List of Priest & Bishops Accused of Abuse in Catholic Diocese of Erie
Amy, Michael J.
Ordained: 1978
In 2018, Bishop Perisco of the Diocese of Erie released a list of thirty-four priests with credible accusations of sexual abuse against them, including Reverend Amy. At that time, the priest was removed from ministry and later voluntarily resigned.
Current Status: Laicized
Anderson, Steven A.
Ordained: 1979
In April 2019, the Diocese of Erie credibly accused Reverend Anderson of sexual abuse of children after the priest died. The allegation was corroborated by self-admission, canon law proceedings, or secular legal proceedings.
Current Status: Died 2013
Barletta, Michael G.
Ordained: 1966
In 2002, three male victims told the Church that Father Barletta sexually molested them when the priest was a Cathedral prep geology teacher between the 1970s and early 1980s. One victim stated he had told the Bishop in 1994 what happened. Barletta was reassigned to St. Patrick’s/saint had waits parish as a chaplain. The priest admitted he had abuse twenty-five children and young men between 1975 and 1994.
Current Status: Removed from ministry 2003
Bolton, Donald
Ordained: 1952
Parents of a seven-year-old girl filed a complaint in 1986 claiming that the priest molested their daughter. Reverend Bolton was charged with the corruption of minors and indecent assault and sentenced to probation. Other victims came forward and negotiated out-of-court settlements.
Current Status: Deceased
Bower, Robert F.
Ordained: 1959
A seventh-grader found child pornography photographs collected by Reverend Bower in 1981 while providing janitorial services. The Church fired the witness’s mother, who had worked for the diocese for four years. The priest was arrested in 1999.
Current Status: Retired from the ministry in the early 2000s Lives on the Edinboro University Campus
Chludzinski, Dennis C.
Ordained: 1976
The PA Grand Jury found sufficient evidence that Reverend Chludzinski had inappropriate sexual contact with an 18-year-old boy that occurred in 1984 and possibly 1985.
Current Status: Laicized and living in the Diocese of Erie
Ciufoli, Bonaventure M.
Ordained: Prior to 1951
The PA Grand Jury found sufficient evidence involving volunteers and lay employees accusing Reverend Ciufoli of sexually abusing minors.
Current Status: Returned to Italy and died in 1997
Cooper, Donald J.
Ordained: 1963
In 2005, the Diocese of Erie confirmed that a 40-year-old man was subjected to inappropriate sexual contact by Father Cooper between 1981 and 1982 when he was sixteen years old. The Reverend agreed to retire. The church paid for the victim’s past and future therapy.
Current Status: Died 12/2011
Cray, Kevin
Ordained: 1949
The diocese found credible evidence years after the priest’s death into allegations of sexual abuse.
Current Status: Died 1999
Daly, Matthew G.
Ordained: 1955
The diocese found credible evidence years after Monsignor’s Daly death that he participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor.
Current Status: Died 10/1982
Dobrowolski, David V.
Ordained: 1969
The diocese found credible evidence years after the priest’s death that he participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor.
Current Status: Died 12/1985
Furjanic, Gregory P.
Ordained: 1981
Accusations were made against Father Furjanic in 2005, relating to inappropriate sexual contact in the mid-1980s. The church removed the priest from ministry in 1996. During an investigation, it was revealed that one of the priest’s victims took his own life.
Current Status: Laicized
Gawronski, Chester J.
Ordained: 1976
In 2003, Reverend Gawronski admitted to molesting up to forty-one boys years earlier. A report indicates that the reverend sexually abused the boys while showing them how to “perform a cancer check.”
Current Status: Remove from the Ministry Currently Living in Arizona
Gloekler, Herbert G.
Ordained: 1949
In April 2002, a female victim accused Father Gloekler of sexually abusing her in the 1950s while she was a Sacred Heart School Student. A second victim came forward the following month, claiming he also abused her in the 1950s. One victim alleged that Gloelker raped her when she was a child. In August 2003, a former housekeeper who had worked at Mount Calvary Parish stated she was aware of the priest’s inappropriate sexual conduct in the 1970s through the 1980s.
