A new investigation by the National Catholic Reporter has found that the priest sex abuse crisis and cover-up cost the Roman Catholic Church in the US nearly $4 billion over the last 65 years. Until now, the most widely used figure was nearly $3 billion. Separate research has shown that because of other factors, such as lost membership and diverted giving, the crisis has cost the church an estimated $2.3 billion annually for the past 30 years.