Catholic church sexual abuse scandals

Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals are incidents of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, most prominently against children. These acts range from sexual harassment to downright rape. Allegations of such misconduct gained prominence in the 20th century, where many clergy members were investigated and scrutinized, with penalties varying. Allegations also include people accusing officials in the Catholic Church of blatantly covering up these incidents. Pedophilia, pederasty, and sometimes koreasty are involved in these cases.