Beyond Belief: Sexual Abuse By Clergy In Religious Institutions (Part 1)

July 31, 2024

Sexual violence of any kind is an affront to a person's dignity, security and bodily autonomy. But when an abuser is a member of the clergy, the breach of trust can extend into the domain of a person's spirituality. As if losing faith in the goodness of people isn't devastating enough, survivors of sexual abuse by the clergy may lose faith in a higher power or religious teachings to which they would otherwise turn for comfort during challenging times.

Religious institutional abuse is not a new phenomenon, but we have begun to learn about the extent of these crimes through highly publicized abuse scandals across the world. Canada was among the first countries to begin a national reckoning when sexual abuse in religiously administered residential schools was reported by media in the 1980s.

Since that time, numerous reports of abuse and cover-ups of abuse by leaders and other members of religious communities involving thousands of minors and other congregants have been published. Yet, there appears to be no end to both historical and current sexual abuse and assault cases.

In this two-part blog post, I first explain how and why religious environments can be conducive to sexual abuse, list common characteristic of clergy abusers, and note how researchers have categorized the most common types of clergy abusers. In a second post, I explore the extent of religious institutional abuse, examine examples of abuse among both Christian and non-Christian clergy, and conclude by outlining what support and compensation is available to survivors who seek healing and justice for what happened to them.

How Are Religious Environments Conducive to Sexual Abuse?

Researchers have noted certain factors present within religious institutional environments foster conditions that can facilitate sexual abuse by clergy members:

Clergy may hold multiple roles and use their positions of authority to access to a range of people, including vulnerable people such as children;
There is frequently a general lack of oversight of clergy that can make discovery of abuse more difficult;
Abusers may be privy to intimate knowledge from congregants that can be exploited;
Private communication between the abuser and the survivor is often easy to facilitate;
Family and friends of survivors may not recognize warnings signs, choose to ignore them and/or opt not to pursue a complaint for fear of their place within the religious community; and,
There is often a culture of trust, "niceness," and deference to clergy.

What Are Common Characteristics of Clergy Members Who Perpetrate Sexual Abuse or Assault?

Restrictions on who can serve as clergy or as members of a religious institution's hierarchy, which are frequently patriarchal, significantly increases the likelihood that an abusive clergy member would be a man; men are also more likely to be sexual offenders generally.

Research on clergy abuse has also found evidence of higher rates of narcissism among offenders. Clergy members who have served in their role for more than 25 years, who hold mid-level roles within a church (such as associate pastor), and who are middle-aged are more likely to be among offenders. Offenders who abused more than 10 or 20 people were found to be younger than average when their first abusive act occurred.

However, it's important to remember that a clergy member who is a sexual offender can hold any position, have any level of work experience, be any age, and have any gender identity.

How Have Researchers Categorized Clergy Abuse and Abusers?

Stanley J. Grenz and Roy D. Bell, the authors of Betrayal of Trust: Confronting and Preventing Clergy Sexual Misconduct suggest there are three predominant categories of clergy who become sexual offenders: 'predators', 'wanderers', and 'lovers'.

Predators actively seek opportunities to engage in clergy sexual misconduct. Wanderers turn to this behaviour when experiencing stress or challenges in their personal life. Lovers were clergy members who genuinely believed they had fallen in love with a congregation member.

Research on sex offenders has also determined that most of these individuals are generalists (who offend when an opportunity presents itself) rather than specialists (who seek out targets who fit specific preferences). Sex offenders who abuse children are more likely to be specialists than offenders who target adults.

Among sex offenders who exclusively or primarily target adults, researchers have suggested most individuals belong to one of four categories:

compensatory offenders - use minimum physical force to restrain their target to achieve sexual gratification
opportunistic offenders - highly impulsive offenders who abuse when presented with the right opportunity
power/control offenders - sexual gratification is derived from control over their target
sadistic offenders - sexual gratification derived from the fear and physical pain felt by their target

Among sex offenders who exclusively or primarily target children/minors, researchers have offered the following categorization:

situational child molester - opportunistic offenders who prey on children when able and potentially other vulnerable people (such as adults with disabilities).
preferential child molester - offenders who have a sexual preference for children/minors.

Each of these categories have subcategories which highlight an offender's motivation.

A Terrible Abuse of Power.

Research into the experience of survivors of clergy abuse suggests perpetrators sometimes try to legitimize their abuse.

In their article, "Religion in child sexual abuse forensic interviews," Amy C. Tishelmana and Lisa A. Fontes report that an alleged offender told their victim "God has ordained me to do this, and I need to verify to make sure of your sexuality," to justify why they were doing it.

But, whatever differences there are among the major religions of the world and in Part 2 of this blog post, I will examine abuse perpetrated by both Christian and non-Christian clergy), it is indisputable that no higher power would condone this kind of abuse by anyone, let alone someone purportedly to represent that higher power on earth.

If you or a loved one is a survivor of clergy abuse and you would like to know more about your legal rights and options to purse a sexual assault case, contact a Jellinek Gluckstein sexual abuse and sexual assault lawyer for a confidential, no cost, no obligation initial consultation.

With great empathy, we will listen to your story, outline your options and offer to help in any way we can.