Fr. Groeschel apologizes for comments on sex abuse

Fr. Benedict Groeschel, popular EWTN host, trained psychologist, and founder of the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, has come under heavy criticism for remarks he made during an interview with the National Catholic Register. The interview was posted on the NCR website yesterday, but has since been taken down and replaced with apologetic statements from the newspaper’s editor, the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, and Groeschel himself.

The controversial portions of the interview can be found at Deacon Greg Kandra’s blog. They read, in part:

Part of your work here at Trinity has been working with priests involved in abuse, no?

A little bit, yes; but you know, in those cases, they have to leave. And some of them profoundly — profoundly — penitential, horrified. 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.

…

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?

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.

NCR Editor-in-Chief Jeanette R. De Melo published an apology in place of the original interview today:

Child sexual abuse is never excusable. The editors of the National Catholic Register apologize for publishing without clarification or challenge Father Benedict Groeschel’s comments that seem to suggest that the child is somehow responsible for abuse. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our publication of that comment was an editorial mistake, for which we sincerely apologize. Given Father Benedict’s stellar history over many years, we released his interview without our usual screening and oversight. We have removed the story. We have sought clarification from Father Benedict.

The Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal also released a statement, calling Fr. Groeschel’s comments “inappropriate and untrue” and “completely out of character.”

[Fr. Groeschel] 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.

…

About seven years ago Fr. Benedict was struck by a car and was in a coma for over a month. In recent months his health, memory and cognitive ability have been failing. 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.

The Archdiocese of New York, where Fr. Groeschel resides and where the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal are based, also released a statement today:

The comments made by Father Benedict Groeschel that appeared on the website of the National Catholic Register are simply wrong.  Although he is not a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, what Father Groeschel said cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged.   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. 

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 Archdiocese of New York completely disassociates itself from these comments.  They do not reflect our beliefs or our practice.

Finally, Fr. Groeschel, who is 79, issued this apology:

I apologize for my comments. 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. I have spent my life trying to help others the best that I could. I deeply regret any harm I have caused to anyone.