Over the years, increasing attention has been paid to the problem of child sexual abuse in the Church. Although churches and other settings that care for children have experienced this problem, most attention has been paid to abuse within the Catholic Church. Around the world, the press has seen case after case of clergy and religious orders accused of sexual offenses against children. Some of these cases date back decades. The issue has certainly attracted worldwide attention. The reason for this is the question on everyone's mind. The John Jay College of Criminal Justice found that 4 percent of all priests who served in the United States between 1950 and 2002 faced allegations of child sexual abuse (John Jay College, 2004; Terry, 2008). Most victims were male and older than victims in the general population (Terry & Ackerman, 2008). The John Jay College study of child sexual abuse in the American Catholic Church found that 81 percent of abuse victims were men. Richard Sipe, a leading expert on sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, reported that among priests with a tendency to abuse young children, about three-quarters preferred to abuse boys. Gender preference was more equal among the group of priests who targeted adolescents (Sipe, 1995:27). Rossetti (1995) reported the results of a questionnaire sent to over 7,000 adults. Of the 25% who responded, most of the people who completed the questionnaire were either priests, nuns or people actively involved in the Catholic Church. 3.3% of men reported being sexually assaulted by a priest before age 18, and 1.7% of women reported being...... middle of paper ...... States -United States, 1950 -2010. Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Rossetti, S. & Lothstein, L. (1990). Child molester myths. In S Rossetti (ed.), Slayer of the Soul (Twenty-Third Publications, Mystic, Connecticut). Rossetti, S, (1995). The impact of child sexual abuse on attitudes toward God and the Catholic Church. Child Abuse and Neglect 19, 1469-1481. Sipe, R. (1995). Sex, Priests and Power (Cassell, London). Terry, K. and Ackerman, A. (2008). Child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church: How situational crime prevention strategies can help create safe environments. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 35, 643-657. Towards Understanding, (1999). Towards an understanding: a study of the factors specific to the Catholic Church which could lead to sexual abuse by priests and religious (National Committee for Professional Standards, Sydney).