July Digest: Independent Studies Highlight Clergy Abuse Across Denominations
Learn how advocates are utilizing independent research to expose and address the issue of clergy sexual abuse across denominations.
In This Edition:
Ongoing Research: Clergy Sexual Abuse in the Orthodox Church
Orthodox Christian researchers collaborate in an ongoing effort to study clergy sexual abuse in the Orthodox Church to investigate both the neurobiological impacts of assault to better understand the brain alterations that lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders and to address the pervasive denial that obstructs accountability for wrongdoers.
Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse in the Early Church: A Snapshot
Historical evidence from early Christian texts and scholarly research highlights the pervasive issue of clergy sexual abuse of adults within the Early Church and the institutional responses to address it.
A researcher’s pilot study on the prevalence of sexual, domestic, and spiritual abuse in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) reveals a critical need for more in-depth research by denominational leadership.
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Content Warning: Contains references to sexual abuse and spiritual abuse.
Letter from the Editor
Dear Readers,
In 1990, a book addressing clergy sexual abuse of adults was named the Book of the Year by The Academy of Parish Clergy: Rev. Dr. Marie Fortune’s Is Nothing Sacred?: The Story of a Pastor, the Women He Sexually Abused, and the Congregation He Nearly Destroyed. This seminal case study in adult clergy sexual abuse scholarship details the story of a pastor who preyed on multiple women in his congregation and the failure of religious leaders to address it properly.
On the back of the book, a quote by Christianity Today proclaims, “Marie Fortune addresses with frankness but without cynicism what once might have been considered unthinkable: the betrayal by pastors of those in their care through sexual exploitation… She should be thanked for her courage and balance in tackling this troubling problem.” With glaring naivety, another author, Laura Davis, writes, “Fortune has written a powerful narrative that will help put an end to the institutional denial of sexual abuse in church communities.”
As an advocate and educator, like many of us who have inherited and built on Dr. Fortune’s groundwork, we know that there is still a long way to go in educating religious communities about the scourge of adult clergy sexual abuse. Just as the denomination’s district responded poorly to the abuse in Is Nothing Sacred? denominations continue to mishandle cases of abuse, leaving members and former members to take the issue into their own hands.
Many religious leaders remain ignorant of the past. As sociologist Dr. Jason Martin notes in his article, Critical Reflections on Clericalism and Clergy Misconduct: A Sociological Approach, church history records instances of clergy sexual misconduct. Recounting the life of renowned theologian Karl Barth, Dr. Martin highlights his sexual misconduct toward Charlotte von Kirschbaum, a young Christian woman who admired the well-respected married professor, pastor, and theologian. “Karl defiantly maintained a romantic relationship with her, despite the objections of his friends, his mother, and his wife, Nelly, who ultimately plunges into deep depression and self-blame.” He remains a celebrated pillar in the Church today.
In this issue, I am thrilled to share the important work of researchers challenging the status quo by drawing attention to where the Church has been and why religious leaders need to change their direction. This digest is a call for denominational leaders to use their power to protect those in their care and provide justice to those who have been preyed on and subsequently marginalized by those from whom they sought help.
We can learn from history to avoid repeating its mistakes. Research plays a crucial role in this process, so I am hopeful as I present this quarterly digest to you.
I urge religious leaders, advocates, activists, and those in positions of power to consider the research findings in this digest and use them to drive change through education and justice. This digest is not just a collection of findings; it's a call to action for all of us to forge a path toward a safer and more accountable future for our religious communities.
Best regards,
T. P. Zamora
Editor, CSM Research Insights
Ongoing Research: Clergy Sexual Abuse in the Orthodox Church
Orthodox Christian researchers collaborate in an ongoing effort to study clergy sexual abuse in the Orthodox Church to investigate both the neurobiological impacts of assault to better understand the brain alterations that lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders and to address the pervasive denial that obstructs accountability for wrongdoers.
On April 16th, 2024, Dr. Hermina Nedelescu stood before the Senate Public Safety Committee in Sacramento, California, to speak in favor of Senate Bill 894, “Sexual exploitation by a member of the clergy.”1 After stating her credentials as a neuroscientist who studies neurobiological control of abnormal behaviors relevant to human psychopathology, she explained why criminalizing clergy sexual abuse of adults is critical:
“Clergy abuse and sexual exploitation of adults is an abnormal predatory behavior. 90 to 95% of victims of clergy sexual abuse are adult female congregants. Clergy abuse is about power and control. When there’s a personal family problem, 25% of people of faith turn to their pastor or priest first before a therapist. About 5 to 20% of clergy of all Christian groups have misused their position of authority and trust to sexually abuse their adult congregants, mostly women, under the guise of providing spiritual counsel. This small, yet significant percentage uses their position of ultimate authority together with grooming as tactics to gradually break down the victim’s boundaries in order to sexually exploit them.”
