When Safer suggested that the incidence of priests sexually abusing children might be decreased if Catholic clergy were allowed to be married, Dolan responded, "I don't know if – what we know scholarship-wise would back that up, Morley. The greatest culprits in sexual abuse are unfortunately married men. So, I don't know if marriage is the answer."
The Archbishop is wrong.
A fellow named David Usher cited a study:
The study found sexual abuse – indeed all forms of abuse – to be least common in homes with married biological parents. According to the report, only about 1 in 2,000 children in such homes suffer sexual abuse.
By comparison, the report states, 5 of every 2,000 children in single-parent households – and 20 of every 2,000 children in households where a single parent welcomes a partner into the home – suffers sexual abuse. 
2 comments:
If the archbishop had said 'within families' - rather than 'married men' - I think he would be on more solid ground.
At least from what I have read over the years it is commonly stated that more abuse occurs within families than elsewhere - and that most goes unreported. Though, if unreported, one wonders how then do they know this...?
The (old) Rockford Institute published at least 3 or 4 studies which definitively showed that "boyfriends" and "second-husbands" were SIGNIFICANTLY more likely to abuse than the natural father.
So even to say "within families" is misleading.
The stats are about the same as in the linked article.
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