Current Status: Died 1985
Haney, Robert E.
Ordained: 1954
The church determined that Reverend Haney abused children in every diocese he was assigned across numerous states between 1962 and 1978. Eight victims came forward in the Erie diocese, including one female. However, the priest denied ever having abused any female, stating, “they do not have a penis.” The diocese determined Hannon was forbidden to function as a priest.
Current Status: Died 1/2006
Healy, Patrick J.
Ordained: 1986
The diocese found credible evidence years after the priest’s death that he participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor
Current Status: Died 6/1999
Hopkins, James P. or F.
Ordained: 1900
The diocese found credible evidence years after Monsignor Hopkins’s death that he participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor. The diocese received communication in 1993 from a victim stating that when she was 13 years of age, in 1945, the Monsignor abused her at the Saint Titus rectory, including fondling her “wherever he pleased.”
Current Status: Died 1957
Hudock, Barry M.
Ordained: 1996
The diocese claimed that Fater Hudock engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with an underage female Mercyhurst Preparatory High School student during her junior year in 1996 when he was 27 years old. Inappropriate sexual behavior occurred at various locations and in different states. The victim came forward in 2008 with psychological issues due to the priest’s victimization. Hudock is now married and living in Syracuse, New York, with his wife and children.
Current Status: Permanently removed from Priesthood Laicized: 2018
Jerge, Joseph W.
Ordained: 1951
In early 1989, sexual abuse allegations arose against the priest, who was ordered to attend sexual, psychological therapy and was restricted from contact with young boys. Two years later, the priest was placed back into ministry and reassigned to St. John’s the Evangelist. Other victims came forward until 1992 when church officials ordered Jerge not to function as a Priest.
Current Status: Died 4/2006
Jeselnick, Stephen E.
Ordained: 1977
Allegations involving the priest arose concerning unwanted sexual contact involving a 20-year-old man. The victim filed suit against the Erie Diocese and Jeselnick. The case settled out of court for $25,000. Other victims came forward including brothers who were sexually assaulted in Meadville, Pennsylvania, in the late 1970s. Jeselnick denied the accusations. Church officials have since ordered him not to function as a priest.
Current Status: Unknown
Jungquist, Edward W.
Ordained: 1980
In 2018, the priest’s name was included on the Erie diocese list involving credible accusations involving sexual abuse with minors. Church officials state that Reverend Jungquist is forbidden to function as a priest. Likely living in Tucson, Arizona.
Current Status: Whereabouts Unknown
Kaza, Charles A.
Ordained: 1972
In May 2019, the diocese placed Monsignor Charles Kaza on administrative leave, pending an investigation involving allegations of sexual abuse with a minor. The incident was alleged to have occurred during the 1980s while Kaza was serving at St. John the Baptist Parish (Erie). The Monsignor has been restricted from active ministry.
Current Status: Restricted from Active ministry
Kelly, Thomas C.
Ordained: 1967
The 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report found credible evidence that Reverend Thomas Kelly had inappropriate sexual contact with five or more males. The victims were both seminary and high school students ranging in age between 18 and 25. Before his death, church officials informed Kelley he was forbidden to function as a priest.
Current Status: Died 2/2005
Kerins, Sean P.
Ordained: 2017
In 2018, the diocese announced that 27-year-old Reverend Sean Kerins of Kennedy Catholic High School in Hermitage was removed from service as a chaplain and “prohibited from any public ministry, as not allowed contact with minors.” Evidence revealed that the priest “allegedly inappropriately texted a student that went against the school and diocesan policies. Law enforcement has begun an investigation.
Current Status: Placed on permanent leave
Ketcham, Gary L.
Ordained: 1977
The priest was named in the 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report involving clergy sexual abuse. The priest had been convicted in 1990 of molesting two boys during a visit with friends in Alabama. The Church sent the priest to therapy after the incident and paid his attorney fees. Ketcham pled guilty on both counts, received a permanent felony record and paid a $15,000 fine.
Current Status: Laicized 2002
Kondzielski, Thaddeus T.
