Strong criticism of Father Groeschel following remarks on abuse

August 31, 2012

In an interview with the National Catholic Register, Father Benedict Groeschel said that some victims of clerical sexual abuse seduced their attackers and that first-time offenders should not be jailed.

The remarks prompted wide-ranging criticism and an apology from Father Groeschel.

“People have this picture in their minds of a person planning to — a psychopath,” he said in the interview. “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.”

He continued:

Well, 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, and you know where you find it, among other clergy or important people; you look at teachers, attorneys, judges, social workers. Generally, if they get involved, it's heterosexually, and if it's a priest, he leaves and gets married — that's the usual thing — and gets a dispensation. A lot of priests leave quickly, get civilly married and then apply for the dispensation, which takes about three years.

But 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?

Father Groeschel added:

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 …

At this point, (when) any priest, any clergyman, any social worker, any teacher, any responsible person in society would become involved in a single sexual act — not necessarily intercourse — they're done. And I'm inclined to think, on their first offense, they should not go to jail because their intention was not committing a crime.

“There is never a time when you can blame a minor who is sexually assaulted for the crime perpetrated upon him or her,” said Deacon Bernard Nojadera, executive director of the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “The responsibility is always with the adult. Sexual abuse of a minor is abhorrent and indefensible. It is especially heinous when the abuse is perpetrated by a cleric.”

“The Archdiocese of New York completely disassociates itself from these comments,” said Joseph Zwilling, spokesman of the archdiocese where Father Groeschel has served for decades. “They do not reflect our beliefs or our practice.”

“The sexual abuse of a minor is a crime, and whoever commits that crime deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Zwilling added. “The harm that was done by these remarks was compounded by the assertion that the victim of abuse is responsible for the abuse, or somehow caused the abuse to occur. This is not only terribly wrong, it is also extremely painful for victims. To all those who are hurting because of sexual abuse or because of these comments, please know that you have our profound sympathy and our prayers.”

The National Catholic Register apologized for publishing the comments, and both Father Groeschel and his religious community offered apologies.

“Fr. Benedict made comments that were inappropriate and untrue,” the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal said in a statement. “A child is never responsible for abuse. Any abuser of a child is always responsible, especially a priest. Sexual abuse of a minor is a terrible crime and should always be treated as such. We are sorry for any pain his comments may have caused.”

The friars’ statement continued:

Fr. Benedict has dedicated his life to helping others and these comments were completely out of character. He never intended to excuse abuse or implicate the victims. We hope that these unfortunate statements will not overshadow the great good Fr. Benedict has done in housing countless homeless people, feeding innumerable poor families, and bringing healing, peace and encouragement to so many …

In recent months his health, memory and cognitive ability have been failing,” the statement continued. “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. Although these factors do not excuse his comments, they help us understand how such a compassionate man could have said something so wrong, so insensitive, and so out of character. Our prayers are with all those who have been hurt by his comments, especially victims of sexual abuse.

“I apologize for my comments,” said Father Groeschel. “I did not intend to blame the victim. 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,” he added. “I have spent my life trying to help others the best that I could. I deeply regret any harm I have caused to anyone.”

 

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Further information:

• Father Benedict Groeschel Reflects on 25 Years of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (National Catholic Register)
• Statement Of Joseph Zwilling Regarding Recent Comments Of Fr. Benedict Groeschel (Archdiocese of New York)
• Father Benedict Groeschel's disturbing comments (Renew America)
• NY priest apologizes for sex abuse comments (AP)