Clergy Sexual Misconduct Against Adults in the Roman Catholic Church: The Misuse of Professional and Spiritual Power in the Sexual Abuse of Adults

This article describes and discusses the power–vulnerability intersect in the lives of 23 women and 6 men who experienced clergy sexual misconduct against adults (CSMAA) within the everyday life of the Roman Catholic Church. It argues that framing CSMAA around a ‘vulnerable victim’ rather than an ‘abusive cleric’ has led to the misinterpretation and continuation ofCSMAA, and an overall attitude of victim blaming. However, when victims/survivors of CSMAA are given the opportunity to tell their stories, a different picture emerges. The article concludes that CSMAA does not occur because there is a vulnerable adult but, rather, because there is a cleric willing to misuse their powers to abuse adult vulnerabilities. This article also argues that the unique dynamics of CSMAA become more evident and understandable when those clergy powers and adult vulnerabilities are clearly delineated as being both positional and personal realities.