Fr. Benedict Groeschel was in town last night to speak abou the Scandal. I like Fr. Groeschel and respect him greatly. I think he is right on when he says that the most important thing the average Catholic can do in responding to the Scandal is seeking holiness.
However, I don’t understand why he continues to say that the Scandal is a media fabrication.
While recognizing there are priests guilty of the charges against them, Father Benedict criticized the media, saying it had blown the abuse scandal out of proportion, fabricated charges and had an agenda in the church’s troubles. ... “Ninety-eight percent of what there was in the media wasn’t true,” he said, growing visibly upset as he talked about reports of sexual misconduct in the past by Catholic clergy. “The purpose of the media in attacking the church is very clear.”
Ninety-eight percent? I don’t think so. It’s not like there aren’t actual files from diocesan offices out there or that most of the accused priests eventually admit to their sins. Yes, the secular media has jumped on the Church to push their own anti-Catholic agenda, but their bad motivations don’t make the story untrue. The real shame is that the bishops allowed the Church to become vulnerable to those attacks by ignoring the problem of molestation.
