Clergy Abuse Information

Priest Sexual Abuse includes a range of illegal and unacceptable actions commonly commited against young children and adolescents by predatory clergy or other church members involving sexual abuse of varying degrees. The assault can be a single, non-consensual scroll barevent or it might involve numerous assaults inside an ongoing interaction. For example, an ongoing “trusting” interaction with a young child spawned by the predatory behavior of a clergy associate, blanketed by the trust and reverence imputed to a member of the clergy, leading to non-consensual sexual abuse acts of molestation.

Within all alleged Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse scenarios, the failure by the Church member’s superior to completely, adequately and immediately report the crime to police and other authorities, or the continuing failure to research, address and deal entirely with the situation amplifies the effects on the assault survivor, the community and possibly others. Current Clergy Sexual Assault cases covered in the press show these short-comings, which includes “pass-the-trash” scenarios when the abuser oftentimes a priest in the Catholic Church, is suddenly re-assigned from one location to another only to continue his predatory, criminal behavior on an unaware parish community.

Priest and Clergy Sexual Assault and Retribution
Not a week passes without a news announcement coverage regarding sexual abuse and molestation of young children by predator priests, or the legacy of the assault on the survivors and their families. If you are a survivor of sexual assault from a priest or other church member, these stories are likely to serve as an echo chamber, reverberating the horror, shame, guilt and other unwelcome thoughts staining your wellness. Encouraged by the societal movement and other channels that encourage survivors to disclose the abuse they experienced, victims of abuse are more frequently turning to the legal system to compensate them for the lifetime damage and injury they have suffered.

If you are a survivor of abuse commited by a priest, the impact of the abuse on your life and foundational belief system can be immeasurable. Regardless, holding the responsible clergy and institutions accountable for their crimes and failures may provide a measure of justice and recompense to abuse victims. Commonly, victims can leverage their legal rights in confidential mediation therein avoiding the need for litigation. However, if litigation is required, a case can be filed where the plaintiff can remain anonymous.

Abusive Behavior
All abusers, to varying amounts, employ predatory tricks that are generally referred to as grooming, targeting a possible assault victim. Following is a list of grooming behaviors exhibited by predators who are in a job of authority in relation to the subordinate young child.

Grooming
Grooming is a significant part of a predator’s strategy. In a religious environment, the clergy member is held as God’s representative. In this setting, the predator frequently works closely with small amounts of children, identifying each child’s needs, weaknesses and circumstances. Once a target is located, these vulnerabilities – such as violent family setting, isolation, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, attention-seeking – can be systematically exploited in the following ways:

Trust
A predator will initially work to gain the child’s trust. This step is most difficult to discern as church communities are often tight-knit and personal interaction with clergy is commonplace. Here, the predator can feign genuine concern in the child’s wellness and groeth – both emotional and religious.

Reliance
As a predator establishes a trusting relationship with the potential child-victim and oftentimes their family, the child will start to rely more and more on the predator for whatever need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The child may devote increased time with the priest, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship and counting on its stability and security. In addition to attention and affection, the potential target may receive presents from the priest, including valuable, intangible gifts like blessings and special recognition.
Isolation
As the grooming escalates, the predator might try to isolate the potential target. This may mean solo counseling meetings, meals or other forms of one-on-one isolated moments.
Sexualization
The predator might start to de-sensitize the child from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other actions that lead to sexual interaction. This may start with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive messages to gauge the victim’s reaction to the progression. This will escalate until the relationship advances to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is established, the predator will work to maintain control over the child and the continuing interaction. The priest may likely seek to manipulate the victim by continuing to make the victim feel special and worthy. The predator will keep exploiting the target by whatever ways needed to maintain the inappropriate physical relationship.

Priest Predator Abuse – Information on Clergy Abuse Survivors

The effect of childhood assault on the survivor can be overwhelming and life-altering. Many priest abuse survivors suffer from lifelong effects of the abuse including depression, disturbed sleeping, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse and eating patterns, and difficulty establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. Individualized treatment and support groups can help survivors overcome these effects.

Legally, a victim of Clergy Sexual Assault may gain financial compensation from the predator and, more frequently, from the church for its failure to shield the victim from the assault, as well as failures or deficiencies in its method of reviewing and responding to reports of assault. If you are a victim of Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse and would like to confidentially discuss your situation and your legal options, we are ready to talk with you.