In U.S. places of worship, most do not hear talk about sexual abuse

Sexual abuse in religious communities continues to be in the news, including a new report this week on abuse within a U.S.-based Buddhist organization (see Denver Post story below). And many state governments continue to debate a response. But relatively few Americans are hearing clergy talk about the issue. U.S. adults who say they attend religious services a few times a year or more often were asked in a recent Pew Research Center survey if the clergy or other religious leaders at their place of worship have spoken out about sexual harassment, assault or abuse. Within this group, about three-in-ten say their clergy have spoken out about sexual abuse (29%), while two-thirds say they have not heard their clergy say anything about this topic (68%).