Priest Abuse includes a wide-range of immoral and improper behaviors commonly perpetrated against children and tweens by predatory clergy or other church employees involving sexual abuse of varying amounts. The sexual assault might be a one-off, non-consensual scroll barencounter or it might include several acts within a continuing interaction. For instance, an ongoing “trusting” interaction with a young child spawned by the predatory intent of a church member, blanketed by the trust and reverence provided to a member of the clergy, leading to non-consensual sexual assault acts of molestation.
Within all alleged Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse situations, the failure by the Church member’s superior to entirely, adequately and immediately disclose the offense to law enforcement and other authorities, or its continuing failure to investigate, contend with and resolve fully with the situation amplifies the effects on the assault survivor, the community and potentially others. Current Clergy Sexual Abuse cases reported in the press uncover these failures, including “pass-the-trash” scenarios where the abuser commonly a priest in the Catholic Church, is suddenly re-assigned from one church to another only to continue his predatory, criminal behavior on an unsuspecting parish community.
Priest and Clergy Sexual Assault and Justice Not a week passes without a media announcement coverage about sexual abuse and molestation of children by pedophile clergy, or the effects of the abuse on the survivors and their families. If you are a victim of sexual assault from a priest or other clergy member, these reports are likely to serve as an echo chamber, reverberating the horror, embarrassment, guilt and various unwanted emotions hurting your well-being. Encouraged by the societal movement and other pathways that encourage them to disclose the assault they suffered, survivors of assault are more frequently turning to the legal system to compensate them for the lifetime harm and injury they have experienced.
If you are a victim of abuse perpetrated by a member of the church, the result of the abuse on your life and foundational belief system may be incalculable. Regardless, holding the responsible church and institutions to blame for their crimes and indifference can offer a measure of justice and recompense to assault victims. Frequently, survivors can leverage their legal rights in confidential mediation therein avoiding the need for litigation. But, if litigation is necessary, a case may be filed where the victim can remain anonymous.
Abusive Behavior All abusers, to varying amounts, employ predatory tricks which are commonly referred to as grooming, targeting a potential abuse victim. Following is a survey of grooming behaviors used by predators who are in a position of authority relative to the subordinate child.
Grooming Grooming is a significant piece of a predator’s strategy. In a religious setting, the clergy member is viewed as God’s representative. Within this setting, the predator often works closely with small amounts of children, understanding each child’s needs, vulnerabilities and circumstances. Once church lawsuit is located, these vulnerabilities – such as violent family setting, isolation, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, attention-seeking – may be systematically leveraged in the following ways:
Trust An assaulter will first try to gain the child’s trust. This strategy is most difficult to discern as religious communities are often tight-knit and personal relation with clergy is commonplace. Here, the assaulter 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 target and oftentimes their family members, the child will start to rely more and more on the predator for any need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The child will devote increased time with the priest, feeling more comfortable with the relationship and relying on its stability and security. In addition to attention and affection, the potential target may receive gifts from the priest, including valuable, intangible presents such as blessings and special recognition. Isolation While grooming escalates, the predator will try to isolate the potential victim. This may mean individual counseling sessions, meals or other methods of one-on-one isolated encounters. Sexualization The predator will begin to de-sensitize the target from reacting negatively to contact, caressing and various behaviors that lead to sexual interaction. This could begin with crossing the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with inappropriate messages to determine the victim’s response to the progression. This will continue until the relationship gets to one of a physical, sexual nature. Maintenance As the sexual relationship is created, the predator will work to keep control over the child and the continuing interaction. The predator may likely want to manipulate the victim by continuing to make the victim feel special and worthy. The predator will keep exploiting the victim by whatever means necessary to maintain the inappropriate physical relationship.
Impact on Clergy Abuse Survivors
The effect of childhood abuse on the victim can be overwhelming and life-altering. Several clergy 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 creating and maintaining vibrant relationships. Individualized treatment and support groups can assist victims overcome these effects.
Legally, a victim of Priest Sexual Abuse may gain financial compensation from the abuser and, more frequently, from the religious organization 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 survivor 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.
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