USCCB issues new abuse report: 902 allegations, 26 of them current, made in 2023-24
June 10, 2025
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection has released its 2024 annual report on the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the document that has governed the bishops’ response to the abuse crisis since 2002.
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The 2024 annual report summarizes data between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024.
During that period, the abuse scandal cost dioceses and eparchies $242,799,401—including $163.1 million in settlements, $6.1 million in other payments to victims, $63.4 million in attorneys’ fees, and $4.1 million in other costs. Over the past 11 years, the abuse scandal has cost dioceses and eparchies nearly $2.3 billion (p. 31).
During the 2023-24 reporting period, the abuse scandal cost religious institutes an additional $23,565,150 (p. 39)—and that figure is almost certainly low, since only 64% of male religious institutes provided data for the report (p. xii).
Dioceses and religious communities spent an additional $36.5 million in child protection efforts in 2023-24 (pp. 33, 41).
Among the report’s key findings:
- 902 allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy were reported in 2023-24 by 855 victims/survivors, in 61% of cases through attorneys. The number of allegations has fallen sharply and steadily since 2019, when 4,434 allegations were lodged.
- Among allegations deemed credible, 84% of the allegations involving diocesan clergy, and 74% of allegations involving members of religious orders, entailed homosexual abuse.
- “Out of the 902 allegations, 26 involved current year minors—consisting of 7 males, 17 females, and 2 were unknown due to lack of detailed information. Of these allegations 2 were substantiated, 13 were categorized as investigation ongoing, 4 were unsubstantiated, 4 were categorized as unable to be proven.”
- 717 clerics were accused during the 2023-24 audit period.
- Of the 902 allegations, 7% were deemed credible, 62% as unable to be proven, 5% as unsubstantiated, and 26% as investigation ongoing.
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