Despite Dr. Nedelescu’s plea to protect parishioners from predatory clergy, along with testimonies from others—including the Baylor University Diana R. Garland School of Social Work renowned for its research on adult clergy sexual abuse, and SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), the largest and most active support group for survivors—the bill failed to progress out of committee under questionable circumstances. California failed to join 13 states and D.C. in criminalizing the sexual abuse of adults by clergy.
Dr. Hermina Nedelescu is a neuroscientist involved in research and legislative efforts to protect adults from clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse.
However, Dr. Nedelescu advocates in additional ways. She studies at the Center for Theology and Natural Sciences at the Graduate Theological Union in her leisure time. She uses her expertise in neuroscience to develop a theological anthropology rooted in the Christian Orthodox tradition, focused on desire versus dysregulated desire leading to abuse. She is an instructor at Stepping Higher Inc., a faith-based organization funded by the County of San Diego Behavior Health Services Department, where she teaches and supports clergy, pastors, and behavioral health providers in ministering to individuals dealing with substance use disorders, psychological addictions, and mental health challenges.
She is also addressing clergy sexual abuse in Orthodox churches. Along with Katherine Archer, a graduate student at the Antiochian House of Studies working towards her Master’s Degree in Theological Studies, and Melanie Sakoda, the SNAP Survivors Support Director, she researches clergy sexual abuse in the Orthodox Church. Their ongoing research can be found on their website, Prospon Healing.
“We have many other supporters in the background aiding us in refining the material on the website to better assist the Christian Orthodox faithful,” shares Dr. Nedelescu, an Orthodox Christian herself, along with her collaborators. “We needed a website specific for the Orthodox community because of the importance of the ‘spiritual father’ figure in this religious context.” She explains the “spiritual children” or “flock” are expected to be obedient to their “spiritual father.” If a cleric has predatory tendencies, this dynamic can facilitate abuse in insidious ways under the guise of a “spiritual relationship.”
As a neuroscientist trained in rigorous research methods and design, Dr. Nedelescu recognizes that Orthodox Churches are not equipped to undertake a research curriculum comprehensively. “Church administrations typically lack the personnel and training that is required to study the multi-facet problem of clergy-perpetrated abuse,” she shares. Church officials may also lack a trauma-informed approach to addressing abuse.
Their preliminary research identified 71 media-reported cases of clergy sexual abuse involving 354 victims between 2002 and the present. Still, these numbers are significantly underestimated as they only reflect cases found online, with many victims neither reporting the abuse nor taking legal action. The data reveals that in the Orthodox setting, as in other Christian denominations, clergy abuse more boys than girls, while adult victims are predominantly female.
“The overall goal of our research is two-fold,” says Dr. Nedelescu. “First, to investigate the sexual assault-induced neurobiological alterations that take place in the adult brain, which supports both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) vulnerability and substance use disorders. A parallel goal is to understand the breadth and depth of clergy sexual abuse in the Orthodox Church, and this can only be done if we measure it with statistical analyses. The latter is critically important because there is denial about clergy sexual abuse in the Orthodox Church, and this denial is harming people as there remains little to no accountability to hold wrongdoers accountable.”
Dr. Nedelescu recognizes that “the Church is far more than its administration and bishops. Rather, the Church is the faithful, which includes the clergy (bishops, priests, deacons, etc).” As an active member of the Orthodox Church, she says, “Not all clergy are abusers preying on congregants for their personal gratification. You have those priests who abuse and thus exhibit predatory behaviors (approximately 5 to 20%). Then you have those who enable and cover up for the abusers. Then you have the majority who are loving people.”
The response has been “so far 100% positive,” says Dr. Nedelescu. “We just presented our preliminary findings at the Orthodox Theological Society of America (OTSA) and received positive feedback, including constructive criticism to consider how we might also be able to assist the offenders. Naturally, clerics will want to know how can this ‘sickness’ be stopped. This is an important aspect of the dialogue and the answer is simple. Those who abuse and prey on their victims must be removed from ministry immediately. Leaving them to serve causes more harm to everyone—the victims, the offender, and the parish. If the church cared about them, administrations would place offending clergy in an abuser program. Abuse is predatory behavior and needs the help of licensed therapists.”
She recommends that church leaders read Dr. Diane Langberg's article, How Should the Church Respond to Abusers?
Dr. Nedelescu emphasizes the importance of both research and practical implementation as clergy abuse profoundly impacts victims’ self-identity and spiritual connection, sometimes resulting in suicide. “Clergy abuse, whether emotional or physical, affects a different part of the ‘self’—that part of the ‘self’ that goes beyond the self to connect with what is beyond. It is an assault on one’s ‘self,’ and one’s relationship with what is holy and sacred and by extension affects a person’s relationship with their neighbors, too.”
