Clergy Abuse – Information

Clergy Abuse encompasses a wide-range of illegal and improper actions frequently commited on children and adolescents by pedophilic clergy or other church employees involving sexual abuse of varying amounts. The assault may be a single, non-consensual scroll barencounter or it may 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 priest, leading to non-consensual sexual assault acts of molestation.

In all alleged Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse situations, the failure by the Church member’s employer to entirely, adequately and promptly report the crime to police and other authorities, or its further failure to investigate, cope with and deal entirely with the occurrence amplifies the harm on the assault survivor, the community and potentially others. new york priest abuse settlement covered in the media uncover these short-comings, that includes “pass-the-trash” situations when the perpetrator oftentimes a priest in the Catholic Church, is silently moved from one church to another only to continue his predatory, criminal action on an innocent parish community.

Priest and Clergy Sexual Abuse & Justice
Not a day passes without a media headline reporting regarding sexual abuse and molestation of young children by predator priests, or the aftermath of the assault on the survivors and their families. If you are a survivor of sexual assault from a priest or other clergy member, these reports are most likely to serve as an echo chamber, reverberating the horror, shame, guilt and various unwelcome thoughts staining your well-being. Encouraged by the social movement and other channels that encourage victims to disclose the abuse they experienced, victims of assault are increasingly turning to the legal system to compensate them for the lifelong harm and injury they have experienced.

If you are a survivor of assault perpetrated by a member of the clergy, the result of the abuse on your life and foundational belief system can be incalculable. Nonetheless, holding the responsible priest and institutions accountable for their crimes and indifference can offer a measure of justice and recompense to assault survivors. Oftentimes, victims can leverage their legal rights in confidential mediation thereby avoiding the need for litigation. However, if litigation is necessary, a case may be filed where the victim can remain anonymous.

Predatory Behavior
All predators, to varying degrees, employ predatory tricks which are generally known as grooming, tracking a potential abuse victim. Below is a survey of grooming behaviors exhibited by predators who are in a position of authority relative to the subordinate child.

Grooming
Grooming is a major part of a predator’s strategy. In a religious environment, the clergy member is held as God’s representative. Within this environment, the predator frequently works closely with small numbers of children, identifying each child’s needs, vulnerabilities and circumstances. Once a victim 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 initially try to get 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 sincere interest in the child’s wellbeing and development – both emotional and religious.

Reliance
As a predator establishes a trusting relationship with the potential target and oftentimes their family members, the child will begin to rely more and more on the predator for any need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The victim will spend 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 might receive gifts from the predator, including valuable, intangible gifts such as blessings and special recognition.
Isolation
As the grooming continues, the predator will try to isolate the potential target. This may mean single counseling meetings, meals or other methods of one-on-one isolated encounters.
Sexualization
The predator might start to de-sensitize the target from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other behaviors that lead to sexual interaction. This could start with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with inappropriate messages to gauge the victim’s reaction to the progression. This will escalate until the relationship gets to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is established, the predator will try to maintain control over the child and the continuing interaction. The predator will likely seek to manipulate the child by continuing to make the target feel special and worthy. The predator will continue to exploit the victim by whatever methods necessary to maintain the inappropriate physical relationship.

Impact on Clergy Abuse Survivors

The impact of childhood assault on the survivor can be severe and life-changing. Several clergy assault survivors suffer from long-term effects of the assault including depression, disturbed sleeping, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse and eating patterns, and difficulty establishing and keeping healthy relationships. Individualized treatment and support groups can help victims overcome these effects.

Legally, a survivor of Priest Sexual Abuse may gain financial compensation from the predator and, more commonly, from the religious organization for its failure to protect the victim from the assault, as well as failures or deficiencies in its process of reviewing and resolving to reports of abuse. If you are a victim of Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse and would like to confidentially discuss your experience and your legal options, we are prepared to speak with you.