not only a pastor or priest, but anyone you thought you were supposed to trust. to be abused by a trusted person can destroy your trust in others forever. and for someone who is in a position where they are around children and abuse that disgusting.

This is toward the top of the list. The clergyman has a confidential relationship as well as the ecclesiastical authority. This has to be devastating.

How about abuse from anybody would be one of the most extremely hurtful things a person can live through.

This is disgusting and it's happening too often too dudes. How can you scar a kid like that?

I'm not rating it so much on it being a pastor, as I am rating it on being someone with whom you would hold high trust (as I'm not an avid church goer). Because people put such high respect and emphasis on their relationships with their pastors/priests, I understand that this would be a very traumatic experience. The trust barrier has been broken and, at least with this, there's no way that a person could fully ever trust that person again. As tbonya mentioned: Respecting and heeding your priest/pastor is pretty much necessary, but with anyone including them, I would hold on the complete trust, especially involving being left alone with people. There are always those people, in each profession, that are not the most trustworthy of people, who are simply waiting for you to trust them enough so that they could commit crimes against you or betray you in some way.

This has never happened to me,but I imagine it would be really traumatic.ANY sexual abuse is extremely damaging,but to have it done by a Priest or Pastor who is supposed to be your spiritual guide must really mess up your head.