Despite facing legislative setbacks, the ongoing study of clergy sexual abuse in the Orthodox Church highlights the urgent need for legislative action to protect parishioners from predatory clergy. This research serves as a beacon for future advocates who strive for comprehensive measures that guarantee accountability and safeguard those who seek spiritual guidance and care from clergy members.
Read Ongoing Research: Clergy-Perpetrated Abuse in the Orthodox Church.
Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse in the Early Church: A Snapshot
Historical evidence from early Christian texts and scholarly research highlights the pervasive issue of clergy sexual abuse of adults within the Early Church and the institutional responses to address it.
By Lea Karen Kivi
From early Christian texts like the Didache to The Decree of Gratian, documentation on the issue of sexual misconduct in a Christian community spans centuries. In June 2023, The Catholic Register published my article, For Adult Abuse Victims, There is a Place to Turn, which highlights Early Church literature addressing adult clergy sexual abuse. Presented here is a condensed overview of my research into the Early Church's history concerning clergy sexual abuse of adults.
Sexual abuse within the Christian community is not a new phenomenon. According to Aaron Milavec, author of The Didache – Text, Translation, and Commentary, the Didache, an early first-century document, provided instructions on expected behavior by new converts to Christianity and denounced the sexual exploitation of boys and involvement in forbidden sexual activities as paths leading to “death.” Though clergy sexual abuse of adults isn’t explicitly mentioned, men were cautioned to avoid being alone for prolonged periods with an unrelated woman. Women were to train female converts, and men were to train male converts.
In Matthew Cullinan Hoffman’s translation of The Book of Gomorrah, penned around 1049-54 CE by Saint Peter Damian (1007-72 CE), there is explicit reference to clergy sexual abuse of women. Damian’s text condemns the abuse of spiritual daughters with whom clerics had sexual intercourse.
For more Early Church examples of clergy sexual abuse, researchers Thomas P. Doyle, A.W.R. Sipe, and Patrick J. Wall III, in their book Sex, Priests, and Secret Codes: The Catholic Church's 2,000-Year Paper Trail of Sexual Abuse, point to the Decree of Gratian, a document compiled by Gratian, a university professor and probable monk, in the later Medieval Period (circa 1140 CE). This document describes various sexual wrongdoings by priests, including clerics having sex with unmarried women, wives of other men, and nuns.
These researchers point to the adoption of barriers in confessionals under the direction of Saint Charles Borromeo around the time of the Council of Trent (1545-63 CE) as being necessitated by priests sexually exploiting people coming to them to make their confessions. Their research indicates that most victims at that time were women.
In tracing the trajectory of clergy sexual abuse within the Early Church, it becomes evident that the issue has deep historical roots spanning centuries. Adopting preventive measures, such as installing barriers in confessionals under Saint Charles Borromeo's guidance, emphasizes the institutional response to the issue. As we reflect on this history, it is imperative to acknowledge the suffering of survivors and to commit to continued efforts toward healing, accountability, and prevention within religious communities.
On a personal note, I am delighted to see the birth of CSM Research Insights, and I wish you all healing as well as personal and professional growth through understanding the history, prevalence, dynamics, and devastating effects of adult clergy sexual abuse.
Lea Karen Kivi is a survivor advocate, author, and journalist. She has written two books: Abuse in the Church: Healing the Body of Christ and A Survivor’s Journey through the Bible. She currently writes for The Catholic Register and has a website at www.angelasheart.ca.
Exposing the Crisis: A Researcher’s Preliminary Study of the Prevalence of Abuse in the Presbyterian Church in America
A researcher’s pilot study on the prevalence of sexual, domestic, and spiritual abuse in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) reveals a critical need for more in-depth research by denominational leadership.
In June 2023, Christianity Today published an article claiming that “The Presbyterian Church in America Has an Abuse Crisis Too,” which reverberated through the denomination. This assertion sparked a range of reactions, from sadness to acknowledgment, echoing a contentious debate already set in motion by the PCA’s Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault ad interim study committee's report the previous year. This committee had defined various forms of abuse, provided biblical interpretations, and proposed preventive measures to applause from the Assembly.
Despite this, subsequent discussions on abuse reform overtures at the General Assembly yielded minimal changes, with some PCA leaders expressing skepticism that the denomination faced a crisis necessitating significant systemic change. This environment prompted Dr. Kara Million, Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of North Alabama, to investigate the prevalence of spiritual, sexual (adult clergy sexual abuse included), and domestic abuse within the PCA, aiming to shed light on the issue and spur further, more comprehensive research efforts. The result is her pilot study, Prevalence of sexual, domestic, and spiritual abuse in the Presbyterian Church in America: a preliminary study.