Ordained: 1967
In 2013, a victim contacted the diocese over alleged sexual abuse occurring between the priest and him three decades earlier when the male student was a sophomore at Cathedral Preparatory. The priest asked the victim to lift weights while they were both naked. The parents heard the story and told him to stay away from the priest. Reverend Kondzielski admitted to having students sleep overnight in his bed with him.
Current Status: Retired 2013
Kraus, Conrad L.
Ordained: 1967
The diocese found credible evidence years after Monsignor Kraus’s death that he participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor.
Current Status: Died 5/2009
Kreb, Gerard/ Gerald
Ordained: 1963
The diocese found credible evidence years after Reverend Krebs’s death that he participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with at least three victims. In 2002, a former Venango Christian High School student alleged the priest molested him in 1968 when he was a senior. The second report in 2001 accused the priest of abusing a boy in the late 1960s. In 2006, a man alleged that the priest sexually abused him during the 1960s while he was a student and knew other classmates had also been abused. The church sent Krebs to St. Luke’s in Maryland. He retired in 2004.
Current Status: Died 2005
Kucan/Kucon, Jerome/John
Ordained: 1951
The 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report revealed credible evidence years that Reverend Kucan participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with minors. The investigation revealed a 39-year-old man had reported in March 2005 that the priest sexually abused him at Saint Anthony’s Croatian Church in Sharon when he was eight years old. Another complaint received in 2007 indicated that Father Kucan abused an altar boy and the boy’s cousin at the same church in the mid-1950s. The cousin committed suicide in 1993.
Current Status: Died 12/2010
Lazar, Fidelis G.
Ordained: 1963
In 2018, the diocese released Reverend Lazar’s name among credibly accused priests, volunteers, and laypeople associated with sexual abuse of underage children after his death. In 1986, the diocese received a complaint from a male teenager who claimed that the priest sexually assaulted him that year. Lazar admitted to the inappropriate sexual activity with children, was sent for treatment and placed on leave. A second allegation arose in 1994 from a male teenager stating the priest had sexually abused him during the 1980s. A third victim alleged in 2002 that Lazar abused him in the 1960s at St. Vincent’s Prep School in Latrobe.
Current Status: Died 3/2018
Lechner, Thomas M.
Ordained: 1966
In 2018, the diocese released Reverend Lechner’s name among credibly accused priests, volunteers, and laypeople associated with sexually abusing underage children.
Current Status: Laicized
Lorei, Louis H.
Ordained: 1947
The 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report found conclusive evidence of sexual abuse involving the former Pastor of Our Lady of Peace in Erie. Credible evidence reported to the diocese in 2009 revealed that Monsignor Lorei sexually abused an eleven-year-old altar boy at the church in the early 1980s for over two years. A second allegation arose in 2007 of past abuse of another boy.
Current Status: Died 1986
Luzzi, Salvatore P.
Ordained: 1962
In 2018, the diocese released Reverend Luzzi’s name among credibly accused priests, volunteers, and laypeople associated with sexual abuse of underage children. Evidence shows that at least eight known male victims in their early 20s and early teens were victims of sexual abuse involving Luzzi. A former student, allegedly victimized by the priest, died by suicide.
Current Status: Ministry faculties removed in 1995
Lynch, Richard D.
Ordained: 1963
The diocese found credible evidence years after the priest’s death that he participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor. The diocese received notice of an allegation involving Lynch of physical and sexual abuse in 1978/79 when the victim was a student at Bradford Central.
Current Status: Died 2000
Martin, Daniel J.
Ordained: 1943
In 2018, a former priest of the diocese of Erie accused Reverend Martin of sexually assaulting him in 1985/89, starting when the victim was sixteen years old and living a troubled life at home. In 1984, Pope John Paul II named Martin a Monsignor and Prelate of Honor. The victim claims that the sexual abuse occurred at St. George’s in Erie when Martin was a pastor and after his 1986 retirement, at Mercyhurst College in Erie and Mount Calvary Church. The victim testified before the PA Grand Jury.
