KUCI Subversity: Catholic Priests and Sex: The Research

The issue of sex with altar boy (and girls) by Catholic priests has saturated the media, but what does the research tell us? Subversity host Daniel C. Tsang talks with UCI alumna and criminologist Karen Terry about the 143-page report that her research team at John Jay College just submitted to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Her key finding in The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010: Only 5% of the priests were "pedophiles" (sex with pre-pubescents), with the majority of the cases relating to sex with pubescent or adolescent boys.