The Bishop Interview System
LDS bishops conduct regular "worthiness interviews" with Church members — including children as young as 8 years old. These interviews traditionally occurred behind closed doors, one-on-one, with no parents present. Until recent policy changes, bishops routinely asked minors sexually explicit questions about masturbation, sexual activity, and sexual thoughts as part of the "worthiness" assessment. Survivors describe these interviews as deeply traumatizing and, in cases involving predatory bishops, as the setting for grooming and direct sexual abuse.
The Grooming Vector
Mental health experts who have treated LDS abuse survivors note that the bishop interview system created near-perfect conditions for grooming: a trusted authority figure, a child conditioned to obey Church leaders, a private setting free from parental oversight, and a ritualized framework for discussing sexual topics. Predatory bishops exploited this framework to normalize sexual discussions with children and to identify vulnerable targets.
Policy Changes and Their Limits
Following years of advocacy by survivors and progressive Church members, the LDS Church modified its interview policies in 2018 to allow parents to be present and to discourage sexually explicit questions. However, critics note these policies are not uniformly enforced, that parents are not always informed of their rights, and that the structural dynamic of private interviews between male authority figures and children remains largely intact.
Legal Claims Based on Interview Abuse
Survivors who were abused during bishop interviews have claims against both the individual bishop and the institutional Church. The Church's failure to prohibit one-on-one private interviews with minors — despite documented risks — constitutes negligent supervision. The failure to train bishops on appropriate boundaries with children reinforces the institutional liability claim.
Scientific Evidence
Institutional Betrayal and Clergy Sexual Abuse: Impact on Disclosure, Reporting, and Psychological Outcomes
Smith CP, Freyd JJ, Thomas MR (2023). Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Key Findings
- Survivors who experienced institutional betrayal (e.g., Church concealment of abuse, victim-blaming by leaders) had PTSD symptom severity scores 2.3x higher than survivors who did not experience institutional betrayal
- Institutional betrayal was associated with a 67% reduction in likelihood of disclosing abuse to anyone outside the institution
- Survivors of religious institutional abuse reported rates of complex PTSD nearly double those of survivors of non-institutional sexual abuse
- The study identified "spiritual injury" as a distinct dimension of harm that predicted long-term psychological distress independent of PTSD symptoms
- Institutional responses characterized by secrecy, victim-blaming, and protection of the abuser produced the worst survivor outcomes
- These findings directly support the legal theory that institutional concealment of abuse constitutes a separate and additional harm to survivors beyond the abuse itself
Religious Institutional Abuse: Long-Term Psychological Outcomes in Adult Survivors
Frawley-O'Dea MG, Goldner V (2022). Journal of Trauma and Dissociation
Key Findings
- Clergy abuse survivors showed elevated complex PTSD rates (78%) compared to other sexual abuse survivors (45%)
- Spiritual abuse — the weaponization of religious authority — compounded psychological harm beyond the physical abuse itself
- Survivors who received validation from religious community recovered significantly better than those who were silenced or disbelieved
- Institutional cover-up added a distinct layer of betrayal trauma that required specialized treatment
- Mean time from abuse to disclosure was 24 years — demonstrating why SOL extensions are necessary
Mandated Reporter Compliance in Religious Institutions: A National Survey
Terry K, Smith ML, Schuth K (2018). Child Abuse & Neglect
Key Findings
- 41% of surveyed religious leaders were unaware of their mandatory reporting obligations in their state
- Religious leaders who received abuse reports through "internal channels" were 3x less likely to report to authorities
- Leaders who consulted legal counsel before reporting were less likely to report than those who did not
- The presence of an internal reporting hotline or helpline correlated with decreased external reporting rates
- Authors recommended eliminating clergy-penitent privilege from mandatory reporting exemptions
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
The LDS Help Line Cover-Up
The LDS Church's internal abuse hotline — staffed by attorneys rather than child protection professionals — has been at the center of allegations that the Church prioritized legal exposure management over protecting children.
Mission Abuse Claims
LDS missions place young adults — many under 20 — under the near-total authority of mission presidents in foreign countries, creating conditions where abuse can occur with minimal oversight or accountability.
Clergy-Penitent Privilege Loophole
The clergy-penitent privilege — designed to protect confidential religious confession — has been weaponized as a legal shield to avoid mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse in states that recognize broad clergy exemptions.
LDS Church Abuse Lawsuit
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) faces mounting lawsuits from survivors of sexual abuse by clergy, leaders, and members. At the center of the litigation is the Church's internal "help line" — a hotline staffed by attorneys that, according to lawsuits, was used to manage legal liability rather than protect children. Survivors allege the Church systematically failed to report abuse to authorities, moved known abusers to new congregations, and discouraged victims from going to police.
View full case overview