Current Status: Died 5/2006
McGee, Jr., H. Desmond
Ordained: 1971
Reverend McGee served as headmaster of Bradford Central Christian High school in 1997 until suspended due to an investigation into sexual abuse of a child. A lawsuit filed by a twenty-four-year-old man alleges Father McGee abused him at least three times between 1980 and 1989 when the underage boy attended the high school. The priest denied the allegations. Church officials said too much time had passed to pursue the case. The court dismissed the lawsuit in 2017 due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. The church elevated Reverend McGee to Monsignor.
Current Status: Unknown
Meisinger, Joseph F.
Ordained: Prior to 1940
The diocese found credible evidence years after the Reverend Meisinger’s death that he participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor.
Current Status: Died 1979
Muroski, Leon T.
Ordained: 1960
Reverend Muroski’s name was included in the newly-released 2018 Diocese’s list identifying priests accused of sexual misconduct. The priest faced accusations of sexual misconduct in the 1990s while working at St. Mark’s Seminary as a Spiritual Director. The church sent Muroski for treatment at St. Luke’s in Maryland after he had inappropriate contact with seminarians, including a few that were under the priest’s tutelage.
Current Status: Unknown
Murphy, Edmundus
The 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report found conclusive evidence of sexual abuse involving Reverend Murphy. An allegation arose that in 1964, the priest sexually molested a Sacred Heart High School (Girard) male student while the reverend served at the school as a wrestling coach. The victim stated that the priest made him wrestle naked before sodomizing him.
Current Status: Died 10/2014
Murray, John L.
Ordained: 1947
The diocese first became aware of the initial reports in 1967 of Father Murray sexually abusing young boys the year before. In 1985, the priest pled no contest to charges that he fondled an underage altar boy that year while at Saint Matthew’s in Woods. The court sentenced Father Murray to one-year probation, and the church removed his faculties before he retired in 1987. Afterward, he relocated to a family home in Philadelphia. In 2016, another allegation arose involving a 1973 sexual assault of a twelve-year-old boy at Our Lady of the Americas in Conneaut Lake.
Current Status: Died 3/2018
Nealen, Giles L.
Ordained: 1951
The 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report found conclusive evidence of inappropriate behavior involving Nealen and a “long history of sexually abusing numerous young boys.” Documents show that in 1972, the diocese knew that the priest was “involved in an inappropriate incident,” while serving the parish as the pastor of Saint Bruno in South Greensburg. Even knowing about Nealen’s behavior, the church reassigned the priest to St. James in Waynesburg, Ohio. In 1993, the diocese received a letter from a man alleging Nealen sexually assaulted him twenty-three years earlier when he was thirteen years old at Queen of the World Parish. A woman notified the diocese in 2002 that she was aware of at least three boys who Nealan had molested.
Current Status: Died 12/1996
Olowin, Jan C.
Ordained: 1968
The 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report found conclusive evidence of sexual abuse involving Father Olowin. In May 1993, the diocese received a phone call from a possible victim, alleging Olowin behaved inappropriately. The victim stated that there might have been other victims. The church restricted Father Olowin’s ministry in 2016 because of past allegations.
Current Status: Retired to Sun City, Arizona
Pawlaczyk, Andrew W.
Ordained: 1962
The diocese found credible evidence years after Father Pawlaczyk’s death that he participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor. In 2011, the priest allegedly sexually assaulted him while Pawlaczyk was a teacher, and the boy was a student at Erie Prep. One incident occurred when Pawlaczyk was a Walter Reed hospital chaplain, and the victim visited the priest in Washington, DC.
Current Status: Died 3/1982
Piatkowski, John A.
Ordained: Prior to 1935
The 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report found conclusive evidence of sexual abuse involving Piatkowski. In 1955, the diocese received the letter indicating that the priest had repeatedly sexually assaulted an underage altar boy. An additional letter was received in 1959, where a parishioner had requested the replacement of a new priest, stating that Piatkowski was sexually assaulting little boys who feared retaliation talking about it. In 2009, the Diocese Bishop spoke with a man who alleged the priest repeatedly sexually assaulted him during the 1940s at a parish in Tyler when the child was seven or eight years of age.
