Study: 20% of Catholics thinking about leaving the church

Over 20 percent of Dutch Catholics consider leaving the church because of the sexual abuse cases revealed in a report a decade ago. DirectResearch came to this conclusion in a survey among a representative group of 1,200 Catholics for Dit is de Dag.

Among all Catholics in the Netherlands, 21 percent said they're considering leaving the church because of the sexual abuse cases. 19 percent of Catholics who regularly attend church said the same.

Late last year marked the 10th anniversary of the Deetman Committee report on sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands. In general, Dutch Catholics are satisfied by the committee's work. More than half called the committee's report independent, sound, and reliable. A quarter said the Catholic Church handled the disclosure of sexual abuse well.

Nevertheless, the report was a blow to the overall confidence in the Catholic Church. A third said they've lost faith in the church. And only one in three currently trusts the church to protect minors.