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From Scandal to Hope
Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R. Our Lord Jesus Christ warned His will necessarily come and make people fall;but woe to the one who has brought it about - Luke 17:1. The Catholic Church in the United States is facing what may be its greatest challenge. The deeds of a small percentage of priests and the consequent scandal have caused some to question their Faith. ? Priests are discouraged. ? Some are falsely accused. ? Bishops are shaken. ? Many Catholics are humiliated and demoralized. What will happen next? Best-selling author Fr. Benedict Groeschel provides a piercing and forthright examination of the roots of the current troubles, both within and without the Catholic Church. Calling upon the example of St. Francis, the founder of the rule he and his fellow Franciscans observe, Fr. Benedict encourages all of us to rebuild the Church, which is falling into ruin. Pray. Pray for the Church, and pray for the victims, and pray for our enemies. Let us pray that out of this darkness will come a more purified and better Church here in the United States. - Fr. Benedict Groeschel
217 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2002
About the author
Benedict J. Groeschel
128 books76 followersBenedict Joseph Groeschel, C.F.R. (July 23, 1933 – October 3, 2014) was an American Franciscan friar, Catholic priest, retreat master, author, psychologist, activist and television host. He hosted the television talk program Sunday Night Prime broadcast on the Eternal Word Television Network as well as several serial religious specials. He founded the Office for Spiritual Development for the Catholic Archdiocese of New York. He was Associate Director of the Trinity Retreat House for clergy and executive director of St. Francis House. He was professor of pastoral psychology at St. Joseph's Seminary in New York and an adjunct professor at the Institute for Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia. He was one of the founders of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and among his close friends were Mother Teresa, Mother Angelica and Alice von Hildebrand.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 5, 2012
Did not like this book at all--read it as part of a book group. Groeschel comes across as making excuses for predator Priests in parts of the book and that does not sit well with people (and their family members) who have been victimized by these Priests.
Updated 10/12 Groeschel was recently part of a church scandal when he publicly stated that the children in these "scandals" are "seducers" and not victims. (Updated 10/12)
He has also been revealed to have harbored Priests accused of molesting children in his home in a suburban neighborhood filled with children--as opposed to following appropriate protocol. I would say this calls into question his ability to write effectively and honestly on this subject.
Updated 10/12 Groeschel was recently part of a church scandal when he publicly stated that the children in these "scandals" are "seducers" and not victims. (Updated 10/12)
He has also been revealed to have harbored Priests accused of molesting children in his home in a suburban neighborhood filled with children--as opposed to following appropriate protocol. I would say this calls into question his ability to write effectively and honestly on this subject.
September 20, 2024
THE POPULAR PSYCHOLOGIST AND RETREAT MASTER LOOKS AT THE ABUSE SCANDAL
Benedict Joseph Groeschel (born 1933) is a Catholic priest, retreat master, author, psychologist, activist and former host of the EWTN program Sunday Night Prime. He has written many books, such as 'Spiritual Passages: The Psychology of Spiritual Development,' 'Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones: Spiritual Answers to Psychological Questions,' 'The Courage to Be Chaste,' etc.
He wrote in the introductory section of the book. "This book obviously had to be written under great pressure of both time and responsibility. My motive for writing the book is to encourage Catholics toward the best use of the tremendous suffering we are all going through at this time." (Pg. 9)
He states, "Here in the United States, the Church is humiliated and demoralized. The bishops are shaken. Priests are discouraged. Many of the most loyal Catholics are angry at Church authorities, and everyone wonders what will happen. This is a time, then, to turn to God. This should not be seen merely as a pious thought, but as a very real demand of the times.
"In this book, we want to look at the problem that has been in the media day after day. And at the same time, we want to look at the media's attack on the Church, which this problem has occasioned. There's a feeding frenzy by media sharks against the Catholic Church, and they have their reasons. Finally, we want to look for solutions that may be found in this suffering, to see what can be done to bring good out of this situation." (Pg. 15-16)
He states, "Now I come to the big question about the media. Does anyone think that Catholic clergy are the only people who have this problem? People in the media apparently believe that they are... Various religious denominations... all encounter the same problem, as does the Catholic Church, and they have all generally handled it in the same way. They have very rarely brought cases of sexual misconduct with minors into criminal court for the simple reason that their families did not want to do so. They did not want to put the youngster before a court, and so these things were settled most often with the knowledge of district attorneys... along with the payment of considerable sums in damages. In other words, they acted exactly the same as the Catholic bishops are accused of doing right now." (Pg. 29)
He suggests, "The heart of the problem is that we have become a worldly Church. We are filled with many worldly ideas that we have absorbed from the general culture." (Pg. 34) He adds, "The present disaster and scandal reveal that there has been much relativistic moral theology and practice. A great many priests and religious have held out against moral relativism, with varying degrees of certitude; but it has crept in nonetheless." (Pg. 37)
He charges, "We are experiencing a media blitz right now against the Catholic Church... Over ninety percent of those involved in media establishment were in favor of equating homosexual relationships with traditional marriage. Considerably more than ninety percent were in favor of abortion-on-demand. That's why they consider us their enemies... Their goal is to destroy any public influence that the Catholic Church or its bishops might have. That's their goal, and they are succeeding very well in reaching it." (Pg. 44-45)
But he admits, "To be sure, Church authorities have made terrible mistakes... Some bishops were mistaken, and at times these terrible mistakes let to things that are terrifying and lamentable. Innocent youngsters were badly hurt and so were their families... in the last thirty years no single problem has occupied the attention of bishops and religious administrators more than clerical misbehavior... The bishops listened to lawyers and to psychologists... who were sometimes tragically wrong about a particular case... How did such people get into the seminary after psychological-testing procedures were established? The most notorious cases involved priests who were ordained before testing began." (Pg. 53-54)
He asserts, "As I write, it appears that Catholic priests in the United States have no civil rights and are guilty until proved innocent. Any false accusation can remove a priest immediately from his work and home without even the right to confront his accuser or a representative... his good name may not be restored. They may simply say that there is insufficient evidence, and his reputation may be ruined. This abuse of the media sets a very dangerous precedent." (Pg. 61)
He concludes, "No other procedure would settle the situation more powerfully than an apology from the clergy and the hierarchy as well as an admission that serious mistakes have been made. I think that this must go quite beyond the area of so-called pedophilia cases... The Pope has apologized often. The American clergy ought to consider the possibility." (Pg. 177)
This book will be of great interest to Catholics looking for "lessons" from the scandal.
