Study finds 1,000 cases of sexual abuse in Catholic Church since mid-20th century

ABC News -- September 12, 2023


GENEVA -- A sweeping, year-long study of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and others in Switzerland published Tuesday has turned up more than 1,000 cases since the mid-20th century, as the Swiss church becomes the latest in Europe to reckon with the abuse scandal.

With few exceptions, those accused of wrongdoing were all male. Nearly three-fourths of the documents examined showed the sexual abuse involved minors. 

The report, commissioned by the Swiss Conference of Bishops and led by two University of Zurich historians, offers a deep look at the sexual abuse and harassment that has confounded the Catholic Church across the globe in recent decades — upending the lives of many victims and their families, and tarnishing the image of the institution. 

The authors said in a statement that they identified 1,002 “situations of sexual abuse" in the Swiss church, including accusations against 510 people. The abuse, they wrote, affected 921 people.

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Oakville News - March 24, 2026 Oakville, ON - Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) have laid a sexual assault charge against an Oakville clergyman after receiving a complaint last month. Police released a statement earlier today saying that authorities have charged a Catholic Priest employed in Oakville with sexual assault following a month-long investigation. In early February 2026, HRPS say they began an investigation into "an allegation of sexual assault committed against an adult female while the victim was volunteering at an Oakville church." As a result of the investigation, Reverend Ranjan D’Sa (53) of Oakville has been charged with one count of Sexual Assault.

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