Priest blames victims for being molested

[gixxerboy1]

Priest Puts Blame on Some Victims of Sexual Abuse
By SHARON OTTERMAN
Published: August 30, 2012



A prominent Roman Catholic spiritual leader who has spent decades counseling wayward priests for the archdiocese provoked shock and outrage on Thursday as word spread of a recent interview he did with a Catholic newspaper during which he said that “youngsters” were often to blame when priests sexually abused them and that priests should not be jailed for such abuse on their first offense.
George M. Gutierrez for The New York Times



The Rev. Benedict Groeschel, who made the remarks, is a beloved figure among many Catholics and a founder of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, a conservative priestly order based in New York. He hosts a weekly show on the Eternal Word Television Network and has written 45 books.

The comments were published on Monday by The National Catholic Register, which is owned by EWTN, a religious broadcaster based in Alabama.

“Suppose you have a man having a nervous breakdown, and a youngster comes after him,” Father Groeschel, now 79, said in the interview. “A lot of the cases, the youngster — 14, 16, 18 — is the seducer.”

He added that he was “inclined to think” that priests who were first-time abusers should not be jailed because “their intention was not committing a crime.”

On Thursday, the comments were taken off the publication’s Web site after the controversy erupted, and the editors, Father Groeschel and his religious order apologized.

“I did not intend to blame the victim,” Father Groeschel wrote in a statement published on The Catholic Register’s site. “A priest (or anyone else) who abuses a minor is always wrong and is always responsible. My mind and my way of expressing myself are not as clear as they used to be.”

Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York, denounced the comments as “terribly wrong.” But he said the church was unlikely to discipline Father Groeschel, in part because as a member of a religious order, he was not officially a priest of the diocese.

For the past 38 years, Father Groeschel has counseled priests at the Trinity Retreat House in the New York suburb of Larchmont; he founded the retreat at the direction of the archbishop at the time, Cardinal Terence J. Cooke. The retreat is a place of treatment and reflection, and the archdiocese has sent priests credibly accused of sexual abuse to live there, but not since 2006, Mr. Zwilling said.

More recently, priests struggling with problems like alcoholism have been sent there for counseling. Father Groeschel, who has a doctorate in psychology from Teachers College at Columbia University, has also taught pastoral counseling for more than 40 years at the archdiocesan seminary, St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers.

But though he told The Catholic Register that he continued to teach at the seminary, the archdiocese said that the previous academic year had been his last because of what it described as advancing senility and other health problems. The Rev. Glenn Sudano, another founder of the Friars of the Renewal, whose adherents take vows of poverty and work extensively with the poor, said the remarks might have been the result of Father Groeschel’s advancing age and failing health, as well as the aftereffect of a near-fatal 2004 car accident in Orlando, Fla.

“Poor Father Benedict,” he said. “It is painful for us, seeing someone who was so much an advocate and a defender for the underdog, say that.”

In the interview, Father Groeschel said that he continued to counsel priests and that he worked some 12 hours a day.

Asked if he counseled priests who were abusers, he said yes, and then offered a sympathetic portrait. “People have this picture in their minds of a person planning to — a psychopath, but that’s not the case,” he said. Asked why a child might act as a seducer, he said: “A kid looking for a father and didn’t have his own — and they won’t be planning to get into heavy-duty sex, but almost romantic, embracing, kissing, perhaps sleeping but not having intercourse or anything like that.”

He also expressed sympathy for Jerry Sandusky, the retired Penn State football coach who was recently convicted of serial child molesting, calling him “this poor guy.”

Many New York priests and others — including advocates for victims of child sexual abuse — reacted with anger at the remarks. “Blaming the abused for their abuse is indefensible,” said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit commentator for America Magazine.

[Times Roman]

Saw it in another thread. It just shows how much out of touch some of the clergy are. I think when it gets this bad, they need to retire. There is really no defending it.

[Polish]

Agree with you about needing to retire. This is disgusting and flat out wrong. Someone needs to do something.

[gixxerboy1]

fvck retiring. They need to goto jail. If you dont turn someone in to the police that you know molested a kid you should goto the jail for covering it up. Religion is the only thing that some how makes it exceptable to protect criminals

[ironbeck]

bacon cheesburgers.......

[Shol'va]

And I used to think it was just some sort of religious ceremony they were performing with the altar boys as I would pass by the church late at night and hear Oh God Oh God Oh God.......And isn't it ironic that they call the boys Altar Boys? I mean they are definitely altered by the time the priests get done...

[MickeyKnox]

religion is such bullshit. i hate religion. it's just a way to control a large number of people. BUT..i AM glad that a LOT of people do believe in that nonsense, otherwise there would be total anarchy.

as for the priests, those piece of shyt pedophiles should be thrown into a fvckin pit and set on fire. everytime i see a priest i want to throw up.

[Times Roman]

fvck retiring. They need to goto jail. If you dont turn someone in to the police that you know molested a kid you should goto the jail for covering it up. Religion is the only thing that some how makes it exceptable to protect criminals

i didn't mean the offending priests should retire. I meant the pontiff that made the comment. i'm assuming he hasn't offended.

so yes. ANY priest that violates a youngster should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law as they would any perv.



So maybe a possible solution?

