He also notes this chart from the John Jay report, which studied credible reports of abuse in Catholic clergy from 1950-1992. The Jay report concluded that about 4% of 110,000 active priests had been accused of sexual misconduct (anything from sexual talk to rape). But what the blogger notes, and I do as well, is the moment of precipitous decline.
Do you see how that red line (number of cases) and that blue line (number of priests committing abuse) both begin a REALLY rapid descent? Well, if you look closely at the year when that rapid fall begins, that year would be 1981 - two years after John Paul II is elected Pope and the same year Ratzinger is picked to head the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Even though the CDF won't streamline the process and gain sole jurisdiction over abuse cases until 2001, the chart shows that the minute Ratzinger became the head of CDF, someone, somewhere started shutting these abusive priests down. By 1995, most of the rat holes had been closed.
Arrest that man!
