Sexual Abuse in the Church and a Reenvisioning of the Crucifixion Narrative.

This paper explores the clerical sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic church. It proposes a re-reading of the crucifixion narrative, arguing that Jesus Christ was a victim of sexual abuse. Through the lens of power, violation, and humiliation, the crucifixion is examined to expose the sexual violence inflicted upon Jesus. This interpretation seeks to privilege the stories of those victimized by clerical abuse, offering a new theological framework for understanding their suffering and reclaiming their relationship with God and their faith communities. This theological framework is one in which the bodies of survivors are seen as sites of theological construction, theologizing from their bodies to make sense of their experience and their relationship with the divine in light of clerical abuse. By confronting the sexual dimensions of Jesus's suffering, this paper calls for the church to acknowledge and address the reality of clerical abuse, fostering a space of healing and belonging for survivors.