Most therapists agree that there is no substantial clinical difference when the perpetrator is a cleric. The same cluster of aftereffects can be found, including problems with trust, intimacy, sexuality, self-esteem, and boundaries. When the abuser is a religious figure, however, the spiritual betrayal adds yet another level of harm. Thus, she believes, victims are more deeply affected and have a greater reluctance to recognize the wrongdoing and seek help. The elevated status of clergy in the community may also complicate efforts to bring them to justice.
Individuals molested by clergy, however, often have a better chance of pursuing a civil case.
In most cases, when the perpetrator is a family member or neighbor, survivors are often left with few legal avenues. As yet, relatively few lawyers are willing to sue individual perpetrators, in part because these perpetrators lack sufficient resources to make a lawsuit financially worthwhile. Not Into Temptation author Jason Berry of New Orleans cautions that criminal prosecution may be more difficult when clergy are involved. Cinel had videotaped more than 60 hours of sexual abuse that he inflicted on several adolescents. Connick, it turned out, was a member of the church where the perpetrator had served.