Holy crap. The National Catholic Register put up a column by Father Benedict Groeschel, who is the director of the Office for Spiritual Development for the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, blaming those seductive children for priests that molest them. They’ve taken down the article now, but Andrew Sullivan has a long quote from it:
“People have this picture in their minds of a person planning to — a psychopath. But that’s not the case. Suppose you have a man having a nervous breakdown, and a youngster comes after him. A lot of the cases, the youngster — 14, 16, 18 — is the seducer … It’s not so hard to see — 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.
It’s an understandable thing … there are the relatively rare cases where a priest is involved in a homosexual way with a minor. I think the statistic I read recently in a secular psychology review was about 2%. Would that be true of other clergy? Would it be true of doctors, lawyers, coaches?
Here’s this poor guy — [Penn State football coach Jerry] Sandusky — it went on for years. Interesting: Why didn’t anyone say anything? Apparently, a number of kids knew about it and didn’t break the ice. Well, you know, until recent years, people did not register in their minds that it was a crime. It was a moral failure, scandalous; but they didn’t think of it in terms of legal things.”
Words fail.
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Larry
September 4, 2012 at 10:43 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
You know, it really isn’t hard to absolutely detest these people.
Michael Heath
September 4, 2012 at 10:45 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Ed concludes:
Hopefully not for Bill Donohue, I eagerly await his perspective.
dave
September 4, 2012 at 10:47 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
FWIW: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/01/benedict-groeschel-apologizes-sex-abuse-remarks_n_1848122.html
Raging Bee
September 4, 2012 at 10:55 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
HIS words sure as Hell failed. What the fuck was he thinking, opening his mouth on that subject without even a coherent-sounding script? It’s like he was just champing the bit to defend child-rapists, and didn’t even take a breath and think until about halfway into the article.
Gotta love that Christian compassion. Not wure why I gotta love it, it’s whatchacall a Mystery…but you gotta love it…
Pierce R. Butler
September 4, 2012 at 10:55 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I think the statistic I read recently in a secular psychology review …
Why would a good pious priest endanger his immortal soul by seeking out such godless nattering?
imrryr
September 4, 2012 at 11:00 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Time to move Father Benedict to a different archdiocese…
John Pieret
September 4, 2012 at 11:04 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
His appology:
My mind and my way of expressing myself are not as clear as they used to be.
That may be a very low bar …
Zinc Avenger (Sarcasm Tags 3.0 Compliant)
September 4, 2012 at 11:08 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“Homosexual conduct with a minor”. How I despise that phrase, for its weaselly attempt to shift the horror of the entire incident from child rape to homosexuality.
Raging Bee
September 4, 2012 at 11:09 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“In recent months his health, memory and cognitive ability have been failing,” the friars said. “He has been in and out of the hospital. Due to his declining health and inability to care for himself, Fr. Benedict had moved to a location where he could rest and be relieved of his responsibilities.”
Okay, that kinda explains the author’s comments (if true). But it definitely DOES NOT explain why anyone else would allow such nonsense to go up on a web-site. Don’t they have editors over there? Where’s that rigid centralized doctrinal authority when we really need it? I don’t know anyne at the Catholic Register, but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have allowed any article to go up on their web-site if they didn’t actually agree with what it said.
So when is Pope Palpadict going to be “moved to a location where he could rest and be relieved of his responsibilities?”
anandine
September 4, 2012 at 11:10 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Larry said, You know, it really isn’t hard to absolutely detest these people.
It may be a moral imperative.
Quodlibet
September 4, 2012 at 11:12 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
It’s even worse than is implied in the quote Ed posted. An article in the New York Times added this frightening, sickening factor:
It sickens me to thing that predatory priests sent to this man for “counseling” may have received the message he gave in the interview: “It’s not your fault; you were seduced by those nasty children; and since it was your first time getting caught we’ll just send you back. Do try to be more careful. About not getting caught.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/nyregion/in-interview-the-rev-benedict-groeschel-says-abuse-victims-can-be-seducers.html?_r=0
slc1
September 4, 2012 at 11:13 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Ah gee, poor old Jerry Sandusky, just couldn’t resist the wiles of those 10 year old boys he had sex with. End snark.
anubisprime
September 4, 2012 at 11:15 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
It gets better…sort of!…from the National Catholic Register
And finally…
And the corker…
So a loose cannon gone ga ga…or the true attitudes of the Catholic church when that pesky media are not listening?
Seeing as they tried that line after the scandals broke over a decade ago…it is of no great surprise it still is the line they feed to concerned followers in private of course.
The good fader’ did not misspeak…as was claimed directly the shite hit the fan after this pronouncement was published…he was just stating a Vatican approved apologetic for grubby little cockroaches that wear a dress and an aire of entitlement to fiddle about with kiddies…cos they did not know it was against the law…another favorite piece of Vatican endorsed dogma!
ashleymoore
September 4, 2012 at 11:15 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Not to mention how those children manage to track the poor priests down as they are moved from diocese to diocese to escape!
reverendrodney
September 4, 2012 at 11:16 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Father Benedict seems a little too sympathetic to the plights of child molesting priests for comfort.
And what, Jerry Sandusky is “the poor guy”? What, the poor guy couldn’t help fucking children in the shower?
It doesn’t matter what a kid is looking for–a father figure, some fatherly affection–grown men simply do not take advantage of them! Sandusky and all child molesting priests, and all those who enable them should be put away.
And what Father Benedict says about “all those years” (that Sandusky preyed on children): “Interesting.” I’ll bet it’s interesting to him. Very, very interesting. The perv.