Current Status: Died 11/1970
Poulson, David
Ordained: 1979
In 2018, the diocese removed Reverend Poulson from ministry when allegations of sexually assaulting minors arose. The priest was arrested in May 2018 and charged with abusing two boys between the ages of eight and eighteen that had allegedly occurred in 2002 at different rectories and a remote cabin. One victim said that the priest made him confess after he was abused. A 2018 Grand Jury Report indicated that Poulson admitted to the diocese that Boyce sexually aroused him and that he had sent texts to underage minors about sex and spending time alone with them. The Bishop said he told the priest to “cease-and-desist but kept him in the ministry. The Bishop denied there was a cover-up. In October 2018, Poulson pled guilty to charges and was sentenced the following year to up to fourteen years in prison. The church settled with a victim in 2019 for $2 million to resolve the case where the child had been abused between 2002 and 2010. The Reverend was laicized in 3/2019.
Current Status: Likely serving up to 14-year prison sentence
Presley, William F.
Ordained: 1956
In 1982, the Diocese of Erie received the initial allegations of Reverend Presley being involved in inappropriate sexual behavior. By 1987, reports arose of the priest sexually assaulting a teenage girl occurring in 1986 and abusing a teenage boy before 1971. Church officials agreed that the priest was “extremely violent.” Church officials ordered the priest to receive a psychological evaluation. An additional three victims came forward in 2000 to alleged that the priest had sexually abused them between 1963 and 1974. One of the victims was thirteen years old at the time, and another was a college student at the University of Notre Dame. Presley admitted that the allegations were true and that the sexual assault included “choking, slapping, punching, rape, sodomy, fellatio, anal intercourse.” The church placed the priest on leave in July 2002.
Current Status: Died 4/2012
Reszkowski, Joseph V.
Ordained: 1954
The diocese found credible evidence years after the priest’s death that he participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor.
Current Status: Died 9/2003
Rice, William A.
Ordained: 1963
The diocese found credible evidence years that Reverend Rice participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with adults and children. The church placed Rice on leave pending an investigation and told the priest he must not have contact with children and refrain from public ministry.
Current Status: Retired in Fryburg, PA
Schanz, John P.
Ordained: 1950
The diocese found credible evidence years after the Schanz’s death that he participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor. For nearly his entire career, Schanz was an assistant at Holy Cross in Fairview. Church officials believe that there are at least seven alleged victims. In April 2002, a possible victim stated Schanz sexually assaulted him while he was an altar boy in the seventh or eighth grade at Saint Andrew and The Villa. In 2002, the church removed Schanz from active ministry. During that year, the priest was accused of abusing a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy in the early 1970s. In January 2007, a former camp lifeguard stated he witnessed Schanz sexually abusing a boy in 1974 at Camp Notre Dame. Another allegation involving sexual assault occurring in 1978/79 involved a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy. Another sexual assault allegation arose involving Schanz and a fifteen-year-old boy in 1980/83. In 2005, an allegation of sexual assault arose involving a Saint Andrew’s altar boy when he was in the sixth grade.
Current Status: Died 4/2010
Schmitt, Charles R.
Ordained: 1959
In 2019, the diocese released the Reverend’s name among credibly accused priests associated with sexual abuse of underage children that are forbidden to function as priests. In 2018, the church removed Schmitt from ministry while his case was under investigation involving allegations he abused an underage child in the 1960s.
Current Status: Retired 2006
Sheets, Charles A. Jr.
Ordained: 1980
The diocese found credible evidence years after the Sheets’ death that he participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor.
Current Status: Died 10/2009
Skeabeck, Mary Charlotte
The diocese found credible evidence years after Sister Mary (Charlotte) Skeabeck’s death that she participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor. In May 2018, her Order received a report indicating that the Sister sexually assaulted a Villa Maria Academy student repeatedly during the late 1950s when the Sister was a teacher. The evidence revealed that the Order was aware of the sexual assault during the time it occurred.
Current Status: Died 2015
Slocum, Samuel B.