Her findings include:
In the three months she conducted the study, she identified 94 cases of abuse.
31 out of 88 presbyteries in the PCA (35.2%) were reported to have had abuse cases occur within their jurisdictions.
Out of the total of 94 cases, 24 (25.5%) involved minors as victims, while the remaining 70 cases involved adults.
74 cases (78.7%) involved spiritual abuse, 19 cases (20.2%) involved domestic abuse, and 57 cases (60.6%) involved sexual abuse.
29 cases (30.9%) involved only spiritual abuse, 6 cases (6.4%) involved only domestic abuse, and 13 cases (13.8%) involved only sexual abuse.
46 out of 94 cases (48.9%) involved more than one type of abuse, and 10 cases (10.6%) involved all three types of abuse.
The findings in this study indicate that at least 35.2% of presbyteries have had spiritual, sexual, or domestic abuse occur within their jurisdiction, that only 30.9% of cases involved spiritual abuse only, and that nearly half of cases involved more than one category of abuse.
Dr. Million wonders, are 94 cases identified within a 90-day study period enough to warrant further action? She contrasts these findings with the 700 victims of sexual abuse identified over a 20-year period in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), as reported in a 2019 Houston Chronicle article.
The PCA leadership’s reactions alone warrant investigation, as reported impressions from victims and witnesses were “overwhelmingly negative, replete with instances of PCA leadership ignoring the problem, blaming victims, discouraging abuse reporting to law enforcement, attempting to discipline victims for leaving abusive situations, and shielding perpetrators from consequences.”
Dr. Kara Million is an Assistant Professor (Biology) at the University of North Alabama.
This apparent reluctance to openly address abuse in accordance with best trauma-informed practices may explain why Dr. Million encountered resistance in persuading denominational leadership to commission the study through independent third-party professionals. “I did ask people in the denomination to conduct research on this topic, and I know many other people who have asked as well,” says Dr. Million. “To my knowledge, the PCA has not conducted such an investigation, and multiple leaders in the denomination have said that there is no need for such an investigation because ‘the PCA does not have an abuse problem.’”
Dr. Million explicitly states, “I am not an attorney, mental health professional, or law enforcement professional, and nothing I say should be interpreted as if it came from someone in one of those categories.” However, she does offer this advice to others seeking to draw attention to abuse within their denomination using research, as she did:
1) Get professionals involved, if possible, such as investigators, mental health experts, or individuals with research experience. It's crucial to establish a clear plan beforehand: decide on the data to collect, outline how it will be analyzed and stored, determine your approach to communicating findings, and ensure all steps are taken ethically to minimize the risk of causing further harm.
2) Ensure you have a strong support system in place for yourself. Working with abuse survivors can be emotionally challenging, especially if you have experienced trauma yourself. Connect with a licensed therapist, establish a circle of trusted individuals for emotional support, and develop a comprehensive self-care plan to implement before, during, and after your involvement in this work.
3) Prioritize your safety and that of everyone involved in your efforts. Sadly, survivors and their allies often face severe retaliation for coming forward—Dr. Million has experienced this firsthand. Plan meticulously to safeguard the identities of your participants and the data you gather. It's wise to seek advice from a lawyer and consider obtaining umbrella or personal liability insurance.
Despite some beliefs that abuse is not widespread in the PCA, Dr. Million's pilot study has received positive responses. “Overall, I have received positive responses to the research, especially from abuse survivors. Some people have asked fruitful questions as a result of this study, and others have affirmed the need for a more comprehensive study of this topic. Some PCA leaders have thanked me for my work, but I do not know if anyone in the denomination plans to take any action regarding this issue.”
In shining a light on the shadowy corners of the Presbyterian Church in America, Dr. Kara Million amplifies the voices of those who have long been ignored, dismissed, or silenced. Despite resistance and personal risk, her courageous inquiry highlights the urgent need for deeper, systemic change within the denomination. Dr. Million's work is not just a call for more comprehensive research; it is a clarion call for justice, compassion, and healing.
By giving a platform to survivors and advocating for their stories to be heard, she paves the way for a future where the PCA can truly reflect the principles of accountability and Christlike care. Her dedication inspires us all to listen more closely, act boldly, and champion the cause of those who suffer in silence, ensuring their experiences lead to meaningful and lasting reform.
Read the study, Prevalence of sexual, domestic, and spiritual abuse in the Presbyterian Church in America: a preliminary study.
T. P. Zamora, editor of CSM Research Insights and sociology student, explores power dynamics and abuse within religious institutions and its multi-faceted impact on survivors.
See 7:04 to 8:12.
Great work Tiffany.