A well-known reverend who, among other things, counseled wayward priests at Larchmont's , made controversial remarks in The National Catholic Register implying that priests accused of sexual abuse were not always to blame for their actions.
As the NY Times reported, Rev. Benedict Groeschel was quoted as saying, "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.” Groeschel also said that he thought that first-time offenders should not be jailed because their intent was not to commit a crime.
Groeschel, who is 79 and in declining health, apologized for the comments on Thursday and made the following statement on the Register's website, according to the NY Times:
“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.”
