Church Predator Abuse Information

priest abuse Vermont encompasses a wide-range of illegal and heinous acts commonly commited on young children and adolescents by pedophilic priests or other church members involving sexual assault of varying degrees. The abuse might be a single, non-consensual scroll barevent or it might include many acts within a continuing interaction. For example, an ongoing “trusting” relationship with a child created by the predatory behavior of a church associate, blanketed by the trust and respect imputed to a member of the clergy, leading to non-consensual sexual attack acts of molestation.

In most claimed Priest or Clergy Sexual Abuse scenarios, the failure by the Clergy member’s superior to completely, adequately and promptly disclose the crime to law enforcement and other authorities, or its further failure to research, contend with and deal fully with the situation increases the harm on the assault survivor, the community and possibly others. Current Priest Sexual Assault cases reported in the media show these short-comings, that includes “pass-the-trash” scenarios when the predator commonly a priest in the Catholic Church, is suddenly re-assigned from one parish to another merely to continue his predatory, criminal behavior on an unsuspecting parish community.

Priest and Clergy Sexual Assault and Retribution
Not a day passes without a news headline reporting regarding sexual abuse and molestation of young children by pedophile priests, or the effects of the abuse on the victims and their families. If you are a survivor of sexual abuse from a priest or other clergy member, these stories are most likely to serve as an echo chamber, reverberating the horror, embarrassment, guilt and various unwelcome thoughts staining your well-being. Encouraged by the societal movement and other pathways that encourage survivors to reveal the abuse they experienced, victims of abuse are increasingly turning to the legal system to compensate them for the life-long damage and injury they have experienced.

If you are a victim of assault perpetrated by a member of the church, the result of the abuse on your life and foundational belief system can be immeasurable. Regardless, holding the responsible priest and institutions to blame for their crimes and indifference may provide an amount of justice and recompense to abuse victims. Commonly, survivors can assert their legal rights in confidential mediation thereby avoiding the need for litigation. But, if litigation is necessary, a motion might be filed where the plaintiff can remain anonymous.

Abusive Behavior
All abusers, to varying amounts, employ predatory tricks that are commonly known as grooming, tracking a potential abuse victim. Below is a list of grooming actions used by predators who are in a position of authority relative to the subordinate child.

Grooming
Grooming is a major piece of a predator’s strategy. In a church setting, the priest is revered as God’s representative. In this environment, the predator often works closely with small amounts of children, understanding each child’s needs, weaknesses and circumstances. Once a target is located, these vulnerabilities – like violent family setting, isolation, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, attention-seeking – might be systematically leveraged in the following ways:

Trust
An assaulter will first work to gain the child’s trust. This step is most difficult to discern as religious communities are frequently tight-knit and personal relation with clergy is commonplace. Here, the assaulter can feign sincere interest 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 members, the child will begin to rely more and more on the predator for whatever need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The child may spend increased time with the predator, feeling more comfortable with the relationship and relying on its stability and security. In addition to attention and affection, the possible victim may receive presents from the priest, including valuable, intangible gifts like blessings and special recognition.
Isolation
While grooming continues, the predator may work to isolate the potential target. This could mean single counseling sessions, meals or other methods of one-on-one isolated encounters.
Sexualization
The predator will start to de-sensitize the child from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and various actions that lead to sexual interaction. This might start with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with inappropriate messages to gauge the victim’s reaction to the progression. This will continue until the relationship gets to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
Once the sexual relationship is created, 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 victim feel special and worthy. The predator will continue to exploit the victim by whatever ways necessary to maintain the inappropriate physical relationship.

Impact on Clergy Abuse Survivors

The impact of childhood abuse on the victim can be severe and life-changing. Several clergy assault 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 problems creating and keeping vibrant relationships. Individualized treatment and support groups can assist victims overcome these effects.

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