Fifty two priests and church workers were accused of sexual abuse against a child last year, the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has said.
Not one of the accused has yet been prosecuted, however one has been dismissed and another has resigned.
The Catholic Office for the Protection of Children (COPCA) report said 5,000 criminal record checks were made.
It said the Church had begun its journey to make itself as safe as possible for children.
As well as the 52 allegations of sexual abuse, there were a further 10 complaints of physical and emotional abuse against children.
The 62 allegations were made to police against priests, volunteers and employees of the Church.
They were reported to the 22 Roman Catholic dioceses in England and Wales and to Catholic religious orders during 2003.
In addition there were 51 reports of "inappropriate behaviour" towards children which were dealt with internally by the church after consultation with police and social services.
The figures for 2002 covered only the dioceses and showed 148 complaints of all kinds were made.
This compares to 110 such complaints to the dioceses in 2003.
'Vigilance'
Eileen Shearer, the non-Catholic independent director of COPCA, said the report showed a "sea change" in how the Church was tackling this issue.
"There is no quick fix to this work, we have much yet to do but I think this report shows that we have begun the journey towards the goal of making the church as safe as possible in all its activities with vulnerable people," she told a news conference in London.
The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham, and chairman of COPCA management board, said: "This report shows that the systematic work of child protection is proceeding steadily within the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.
"It is essentially about building a culture of vigilance and practical care for everyone who is entrusted to us."
COPCA was set up on the recommendation of the Nolan report, which was commissioned by the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor.
It reported in 2001 and made 83 recommendations for the protection of children within the church and for the introduction of greater accountability and transparency.
In the US, the Archdiocese of Portland last week became the first American diocese to file for bankruptcy caused by sex abuse lawsuits.