Priest Predator Abuse Overview

Priest Abuse encompasses a range of illegal and heinous actions commonly perpetrated on children and tweens by pedophilic clergy or other church employees involving sexual assault of varying degrees. The abuse can be a single, non-consensual scroll barencounter or it may involve many acts inside a continuing interaction. For instance, a continuing “trusting” relationship 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 assault acts of molestation.

In most claimed Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse scenarios, the short-coming by the Church member’s superior to fully, adequately and immediately disclose the crime to police and other authorities, or its further failure to investigate, contend with and resolve entirely with the situation amplifies the harm on the abuse survivor, the community and potentially others. Current Priest Sexual Assault cases covered in the press uncover these failures, that includes “pass-the-trash” situations when the predator frequently a clergy in the Catholic Church, is quietly transferred from one church to another merely to continue his predatory, criminal action on an innocent parish community.

Priest and Clergy Sexual Abuse & Retribution
Not a week passes without a media headline coverage about sexual assault and molestation of children by pedophile priests, or the legacy of the assault on the victims and their families. If you are a survivor of sexual assault from a priest or other church member, these stories are most likely to act as an echo chamber, replaying the horror, embarrassment, guilt and various unwelcome emotions harming your wellness. Encouraged by the social movement and other pathways that encourage them to disclose the assault they experienced, survivors of assault are increasingly turning to the legal system to compensate them for the lifelong harm and injury they have suffered.

If you are a survivor of assault perpetrated by a priest, the result 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 indifference may provide an amount of justice and recompense to abuse survivors. Commonly, victims can assert their legal rights through confidential mediation therein avoiding the need for litigation. But, if litigation is required, a motion can be filed where the plaintiff can remain anonymous.

Predatory Behavior
All abusers, to varying degrees, use predatory methods which are commonly referred to as grooming, tracking a potential assault 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 church environment, the clergy member is held as God’s representative. In this environment, the predator often works closely with small numbers of children, understanding each child’s needs, vulnerabilities and circumstances. Once a target is located, these vulnerabilities – like 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 gain the child’s trust. This step is most difficult to notice as religious communities are often tight-knit and personal interaction with clergy is commonplace. Here, the predator can pretend genuine 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 priest is exploiting and fulfilling. The victim will devote more 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 victim may receive gifts from the priest, including valuable, intangible gifts such as blessings and special recognition.
Isolation
While grooming continues, the predator will work to isolate the possible target. This might result in solo counseling sessions, meals or other forms of one-on-one isolated moments.
Sexualization
The predator may start to de-sensitize the target from reacting negatively to contact, caressing and various behaviors that lead to sexual interaction. This may start with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive messages to determine the victim’s reaction to the progression. This will escalate until the relationship gets to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
Once the sexual relationship is created, the predator will work to keep control over the child and the continuing interaction. The priest may likely want to manipulate the child by continuing to make the target feel special and worthy. The predator will keep exploiting the victim by whatever methods necessary to maintain the inappropriate physical relationship.

clergy lawsuit Pennsylvania on Clergy Abuse Survivors

The effect of childhood assault on the victim can be overwhelming and life-changing. Many priest assault 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 problems establishing and keeping vibrant relationships. Individualized treatment and support groups can help victims overcome these effects.

Legally, a survivor of Priest Sexual Assault can gain financial compensation from the abuser and, more frequently, from the church for its failure to shield the child from the abuse, as well as failures or deficiencies in its method of reviewing and responding 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 ready to talk with you.