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

sexual abuse. 371 Lengthy delays have also caused significant problems relative to
statutes of limitations. 372
A plausible reason for such delays in reporting abuse is found in the
interconnection of clericalism, religious duress, traumatic betrayal, and bonding. The
victims are mentally and emotionally impeded to such a profound degree, that they are
unable to come forward because of the overpowering experience with the cleric. As one
expert has remarked, “[t]he cognitive distortion of that abusive experience is an element
of ‘unsound mind’ in that those distortions are a markedly abnormal condition and
recognized elements of psychopathology.” 373
Religious duress is an objective reality. It causes people to react to abuse
scenarios in an inappropriate and baffling manner. It is present in cleric-victim abusive
relationships, and is fortified by the power differential. 374 Such exploitive relationships
create what Dr. Patrick Carnes calls “betrayal bonds,” which occur when a victim bonds
with someone who is destructive to him or her. 375
Clergy abuse involves intensity and exploitation of trust. The signs of a betrayal
bond include misplaced and even irrational loyalty, an inability to detach from the abuser,
371
See Katherine DiGiulio, Interview with Dr. Leslie Lothstein, National Catholic Reporter, Aug. 9,
2002, at 6.
And the victims of Catholic clergy sexual abuse are a bit different from the victims of
Protestant sex abuse, Jewish, or Hindu sexual abuse. The difference is that the role of the
priest puts the priest in close connection with Jesus and with god. And what you hear
from the victims - and I’ve heard this from priests who have been victims - is that they
feel that their soul has been murdered. It’s soul murder, soul murder, and they can never
get over the guilt and shame of what their responsible role was - why was I chosen, how
did this happen to me, and can I ever be reconnected with god? Id.
372
See Sam Dillon, Means Found to Prosecute Decades-old Abuse Cases, N.Y. Times, Aug. 29, 2002, at
§A.
373
Aff. of William Foote, Ph.D., in Does I, II, III vs Catholic Diocese of El Paso, Father Irving F. Klister,
(Oct. 9, 1998), County Court of law Number Two, El Paso County, TX, No. 96-1670, at 24. See also
Patrick Carnes, The Betrayal Bond, xvi-xvii (1997). Carnes is more direct in his book, as he refers to the
fact that victims stay in abusive relationships as “insane loyalty.” Id.
374
Benyei, supra note 83, at 63-65.
375
Carnes, supra note 373, at xvi.
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