventing child sexual abuse and improving treatment for survivors of abuse.

According to the Vatican, there are nearly 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide—that's approximately one fifth of the world's population.

The cost of the lawsuits are so high it may even threaten the retirements of former and current employees and leave them without pensions, NPR reports.

Here is a closer look at Catholic Church sex abuse scandals by the numbers:

$2 billion so far spent on legal settlements, attorney fees, etc.

16,000 victims, mainly teenage boys, since 1950

6,100 accused priests since 1950

$660 million paid by the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese

4,000 sexual abuse cases have been investigated

"If there is any good news in the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals it's that survivors finally feel empowered to talk publicly about the heinous crimes committed against them when they were children," says Mr. Pelullo. "Fortunately, today there are sexual abuse recovery resources available for them."


Peter S. Pelullo was the founder of Philly World Records and owner of a premiere recording studio in the '70s, where he worked with the Rolling Stones, Evelyn "Champagne" King, and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. He is now an entrepreneur and financier focusing on technology startups. During his journey in recovery, he created the Let Go…Let Peace Come In Foundation, which supports adult victims of childhood sexual abuse throughout the world and is presently subsidizing trauma therapy sessions for a couple of the alleged victims from the Jerry Sandusky incidents at Penn State University.

For more information contact Gretchen Paules at gp@icminc.net or visit www.letgoletpeacecomein.org.