Benedict Joseph Groeschel (born 1933) is a Catholic priest, retreat master, author, psychologist, activist and former host of the EWTN program Sunday Night Prime. He has written many books, such as 'Spiritual Passages: The Psychology of Spiritual Development,' 'Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones: Spiritual Answers to Psychological Questions,' 'The Courage to Be Chaste,' etc.
He wrote in the introductory section of the book. "This book obviously had to be written under great pressure of both time and responsibility. My motive for writing the book is to encourage Catholics toward the best use of the tremendous suffering we are all going through at this time." (Pg. 9)
He states, "Here in the United States, the Church is humiliated and demoralized. The bishops are shaken. Priests are discouraged. Many of the most loyal Catholics are angry at Church authorities, and everyone wonders what will happen. This is a time, then, to turn to God. This should not be seen merely as a pious thought, but as a very real demand of the times.
"In this book, we want to look at the problem that has been in the media day after day. And at the same time, we want to look at the media's attack on the Church, which this problem has occasioned. There's a feeding frenzy by media sharks against the Catholic Church, and they have their reasons. Finally, we want to look for solutions that may be found in this suffering, to see what can be done to bring good out of this situation." (Pg. 15-16)
He states, "Now I come to the big question about the media. Does anyone think that Catholic clergy are the only people who have this problem? People in the media apparently believe that they are... Various religious denominations... all encounter the same problem, as does the Catholic Church, and they have all generally handled it in the same way. They have very rarely brought cases of sexual misconduct with minors into criminal court for the simple reason that their families did not want to do so. They did not want to put the youngster before a court, and so these things were settled most often with the knowledge of district attorneys... along with the payment of considerable sums in damages. In other words, they acted exactly the same as the Catholic bishops are accused of doing right now." (Pg. 29)
He suggests, "The heart of the problem is that we have become a worldly Church. We are filled with many worldly ideas that we have absorbed from the general culture." (Pg. 34) He adds, "The present disaster and scandal reveal that there has been much relativistic moral theology and practice. A great many priests and religious have held out against moral relativism, with varying degrees of certitude; but it has crept in nonetheless." (Pg. 37)
He charges, "We are experiencing a media blitz right now against the Catholic Church... Over ninety percent of those involved in media establishment were in favor of equating homosexual relationships with traditional marriage. Considerably more than ninety percent were in favor of abortion-on-demand. That's why they consider us their enemies... Their goal is to destroy any public influence that the Catholic Church or its bishops might have. That's their goal, and they are succeeding very well in reaching it." (Pg. 44-45)
But he admits, "To be sure, Church authorities have made terrible mistakes... Some bishops were mistaken, and at times these terrible mistakes let to things that are terrifying and lamentable. Innocent youngsters were badly hurt and so were their families... in the last thirty years no single problem has occupied the attention of bishops and religious administrators more than clerical misbehavior... The bishops listened to lawyers and to psychologists... who were sometimes tragically wrong about a particular case... How did such people get into the seminary after psychological-testing procedures were established? The most notorious cases involved priests who were ordained before testing began." (Pg. 53-54)
He asserts, "As I write, it appears that Catholic priests in the United States have no civil rights and are guilty until proved innocent. Any false accusation can remove a priest immediately from his work and home without even the right to confront his accuser or a representative... his good name may not be restored. They may simply say that there is insufficient evidence, and his reputation may be ruined. This abuse of the media sets a very dangerous precedent." (Pg. 61)
He concludes, "No other procedure would settle the situation more powerfully than an apology from the clergy and the hierarchy as well as an admission that serious mistakes have been made. I think that this must go quite beyond the area of so-called pedophilia cases... The Pope has apologized often. The American clergy ought to consider the possibility." (Pg. 177)
This book will be of great interest to Catholics looking for "lessons" from the scandal.
February 12, 2021
I wish everyone whose heart was broken during the revealing of all the sins within the church could do well to read this. I may not agree with everything in this book, but it's real. It's passionate. And it clearly describes what we need to do to move into the future. Renewal is key. Let's pray for it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews