FACTBOX: Sex scandals in U.S. Roman Catholic Church

(Reuters) - Details of the recent sexual abuse scandals and related developments affecting the U.S. Roman Catholic Church:

* 1984 - Abuse scandals in Louisiana begin to attract attention leading freelance journalist Jason Berry to shed new light on the issue of cover-ups. His 1992 book "Lead Us Not into Temptation" contends 400 priests and brothers were involved in abuse cases during the previous eight years in North America.

* January 2002 - The Boston Globe reports 130 people were abused by former priest John Geoghan during three decades where he was reassigned rather than removed from contact with young boys. The Boston scandal starts to grow from there.

* April 2002 - U.S. cardinals called to Rome to meet with Pope John Paul II on the issue; in June 2002 the bishops approve plan for dealing with abuse, calling for accused offenders to be removed from ministerial duties pending investigation and evaluation.

* December 2002 - Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law, the most senior Roman Catholic official in the United States, resigns over his handling of clergy sexual abuse.

* September 2003 - The Boston Archdiocese agrees to pay up to $85 million to settle lawsuits filed by hundreds of people who say they were sexually abused by clergy.

* February 2004 - U.S. bishops issue report on abuse of children by priests over 52 years beginning in 1950. It finds 10,667 people accused priests of child sexual abuse from 1950 through 2002, and more than 17 percent of the accusers had siblings who were also allegedly abused.

* July-December 2004 - The dioceses of Portland, Oregon; Tucson, Arizona; and Spokane, Washington, become the first to file for bankruptcy protection in the face of growing abuse-related claims and suits.

* June 2005 - The Archdiocese of San Francisco and its insurance carriers announce payment of $21 million to 15 people to settle lawsuits charging sexual abuse.

* February 2006 - The Diocese of Covington, which covers a large area of Kentucky, settles abuse claims for $85 million.

* July 2007 - The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agrees to pay $660 million to 500 victims of sexual abuse dating back as far as the 1940s in the largest compensation deal of its kind.

* December 2007 - A lay body appointed to oversee efforts to end abuse says nearly all dioceses have complied with an audit to make sure they have protective measures in place; warns that "prevention, healing and vigilance will be demanded for the rest of our days."

(Editing by Bill Trott)