What about Clergy Sexual Abuse?
As the statistics show, sexual abuse is a wide spread issue that affects people across all walks of life. Sexual abuse is typically committed by individuals in positions of power and trust. Just like society at large, the Catholic Church is made up of sinful, broken people and priests are no exception. Sexual abuse by priests and members of the clergy is a particularly heinous way that the devil has attacked the Church.
Priests are appointed as spiritual leaders who are given immense power and trust within the church. They are entrusted with the spiritual formation of their parish, including men, women, and children. As such, they have many opportunities to positively or negatively impact their parish. Sadly, this sometimes means that fallen priests do groom and perpetrate sexual abuse. This abuse is particularly impactful because it comes from men in power who are entrusted to be shepherds of their flock and representatives of God in our world. These men pervert God’s plan for His Church, for our sexuality, and can lead to victims feeling alienated and hurt in the very places they are supposed to be safest and find refuge.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, you can report it here or talk with Fr Rick Nagel (fathernagel@gmail.com) about it.
Priests are appointed as spiritual leaders who are given immense power and trust within the church. They are entrusted with the spiritual formation of their parish, including men, women, and children. As such, they have many opportunities to positively or negatively impact their parish. Sadly, this sometimes means that fallen priests do groom and perpetrate sexual abuse. This abuse is particularly impactful because it comes from men in power who are entrusted to be shepherds of their flock and representatives of God in our world. These men pervert God’s plan for His Church, for our sexuality, and can lead to victims feeling alienated and hurt in the very places they are supposed to be safest and find refuge.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, you can report it here or talk with Fr Rick Nagel (fathernagel@gmail.com) about it.