Forgiveness Reconsidered: Agency and the Contextual Nature of Forgiveness in the Aftermath of Clergy Sex Abuse

An abundance of empirical evidence supports rich insights from the humanities about the benefits of interpersonal forgiveness to human flourishing. However, research into the ‘darker’ side of forgiveness indicates contextual conditions under which forgiveness is misappropriated and used to harm and silence people. This chapter analyzes the relationship between agency and forgiveness in the aftermath of clergy sex abuse. We develop a complex account of forgiveness that outlines when and how forgiveness either contributes to the flourishing of victim-survivors of clergy sex abuse or misfires and gives way to harm. To unpack the link between agency and forgiveness among victims of clergy sexual abuse, we use a six-layered framework: transgression-specific, individual, interpersonal, social, institutional, and societal. Drawing on empirical studies and a case study of clergy sex abuse, we specify how these layers impact the agency of the victim-survivor and their processing and discernment of forgiveness, accountability, and justice. We discuss some implications of our model for addressing forgiveness, accountability, and justice in the context of therapy and pastoral care. We also provide suggestions for institutions to do justice to victim-survivors on an institutional level, including a proposal for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We conclude by suggesting further research to test the validity, applicability, and effectiveness of the model developed in this chapter.