Catholic Church Facing 5,000 New Sex Abuse Cases: 'It Was a Tragedy, It Was a Sin, It Was a Crime'

The sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church is about to get much worse with new claims against its clergy expected across the country.

New rules for sexual abuse claims are extending or suspending the statutes of limitation in 15-states. That means a surge in new cases, stretching back decades, is expected to hit the Catholic Church.

The legal reckoning could cost over $4 billion in payouts for upwards of 5,000 new cases.

Father Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and senior analyst at Religion News Service, told CBN's Faith Nation the church needs to acknowledge the great pain victims have suffered at the hands of bad priests.
 
"The church needs to do whatever it can to try and help these people. That should be its first priority. At the same time, this is gonna lead to billions of dollars coming from the church, it's gonna lead to bankruptcies, we have to realize that, we have to face that," Reese explained.

Some Catholic dioceses are considering victim compensation funds and even tapping valuable real estate to stay afloat.

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