U.S. Catholic bishops have called the scandal over clergy sex abuse the worst crisis ever to hit the church in America.
To restore public trust, church leaders have overhauled how they handled
the cases, paid multimillion-dollar settlements to victims and
apologized repeatedly for failing to protect children. Still, the
scandal persists. A handful of dioceses remain in bankruptcy court, one
diocese faces criminal prosecution, and advocates for victims are
pressing lawmakers in several states to lift time limits so more people
who were molested can be compensated.