As Catholics, we have no idea how many children have been abused at the hands of our Catholic leaders. Simply put, we know of thousands of current and ongoing sexual abuse allegations, but that number might only scrape the surface. And as a Catholic, I am heartbroken.

I firmly disagree with the Pope when he said that most of this abuse “happened in the past.” Current research informs us that one child in four will be victimized in their lifetime. We cannot deny that our children, of all faiths, from all walks of life, face a crisis at the hands of the adults who are supposed to care for and protect them.