Ordained: 1980
In April 2011, police arrested Father Slocum for “an inappropriate relationship” with an underage male. A report indicates that the priest would give the victim gifts while taking photographs of him and other boys. The victim’s parents cut off contact between the priest and their son. However, Slocum did not stop seeing the boy and lied to the parents while encouraging the victim to keep the relationship secretive. The priest admitted to the local law enforcement that he did have inappropriate relationships with boys and was found guilty of concealing the whereabouts of the child and corrupting minors. Slocum received two years probation before returning to ministry. Reports indicate that the church knew as early as 1995 that he was involved with a high school senior boy.
Current Status: Laicized 11/2016
Smith, Thomas E.
Ordained: 1967
The 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report found conclusive evidence of sexual abuse involving Reverend Smith. The report reveals that Erie Diocese Bishop Murphy was aware of the allegations of sexual abuse involving a seventeen-year-old boy in 1984. The church placed Father Smith on health leave between February 1984 and October 1984 before reassigning him to a residential treatment center from March 1985 through August 1985. While at St. Luke’s in Maryland (1987), he was diagnosed with a “driven, compulsive, and long-standing obsession with sexually assaulting children.” The report indicates that the priest continued to sexually abuse minors after receiving treatment in 1984 and admitted during his treatment that he had abused, including raped, at least fifteen underage boys, including one as young as seven years old. The church allowed Smith to return to parish ministry and remained actively engaging in a ministerial manner with Catholic children. A report of abuse involving the nine-year-old boy surfaced in September 1993. The church suspended the priest in 2002 after another allegation arose. The church settled with the victim in early 2002. Criminal charges were filed in March 2008 but were dropped because of the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Current Status: Laicized 2006
Snyderwine, Thomas
Ordained: 1968
The 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report found conclusive evidence of sexual abuse involving Monsignor Snyderwine. The monsignor served as a parish priest, and DuBois Central Catholic and Erie Prep faculty member. In 1996, a fifth grade Saint Boniface school female student told the school principal that Monsignor Snyderwine showered with her and touched her in uncomfortable ways, five years earlier. The principal talked to the victim’s family who stated they were aware of the incident and told her daughter to stay away from the Monsignor. The church took no action.
Current Status: Retired 8/2002
Taylor, Daniel J.
Ordained: 1975
Reverend Taylor was ordained in the Diocese of Erie before taking an assignment in 1981 at the Tucson Diocese. In 1999, the Diocese of Tucson placed Taylor on leave after learning there were allegations against him while he was in the Diocese of Erie. The Reverend stated that he had taken two teens and one adult on vacation who claimed he touched them inappropriately during the night.
Current Status: Restricted to function as a priest
Tome, John
The 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report found conclusive evidence of sexual abuse involving Father Tome. The report revealed evidence of the priest sexually assaulting six siblings, including two boys and four girls between the ages of eight and thirteen. The incidents occurred in the 1970s when he was in seminary. At the time, one victims’ mother worked at Saint Brigid’s for Monsignor Karg. During the 70s, Karg, Tome and another Reverend visited the parent’s home for drinks. The victims told the Grand Jury that they believed the Monsignor knew of Tome’s abusive behavior toward them.
Current Status: Unknown
Unnamed #1 (Erie), Unnamed
The diocese found credible evidence years involving an unnamed priest indicating that he participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor. The priest is accused of abusing three victims who claimed inappropriate behavior.
Current Status: Unknown
Unnamed #2 (Erie), Unnamed
In 2002, a woman claimed an unnamed priest had fondled her numerous times in the late 1950s when she was thirteen years old. The woman indicated that the priest was part of the diocese and that she had seen the reverend interact the same way with other girls. The church determined that her evidence was credible.
Current Status: Deceased
Vallimont, Patrick B.
Ordained: 1974
In 2018, the diocese released Reverend Vallimont’s name among credibly accused priests, volunteers, and laypeople associated with sexual abuse of underage children. In September 1976, the priest was hospitalized for severe depression. The Vatican was contacted in 1977 involving a request of laicization after the priest disclosed involvement in a brief sexual relationship with a thirteen-year-old female parishioner
Current Status: Likely living in Union City, PA
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Many people are drawn to the Roman Catholic Church because of its strong values, offers of forgiveness, and direction through life using spirituality and faith. Unfortunately, many religious leaders and members of the clergy use this power of authority over others to harm them through sexual abuse, molestation, and rape.