Raging Bee
September 4, 2012 at 11:21 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Look on the bright side, folks — at least they’re kinda sorta starting to admit that being religious doesn’t really make you a better person, and a powerful Church doesn’t really protect anyone from predators or evil of any sort.
anubisprime
September 4, 2012 at 11:38 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
And they held this paragon of virtue up as a psychological counselor.
Right up to the publication of this article anyway…cos they were boasting about his holy ass counseling accused kiddy fiddlers as part of his duties and as a kind of qualification for his opinion piece.
So now we know what the RCC actual attitude and policy with abusive priests is today…as if we did not already!
Makes skin crawl and sickens the stomach…a moral magisterium…in your fucking dreams!
.
regexp
September 4, 2012 at 11:42 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
If this individuals “memory and cognitive ability” have been failing – why the hell is he allowed to give interviews?
anubisprime
September 4, 2012 at 11:55 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
One last rant on this tacky tale…
I do not believe one weasel word of that, simply because the interviewer was well aware of what was said and who this cretin blamed, well aware, he asked clarification about two or three times.
And said nothing to no one…yeah right I will buy that with a pint of fairy glitter please!
Editorial mistake my ass, they must have tacitly endorsed the apologetic then realized they were out in nah nah land without a fucking map to get back to humanity…a rare realization in its self for katolik’ shills!
Absolute cretinism at its most potent.
baal
September 4, 2012 at 11:56 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
When you keep two sets of books, it’s easy to forget which one you’re using. Father Benedict Groeschel’s probelm is that he screwed up on which audience he was talking to – internal or external. Like when the PA (R) house leader Turzai said the voter law changes would deliver the State for Romney.
Trebuchet
September 4, 2012 at 12:08 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Quite reminiscent of the chorus of Republicans criticizing Todd Akin for saying aloud what most of them actually believe.
Didn’t another Catholic publication manage to dramatically reduce the incidence of molestation a couple of years ago by redefining the age of consent as eleven, and saying any kids above that were willing partners?
Raging Bee
September 4, 2012 at 12:09 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Father Benedict seems a little too sympathetic to the plights of child molesting priests for comfort.
IF he’s counseling said priests, then it’s part fo his job to be sympathetic to them, at least when he’s listening to them behind closed doors. Makikng excuses for them in a public forum is, of course, another matter.
The much deeper problem here is that those child-molesters are getting their counseling from within the organization that created the environment where their offenses became possible. IANAE, but that really looks like a problem from a psychiatric-ethics standpoint, not to mention from a conflict-of-interest standpoint. It’s a bit like soldiers getting treatment from military doctors who might be under pressure to cover up the real cause of the soldiers’ injuries, get them back into action no matter what, or avoid expensive treatments.
Raging Bee
September 4, 2012 at 12:11 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Like when the PA (R) house leader Turzai said the voter law changes would deliver the State for Romney.
I’d really like a cite for that. Thanks.
schmeer
September 4, 2012 at 12:31 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Raging Bee,
Here’s video
anubisprime
September 4, 2012 at 12:49 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
This is a catholic website..
http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/abbott/120830
It is not the main article but the comments below that are of interest…
Check out Steven Fluet he has some seemingly valid points of issue with this Groeschel who has apparently a along and dubious history in dealing with church pedo’s that is exactly parallel to catholic policy at the time and certainly now.
The only change in the long standing RCC abuse policy is that now the offender…if busted…must leave the holy mudda kirk!
But according to fadder’ if a certain reading between the lines is valid, not be handed over to the cops unless someone is watching!
You tend to find that those that defend moronic statements with the
“I misspoke” catechism…well it turns out they did not so much misspoke but stated clearly and concisely their long held opinions on the matter at hand.
The fact they get a pulled up on it is unfortunate…so they fall back on the wiggle out from under by claiming “I misspoke” which apparently covers… misunderstanding…going dolally or just plain being misinformed…yes ‘misspoke’ covers a variety of sins apparently… funny how they always make these inane statements both the original nonsense and the excuse for the original nonsense to an audience they think will swallow it hook line and sinker!
d cwilson
September 4, 2012 at 2:31 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
baal @20:
Turzai was speaking to a group of republicans. His mistake wasn’t so much that he forgot which audience he was speaking to as it was he didn’t realize the cameras were recording his remarks for others outside of the club to see.
shockna
September 4, 2012 at 5:04 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
For the person asking for Bill Donohue’s vile perspective, here it is:
http://www.catholicleague.org/fr-groeschel-under-fire/
tl;dr version: He totally wasn’t victim blaming! He was hypothesizing about kids “taking advantage” of Priests!
Michael Heath
September 4, 2012 at 6:19 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
shockna writes:
Thanks for the link I requested. I’m reminded of the cliche, “With friends like him, who needs enemies?”
argos
September 4, 2012 at 6:46 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
One more time, nature imitates art:
In the film “Airbag”, when a pederastic politician is arrested, he says: “How would I know that she was 8? She told me she was 20! Shame on their fathers, who dress them like whores!”
Crudely Wrott
September 5, 2012 at 3:29 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
In the large part the victims were much younger. Try 6, 8, 10. Not that an error factor that large ever means anything to those who just know that the voice in their head isn’t their own but from above.
The spirit moves, and speaks, in mysterious ways and the good priest is well advised to assume the worst. No matter that the evidence does not indicate the worst. The faith must be defended. Uber alles.
joe_k
September 5, 2012 at 6:33 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Well, Eve was only a few weeks old when she seduced Adam! Therefore something, therefore child-rape is god approved!
Priest absolves child rapists by blaming the child.
September 7, 2012 at 10:55 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
[...] rapes a child (except that they don’t), perhaps it’s to report the child.(Hat tip to Ed Brayton for this) /* Filed Under: Faith 2 Comments « Comment round-up. Comments anteprepro says: September 7, [...]