The U.S. church will make an unprecedented, nationwide accounting of abuse claims and costs later this month, and some bishops already have started releasing local figures. The AP contacted dioceses across the country and found that 1,341 clergy members have been accused of molesting minors, with more than half the dioceses yet to report. “What it’s really doing is showing us in black and white that the problem is much worse than any of us thought,” said Sue Archibald, president of The Linkup, a Kentucky-based victims-advocacy group … A January 2003 review by The New York Times counted 1,205 accused priests nationwide over five decades. Survivors First, an advocacy group compiling its own list from media reports and lawsuits, has counted 1,800 …. At least 179 of the accused clergy are dead, according to the diocesan reports. And the dioceses said at least 60 priests were exonerated of false claims.

The Seattle Times