It definitely was on a larger scale, but it was also by a larger organization. Given the extent of the Penn State cover up compared to the number of individuals involved, and scale their sports program to the size of the Catholic Church, I'm not so certain the numbers are that far off.
Also, much of the abuse by the Catholic Church happens in third world countries. What few studies I've seen of child abuse rates in general in those countries paint an extreme grim picture compared to other countries. I say this with full knowledge that in the US we have rates of 1 in 5 for similar forms of abuse.