Abandon the vow of celibacy and allow priests to marry. And if two male priests want to marry, then so be it. Or two nuns, whatever.

What would this accomplish?

Well, first off, it allows a way to release pent up sexual tension in a legal way. And it keeps the priests above board.

Second, because one's true "orientation" will now become more visible, maybe the priest hood and the church will be less of a haven for those trying to hide their perversions? It always seems to me that once one perv discovers a way to hide their perversions and also have 100% access to that very thing that makes them sick, then that situation, because "monkey see, monkey do", like the church, becomes a "perv magnet". Certain pervs are attracted to children, so the priesthood looks real attractive to them.

[gixxerboy1]

i understood that TR. But i think he should goto jail. He was counseling people who molested kids and did not report them to cops he is a criminal IMO

[Times Roman]

i understood that TR. But i think he should goto jail. He was counseling people who molested kids and did not report them to cops he is a criminal IMO

oh, ok.

but then we got that "veil of confidentiality" thing going on. Neither priests that hold a confidence nor a psychiatrist can be bound to disclose.....

[gixxerboy1]

oh, ok.

but then we got that "veil of confidentiality" thing going on. Neither priests that hold a confidence nor a psychiatrist can be bound to disclose.....

i know. i just dont agree with it

[marcus300]

Many SO's blame the victim. These abusers need more work because they play the victim instead if the abuser. No victim empathy at all and no idea what damage they have caused heavier sentence is needed for these monsters

[Honkey_Kong]

That priest is right though, we shouldn't send them to jail for that. We should flat out shoot those motherfvckers for the first offense. But in all seriousness, you can't have a field of work where it's only men employed and refuse them the ability to date/fvck/marry and not be expecting the occupation to be filled by pedophiles and other types of perverts.

[Capebuffalo]

Thought you were going to say Lee Priest. Wish it had been.

[Hoggage_54]

Here's a picture of the priest:

[Honkey_Kong]

Here's a picture of the priest:

He might be a pederast enabler, but at least he knows how to win football games.

[dec11]

fvck retiring. They need to goto jail. If you dont turn someone in to the police that you know molested a kid you should goto the jail for covering it up. Religion is the only thing that some how makes it exceptable to protect criminals

hang them....

religion is such bullshit. i hate religion. it's just a way to control a large number of people. BUT..i AM glad that a LOT of people do believe in that nonsense, otherwise there would be total anarchy.

as for the priests, those piece of shyt pedophiles should be thrown into a fvckin pit and set on fire. everytime i see a priest i want to throw up.

well said

[JohnnyVegas]

oh, ok.

but then we got that "veil of confidentiality" thing going on. Neither priests that hold a confidence nor a psychiatrist can be bound to disclose.....

Pretty sure a psychiatrist is required to report crimes, or anyone that is an immediate danger to themselves or others (despite what the movies might show).

The priests, on the other hand, have built a culture of "protect our own." They care more about protecting the church's reputation (and their own as*es) than any amount of children.

[Times Roman]

so no one has an opinion on my suggestion for a possible remedy in #8?

[JohnnyVegas]

so no one has an opinion on my suggestion for a possible remedy in #8?

I have no problem with letting priests marry, but I doubt they are going to listen to my opinion.

I haven't thought this through, but if the problem is simply about celibacy it seems like the priests would just be sleeping with women (or men). Preying on children seems like a wiring problem to me. Otherwise they would just bang their secretary like everyone else does.

[DSM4Life]

Priest could have had me and I wouldn't have said anything to anyone. Maybe i should have listened to my mother and went to church more often.

[Times Roman]

I have no problem with letting priests marry, but I doubt they are going to listen to my opinion.

I haven't thought this through, but if the problem is simply about celibacy it seems like the priests would just be sleeping with women (or men). Preying on children seems like a wiring problem to me. Otherwise they would just bang their secretary like everyone else does.

What i'm saying is that these pervs would not want to hook up in a relationship because they are not attracted to people their own age (adults). So thier excuse for not being in one is due to being a priest (currently). So if you allow priests to marry, then not being in a relationship won't be so normal, and eventually, people may begin to notice that not being in a relationship is due to being a perv. In my opinion, the church is a great place to hide if you are a perv due to this situation of not being able to marry.............

[JohnnyVegas]

What i'm saying is that these pervs would not want to hook up in a relationship because they are not attracted to people their own age (adults). So thier excuse for not being in one is due to being a priest (currently). So if you allow priests to marry, then not being in a relationship won't be so normal, and eventually, people may begin to notice that not being in a relationship is due to being a perv. In my opinion, the church is a great place to hide if you are a perv due to this situation of not being able to marry.............

Gotcha, I understand what you mean now.

[Hoggage_54]

[JD250]

To me it makes no sense to take a man or woman who feels "called" into the ministry and force them to swear off being married......hows that working out so far....sheeeesh!!

I don't blame religion or God or faith or anything of the sort, that's ludicrous........I do blame people who are so antiquated and blind in their legalistic religious actions that they have no sense of reality and refuse to see the truth of what is happening or worse yet....cover it up!! Secrecy is bullshit regardless of what ever organization you belong to.

[songdog]

As a Catholic I am ashamed of not only this but the things the Catholic church has done for 100s of years.For some reason these people think they are above everyone else.