Clergy Abuse includes a range of immoral and improper acts frequently perpetrated against children and adolescents by predatory clergy or other church employees involving sexual abuse of varying amounts. The abuse may be a single, non-consensual scroll barevent or it may include many acts within an ongoing interaction. For instance, an ongoing “trusting” interaction with a young child created by the predatory behavior of a church associate, cloaked by the trust and respect provided to a member of the clergy, leading to non-consensual sexual abuse acts of molestation.

Within most alleged Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse scenarios, the short-coming by the Church member’s superior to entirely, adequately and immediately report the offense to law enforcement and other authorities, or its further failure to research, cope with and deal fully with the occurrence increases the effects on the assault survivor, the community and potentially others. Current Church Sexual Assault cases reported in the media uncover these failures, that includes “pass-the-trash” scenarios where the abuser oftentimes a clergy in the Catholic Church, is secretly 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 Retribution

Not a week passes without a news headline reporting about sexual abuse and molestation of young children by predator priests, or the effects of the assault on the survivors and their families. If you are a survivor of sexual abuse from a priest lawsuitConnecticut or other clergy member, these stories are likely to serve as an echo chamber, replaying the horror, shame, guilt and various unwanted feelings harming your wellness. Encouraged by the societal movement and other pathways that encourage them to disclose the abuse they suffered, survivors of abuse are more frequently turning to the legal system to compensate them for the lifetime harm and injury they have suffered.

If you are a victim of abuse perpetrated by a member of the church, the impact of the abuse on your life and foundational belief system may be immeasurable. Nonetheless, holding the responsible clergy and institutions to blame for their crimes and indifference might provide a measure of justice and recompense to abuse survivors. Commonly, victims can assert their legal rights in confidential mediation thereby avoiding the need for litigation. However, if litigation is necessary, a case can be filed where the victim can remain anonymous.

Abusive Behavior

All predators, to varying amounts, employ predatory tactics that are commonly referred to as grooming, tracking a possible abuse victim. Following is a survey of grooming actions used by predators who are in a job of authority relative to the subordinate child.

Grooming

Grooming is a significant piece of a predator’s strategy. In a religious environment, the priest is held as God’s representative. Within this setting, the predator frequently works closely with small amounts of children, understanding each child’s needs, vulnerabilities and circumstances. Once a victim is identified, these vulnerabilities – like tumultuous family setting, isolation, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, attention-seeking – can be systematically leveraged in the following ways:

Trust

A predator will initially work to get the child’s trust. This strategy is most difficult to discern as religious communities are frequently tight-knit and personal interaction with clergy is commonplace. Here, the priest can feign genuine concern in the child’s wellness and development – both emotional and religious.

Reliance

As a predator creates a trusting relationship with the potential target and oftentimes their family, 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 child may spend more time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship and relying on its stability and security. In addition to attention and affection, the possible target might receive presents from the priest, including valuable, intangible presents such as blessings and special recognition.

Isolation

While grooming escalates, the predator might try to isolate the possible victim. This may result in individual counseling sessions, meals or various forms of one-on-one isolated encounters.

Sexualization

The predator will begin to de-sensitize the target from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and various actions that lead to sexual interaction. This may begin with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive messages to determine the victim’s response to the progression. This will escalate 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 of the child and the continued interaction. The priest will likely want to manipulate the child by continuing to make the victim feel special and worthy. The predator will continue to exploit the target by whatever means necessary to maintain the immoral physical relationship.

Impact on Clergy Abuse Survivors

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

Legally, a survivor of Priest Sexual Assault can recover financial compensation from the abuser and, more commonly, from the church for its failure to protect the child 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 experience and your legal options, we are prepared to speak with you.