Three years ago, a Pennsylvania Grand Jury report described in graphic detail the abuse of over 1,000 minors at the hands of more than 300 priests.

Then, Theodare McCarrick, an influential cardinal in the American Church, was found credibly accused of abusing minors and adult seminarians.

For survivors, the news was painful, yet validating. How did this second wave of scandal–the news of both abuse and cover up–affect the Catholic faithful more broadly? What do they 

believe caused the crisis? Did the Grand Jury report and news about McCarrick impact their faith and affiliation with the Catholic Church?

Maggi Van Dorn, the host of the Deliver Us podcast, unpacks a new and ground-breaking survey conducted by America magazine and CARA in the latest episode of the “Church Meets World” podcast.

*Audio correction: Only 33 percent of respondents said their parish actually helped them process the sex abuse crisis. The word “percent” was mistakenly omitted from the original file. 

Related articles:

Editorial: How you see the sexual abuse crisis

Three years after the 2018 ‘summer of shame,’ what do American Catholics think about the sex abuse crisis?

AWAKE Milwaukee

Related episodes from the Deliver Us podcast:

Episode 2: How’s Your Celibate Life Going?

What is the cause of the sexual abuse crisis? Does it happen more in the Catholic church than other institutions?

Episode 4: Are the reforms working?

How has the Catholic Church dealt with the abuse crisis?