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Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

Faculty Sponsor

Chelsea Miller

Faculty Sponsor Email

Chelsea.miller@unco.edu

Abstract

Sexual abuse has always been an issue in all cultures throughout the world and history. Easton et al. delved into the problems of barriers to disclosing child sexual abuse with 460 male participants which showed that 61.7% of them reported CSA at the hands of a priest. As that study was conducted, Helsel and McCormack tackled the effects of CSA on the nervous system and psyche. While religion is used as a coping mechanism, it is also a tool for maltreatment from clergy sexually abusing children to parents seeking ways to rid the child of demons. There have been over 7,000 Catholic religious figures reportedly accused of sexually abusing children with over 20,000 survivors. These priests start off by grooming the child which eventually leads to CSA. Although there is an inadequate amount of empirical data, there are a select few case studies that focus on what happens to a child's spirituality after CSA such as Kristy, a seven-year-old girl, who was a victim of CSA at the hands of her Deacon father who used God as a tool to keep her silent. The same priests that sermonize that God is merciful and compassionate are also often the ones that commit CSA while using religiosity as a weapon against their victims. Sexual abuse in religious settings committed by clergy can be detrimental to the psyche, body, and spirituality of the victim and occurs more often than one may think.

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