Clerical sexual misconduct involving adults in the Roman Catholic Church: The intersection of abusive power and vulnerability

Abstract

Within the context of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), officially speaking at least, all sexual activity by a cleric is forbidden. Research suggests that this is not occurring in the RCC, but rather, there is a significant amount of clerical sexual activity in various forms. There appears, however, to be a great deal of ambiguity or ambivalence as to whether clergy sexual misconduct against adults (CSMAA) is actually abusive, or even misconduct. Drawing on qualitative data from a self-identified victims of CSMAA, this paper seeks to offer clarity to the dynamics of this form of abuse