1 1 Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse Meets the Civil Law by Thomas P ...

adults of the opposite sex. 72 Under certain circumstances such as extreme stress, the regressed
pedophile may revert to an earlier emotional and psychological age, and engage in some form of
sexual behavior with a child. 73 A fixated pedophile, on the other hand, has a primary sexual
attraction to children or teens; sexual activity with age appropriate partners is rare. 74 In both
cases, the pedophile identifies both emotionally and sexually with his victim. 75 According to
Lothstein, this identification factor is critical. 76
A third type of offender, the ephebophile, may also be either fixated or regressed. 77 The
ephebophile is attracted to older children only, not age-appropriate sex partners. 78 This attraction
reflects a higher degree of social and sexual development. 79 Since his victims are at the
beginning stages of their sexual maturation, the ephebophile is often unaware of the degree of
coercion that has occurred on his part, and he may be deluded into thinking that the teen is not a
victim, but a willing partner. 80 He may deny that he has caused any harm, based on his assertion
that his victim was actually a willing partner. 81 This demonstrates the perpetrator’s impaired
judgment, a trait common in both ephebophiles and pedophiles. 82
Two key features of clergy sexual misconduct relate directly to the perpetrators, and also
influence the way the institutional Church responds to individual cases and to general
accusations that the Church has responded inadequately. These features are the power
72
Lothstein, supra note 66, at 19, 21.
73
Id.
74
Id.
75
Id. at 33.
76
Id. at 32.
77
See id. at 21.
78
Id. at 35-37.
79
Id. at 35.
80
See id. at 36.
81
See generally id.
82
See id. at 36-38.
14
14