By Matt Sepic, KWMU

St. Louis – A study commissioned by the U-S Conference of Catholic Bishops released today shows 148 people have made allegations against five percent of the St. Louis Catholic priests who served between 1950 and 2002. That's slightly higher than the national average of four percent.

At a news conference Friday, St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke said the sexual abuse crisis is a reflection of larger problems in society.

"We have not taken seriously in the church the influence of our culture what our Holy Father has called a godless society' upon us personally as priests, bishops, and deacons," Burke said.

Burke says the Archdiocese has spent nearly $3.2 million for legal fees, counseling, and other assistance between 1994 and 2003, but that money has not come from parishioners' donations.

But the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests or SNAP says the report is flawed.

SNAP's Barbara Dorris says the numbers don't add up because bishops gave researchers the statistics voluntarily, without any other review.

"In medical research they tell you the average pedophile molests a minimum of 100 children," Dorris said. "We have 70 priests and 148 victims. If you do the math, it doesn't come up."

Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org.