The top financial officer of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese has warned church leaders to expect “shocking” numbers when local figures are released as part of a nationwide report on the extent and cost of child sexual abuse.
The findings from the past 52 years are contained in a survey of the 190 U.S. dioceses conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The results of the survey, commissioned by the nation’s bishops, are scheduled to be announced Feb. 27.
Many bishops around the country already have publicly disclosed the findings for their dioceses, and Bishop Anthony Pilla is expected to provide an advanced look at the Cleveland diocese’s numbers in the next several weeks.
At a meeting last month of the Catholic Charities Corp.’s board of trustees, Chief Financial Officer Joseph H. Smith said the millions of dollars the diocese spent on settlements with victims, their treatment and legal fees will be disturbing and larger than any figures yet reported in the media, according to people who were there.
“People are going to be shocked,” one board member said Smith told the group.
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