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Some facts
and Figures Fr
Benedict Groeshel
8
million cases of sexual abuse in the last 40 years (half of them unreported) –
of
these, what small percentage were priests?
Fr
Benedict Groeshel (also a PHD in psychology) and a practitioner in the
diocese
of NYC, gave a rather interesting talk on EWTN, on the "Crisis in
the
Church".
He
pointed out that it seemed rather obvious to the American people (more to
the
non Catholics than the Catholics) that the media was victimizing
priests. Everywhere he went, always wearing his
religious habit, people had
been,
since "the crisis" especially friendly to him.
He
has followed the media articles and coverage closely since in his work he
occasionally
had encountered a priest who had a problem.
For
example, Fr Groeshel stated that in Boston, the Boston Globe newspaper
had
featured 250 stories about 'pedophile priests'.... 250 stories in 100
days! He had collected all of
the stories and said that the newspaper was
re-telling
the same
story, over and over, and that less than 1 percent of
priests
had been 'involved' in sexual misconduct.
The
New York Times has NEVER carried a story of a Protestant clergyman who
committed
sexual misconduct. It got so bad that in one case of such a
Protestant
minister, their OWN DENOMINATION carried the story but the New
York
Times (busy dissing priests) never carried the story. In another case,
the
Times in reporting on a pedophile had called a Protestant minister of a
Calvinist
denomination, a "priest".
There
are 4 priests (including himself) he knows of in the NYC area who deal
with
priests with problems and none of them were ever interviewed for the
press
to ask THEIR side.
When
asked how this all has affected priests, he stated that when more than
99
percent of priests are sacrificial people who are NOT involved in sexual
misconduct, this media blitz had
demoralized and discouraged priests.
Priests,
he added, do not earn a high salary. AT best, a diocesan priest may
earn
$12,000 bucks a year. Order
priests like himself, get their food and
lodgings
and a bit of spending money - that's it.
The
New York Times didn't have a real good batting average with Christians
anyway. For Christmas, they only had one story
and it was by a wiccan
talking
about Winter Solstice! Jews had
not been given much better coverage,
stated
Fr Groeshel.
Often,
a priest can be accused of sexual misconduct and they turn up
innocent.
Fr cited the story of a priest who had to tell a young boy about
his
father's death. The teen started
crying and the priest hugged the boy
but
the boy who had been sexually abused at home, got scared and started
screaming.
The priest is at present, awaiting being aquitted of this non
crime.
Fr
estimated there were about 8 million cases of sexual abuse in the last 40
years
(half of them unreported) - of these, what small percentage were
priests?
Fr
Benedict pointed out that he had gotten nothing but supportive behavior
and
especially from Non Catholics. He
feels (as do many of us) that the
media
is attacking the hierarchy of the Catholic church to undermine its
influence
between of the church's strong stand against abortion.
This
is a five part series and is available on tape from www.ewtn.com It is
entitled
"Where do we go from here?" and apparently provides a detailed and
factual
analysis on the so called "Crisis in the Church"
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