I work with teens on a weekly basis and that experience makes me find Rev. Benedict Groeschel’s statements even more reprehensible.  The old bastard said:

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.

He wasn’t done:

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. [snip]

And I’m inclined to think, on their first offense, they should not go to jail because their intention was not committing a crime.

I may be wrong, but I don’t recall the National Association of Social Workers and the NEA and the state Bar Associations spending decades knowingly protecting pedophiles.

I’m stunned at the lack of understanding this man demonstrates.  I’m beyond disgusted.

I’ve seen kids get very attached to their youth leaders and being young they sometimes confuse the love they feel for romantic feelings but the adult has responsibility for setting healthy boundaries and helping teens understand the difference between the very real platonic love they feel and romantic love. 

If Groeschel is an example of the moral leadership in the Catholic church, it’s no wonder the church is full of priests who spend their afternoons diddling children.

Be Sociable, Share!

•