We have received a few notes from people asking us why we have yet to comment on the Fr. Benedict Groeschel Interview at the Register. I thought I would write a short note to explain our thoughts and actions.
Obviously, what Father said was wrong on several levels and he has admitted as much. I believe that Father is a very good man who through a combination of his compassion for the souls of the men who have done these horrible things and the tendency of people his age to think out loud, said things that are not defensible and he has not tried to defend them. He made a mistake in words but I still believe that his heart is the right place.
An old man said something foolish and wrong that he sincerely regrets. In a just world, that should not destroy lives.
I also know that my colleagues at the Register feel horribly about the situation that has hurt both the victims of abuse and Father. The victims of abuse, my colleagues at the Register, and Father are all in my prayers.
I believe that saying anything beyond this at this point might only add fuel to the fire, bringing only heat and no light. So unless, something changes with this story, I don’t think we will be commenting further.
August 31, 2012 at 6:05 pm
Good call Patrick. I know Fr. Benedict. Met him in LA. He gave me an autographed copy of his book because I was the only one laughing at most of his jokes. That's what he says but they're really funny. Listen to his tapes sometime. He is a warm and kind person who seeks to understand everyone including Paterno. His ramblings are just that. Another point of view albeit wrong or maybe just maybe, it can be right in a case or two. I personally know a priest who was seduced a couple of times but he did not fall. Once, a lady went to his office and talked about a problem, then she cried and wiped her tears using her skirt. I have more stories but I understand where Fr. Benedict is coming from.
August 31, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Watching him on EWTN lately, he struggles for words, he struggles to get to a point, to make his sentences clear. I have no doubt his brain works, but his communications skills are decaying after the accident and subsequent illnesses.
NCRegister should NEVER have published that article. I blame them more than him. They should have realized he wasn't getting his point across and was saying easily-scandalous things. The level of damage caused isn't going away easily.
August 31, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Good call, Messrs Archbold. Prayers for Fr Groeschel.
August 31, 2012 at 8:26 pm
Good call, fellas. And I am with Therese Z. on this one. Serious lapse of judgment on the part of the Register.
September 1, 2012 at 2:00 pm
The thing is, there was some truth to what he was saying about cases where the youth is the seducer. And no, I'm not implying that it happens all, or even most of the time. But it does happen.
I've spoken to at least one priest, a well-known author and lecturer, about his own experience with such incidents, and those of others. Most boys by the time they reach high school are not exactly babes in the woods, and those from troubled environments know that a false accusation against an adult will warrant them some attention, and ruin the life of the adult, even if they are found innocent.
All that said, it is a delicate subject, one that is hard to get across in a short interview, or the usual soundbite. This is in addition to the good Friar having more difficulty processing his speech.
Twenty years ago, in the wake of a divorce, his recorded lectures were my primary means of spiritual solace, so I'm inclined to cut him a bit of slack. But I won't for the fools who published it. The Register used to be a great newspaper, before those suck-ups at the Legion took over. It hasn't risen to its former glory since. This kind of judgment won't help.
But you Archbold guys are still great, so you're off the hook too.
September 1, 2012 at 3:52 pm
I'm sorry Archbold's, but I can't buy this rationalization of Groeschal's statements. The comments he made about seductive kids are the stock in trade of every pedophile and their defenders. And he was making these kind of remarks years before his health went south. I've had several friends and loved ones who were victims of those whom Fr Gerald Fitzgerald called human devils. One lady I know was raped by one who was a minister when she was in labour! So unlike Dave Alexander, I'm not going to cut Fr. Groeschel any slack. While Fr. G's recorded lectures may have helped him through a rough time in his life, I'm sure some other padre who was a pedophile or some other kind of sex pervert or an enabler of them, also had recorded talks that helped somebody else through a tough time. I can only hope that the Catholic Church can do more to help the victims of priestly pedophilia to help the victims throgh their 'rough times' so they don't end up self-destructing.
September 1, 2012 at 5:41 pm
This comment has been removed by the author.
September 1, 2012 at 6:16 pm
What Fr. Groeschel didn't mention is that if the men hadn't been wearing collars, it would just be another part of "gay culture," the kind older man gently helping a budding young man discover his true orientation.
September 1, 2012 at 6:30 pm
John Paul II said: "one crime and you're out" You are forgiven with repentance, but you're OUT.
September 1, 2012 at 10:15 pm
Anyone who is familiar with Fr. Benedict and his work knows that he spoke, however misguidedly, from a place of compassion. His only crime was in failing to realize that he would be misunderstood. God bless him.
September 2, 2012 at 1:22 am
He can't have meant what it sounds like he said even though he's said it before? Definitely misunderstood if he meant something good and holy.
September 2, 2012 at 1:37 pm
I agree, Patrick. As an aside, though, perhaps it would have been better to state that "A man of advanced age said" or "An aged man said", instead of using the term "old man". Even as big of a Neil Young fan as I am…
September 3, 2012 at 5:42 am
I didn't see this story. Was he just saying that sometimes the child instigates the abuse? If so, this can be true. There are some troubled children who will act out by trying to get the adult in trouble. Especially if they see the adult as the authority figure. I've seen this happen with younger children who attempted to get adults to physically abuse them, and even went so far as to put marks on themselves so as to get an adult in trouble. I've also known children who molested younger children. Adults should be able to deal with this, but a manipulative child can catch you off-guard.
It's important to prepare people so they don't expect innocent lambs with all children. Some children are so abused from PRIOR situations that they see it as normal to manipulate others for their benefit. It's important to know that this CAN happen so that you are prepared and are not blindsided by the actions of an abused child. If you want to protect children, you have to realize that sometimes the child needs to be protected from himself.
September 4, 2012 at 11:15 pm
"There are some troubled children who will act out by trying to get the adult in trouble."
There are also troubled children whose lack of boundaries and voracious need for approval, love, a replacement for a missing parent, can overwhelm a man with temptations. Doesn't make it right, but the kid (teenager) sought out the older man, not the other way around. The older man should have disengaged and run the other way hard and fast, yes, yes, yes, but he was the pursued one.
This has same-sex and opposite-sex versions. Christina is also right that children can be master manipulators because of the horrible lives they have already led. That I've seen personally.