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

and self-destructive denial. 376 Abuse victims see the clergy-abuser with a mixture of
awe, respect, and fear. There is an attitude of authority and power about the cleric that
inspires a certain amount of emotional security in the unsuspecting victim. 377 These
strong feelings can impede victims from recognizing the seductive patterns of abusing
clergy, from resisting sexual victimization once it has surfaced, and finally, from coming
forward to expose the abuser after the fact. This mind set, tantamount to brainwashing,
also explains why some victims have allowed themselves to be abused over prolonged
periods of time. 378
Catholic clerics are not the only clergy who sexually abuse. Yet abuse by a priest
is much more devastating and traumatic to a believing Catholic, because the victim has
been conditioned both cognitively and emotionally to believe that the priest takes the
place of Christ. His power is much greater and more mysterious than that of any other
authority figure. The impact on the victim's life is much longer lasting, if not life-long.
Dr. Leslie Lothstein has extensive experience treating clergy sexual abuse victims. His
experience underscores the unique damage caused by priest-perpetrators:
The victims of Catholic clergy sexual abuse are a bit
different from the victims of protestant sex abuse; Jewish
or Hindu sex 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 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 and
they can never get over the guilt and shame of what their
responsible role was - why was I chosen, how did this
376
Id. at xviii.
377
Benyei, supra note 83, at 33-36.
378
Carnes, supra note 373, at xvi. “The worst is a mind-numbing, highly addictive attachment to the
people who have hurt you. . . . Exploitive relationships create betrayal bonds. These occur when a victims
bonds with someone who is destructive to him or her. Thus the hostage becomes the champion of the
hostage taker, the incest victim covers for the parent and the exploited employee fails to expose the wrongdoing
of the boss.”
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