Introduction

This chapter locates the sexual abuse of adult women by clergy within the global conversation initiated by the #MeToo and #ChurchToo movements. It acknowledges the implications of clergy sexual abuse, a systemic issue, for women with vocations to Christian leadership, and for public perceptions of the church. The incidence of abuse of adult women is under-represented in the literature to date, which has a significant focus on child abuse, particularly within Catholicism. The value of autoethnography and narrative methodologies in the discussion of a subject that relies on disclosure of personal experience to effect change is outlined. The geographical and denominational scope of the study is explained.