<p>Well, remember who his boss is (and what said boss did in Milwaukee)…</p>
<p>Very twisted to blame a child. Frankly, this is how sociopaths think. And tragically many at high levels of power and influence in all spheres, politics, churches, schools, can be sociopaths. Power to them is more important than anything else and they will protect their power and turf with any means possible, often including twisted versions of “blaming the victim”.</p>
<p>Another issue to consider is how many of these people were themselves sexually abused. The denial, shame and rationalization that can accompany that abuse can be powerful if someone has not sought help to deal with it.</p>
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<p>Paterno was described by friends and associates as a “devout Catholic.” Spanier is identified in his Wikipedia bio as Jewish. Don’t know about Curley and Schultz. Curley is an Irish name so there’s a good chance he was Catholic; Schultz is a German name and people of German ancestry are often either Lutheran or Catholic, but we really don’t know because maternal influence often matters a lot, and for all we know either or both of them could have fallen away from their ancestral church, never had one, or converted to something entirely different.</p>
<p>I could see someone like Paterno, if he was as religious as his friends and associates claim, going to a priest or even someone higher up in the church (he certainly would have had access) and getting advice based on ideas like Father Groeschel’s. Apparently there had been a pedophile priest scandal in Paterno’s own Altoona-Johnstown Diocese in the 1980s which got dragged through the courts for years because the Diocese kept (stupidly) appealing, thus prolonging its public disgrace (and making Paterno’s own excuse that he had “never heard of” male-on-male rape just utterly implausible). One of the victims who won a judgment against the Diocese had been an altar boy in State College. Given that, the idea within the Diocesan power structure might well have been: 1) this was a sin, but a sin is between the sinner, his church, and God; 2) it can also lead to a scandal but only if it comes out, and that’s bad not only for the sinner but for the institution, and it can be costly, too; and 3) it’s also a crime as far as the secular authorities are concerned, but as a crime it’s only rarely enforced, so it’s a little unfair to throw “our” sinner to the legal wolves when so many others get away with it. And I can see JoePa pondering that advice, and thinking it’s very sage and savvy advice, and persuading Curley (and through Curley Spanier) that it’s more “humane” to not put Sandusky through public humilitation and possible prison time, while protecting the institution’s reputation and preventing possible lawsuits. Win-win all around, as long as you don’t stop and think about the victims, which clearly they didn’t–and which clearly some powerful people in the Catholic Church don’t. </p>
<p>That’s all speculation, of course, nothing more. But it least is the start of a plausible answer to the question, “What could they have been thinking?”</p>
<p>Interesting point.
[The</a> Suzanne Pohland Paterno Catholic Student Faith Center](<a href=“http://www.torbertmedia.com/faithcenter/]The”>http://www.torbertmedia.com/faithcenter/)
This is blocks from their home.</p>
<p>This is what I was referring to above, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. They need more priests like this one: </p>
<p>[The</a> Archbishop of Dublin challenges the Church - CBS News](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57390125/the-archbishop-of-dublin-challenges-the-church/]The”>http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57390125/the-archbishop-of-dublin-challenges-the-church/)</p>
<p>^ Interesting, 1moremom. And inspiring to see so many Penn State students engaged in something higher than football.</p>
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<p>My thoughts exactly. This guy is a disgrace.</p>
<p>There is also this, bclintonk-
[url=<a href=“http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/spiritual/]Student”>Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development | Penn State Student Affairs]Student</a> Affairs @ Penn State | Center for Ethics & Religious Affairs<a href=“Others,%20please%20be%20a%20little%20respectful%20and%20hold%20the%20disparaging%20remarks.”>/url</a></p>
<p>Yeah, blaming molested kids a “seducers” is just disgusting. People like Groeschel are the reason so many sex abuse victims never come forward. I’m surprised he didn’t ask what the kids were wearing and explain that “some kids are just asking for it.”</p>
<p>There’s this very entrenched idea, I think, that adult men are just frothing with lust to the extent that they simply can’t HELP raping women (and, apparently, little boys and adolescents) who are “tempting” them, so it’s not really theiiiiir fault when they molest someone or “just can’t stop” during sex when someone says “no”. </p>
<p>It’s ridiculous and insulting to all genders involved. Men can choose to keep it in their pants, and that is what good, responsible men do every day. It’s thanks to people trying to protect “poor Sandusky” that people glare suspiciously at the responsible guys when they volunteer to take a vanful of kids on a field trip.</p>
<p>I know everyone knows this, but it always bears repeating: rape is not about “lust”. It’s not about keeping it in your pants. It’s about power, control, fear, rage and punishment.</p>
<p>Good point, Greenbutton. To define it as an act of lust is to fall into the trap that the priest sets with his delusional viewpoint.</p>
<p>I am frankly a bit stunned by some of the priest’s comments. These priests are supposed to be educated. They provide counseling. They really need to be educated before being allowed to serve a parish.</p>
<p>I’m not stunned at all by his remarks. They resound with the denial, misplaced blame and enabling attitude that has hobbled the Catholic Church since that scandal broke. As a recovering Catholic myself, I recognize the blame/shame approach. Along with the arrogance. The arrogance is a key ingredient. I know that not all priests and certainly not most Catholics take this attitude, but the hierarchy of the church has demonstrated it in spades.</p>
<p>I am much less stunned by the Father’s comments than by the Cardinal who employs him, who systematically paid off pedophile priests and became the most powerful Archbishop in America.</p>
<p>“I did not intend to blame the victim,” the Rev. Benedict Groeschel, of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, said Thursday. “A priest (or anyone else) who abuses a minor is always wrong and is always responsible.”</p>
<p>It then said that Groeschel was in a car accident seven years ago that put him in a coma for more than a month.</p>
<p>“In recent months his health, memory and cognitive ability have been failing,” the group said. “He has been in and out of the hospital.”</p>
<p>[Priest</a> apologizes after sex abuse comments draw ire – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs](<a href=“http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/31/priest-apologizes-after-sex-abuse-comments-draw-ire/]Priest”>http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/31/priest-apologizes-after-sex-abuse-comments-draw-ire/)</p>
<p>If they are claiming his cognitive abilities are failing to the extent that he didn’t know what he was saying then why is he in a position to “help” priests?? Groeschel is the director of the Office of Spiritual Development of the New York Archdiocese. He needs to be taken out of this position, they can’t have it both ways. He didn’t make one simple statement, he backed it up and clearly believed what he was saying. </p>
<p>“A lot of the cases, the youngster - 14, 16, 18 - is the seducer,” he said.
When asked to elaborate, Groeschel speculated that victims may be tempted to seduce authority figures in pursuit of a father figure. He then referred to Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant football coach and convicted sex offender, as a “poor guy.”</p>
<p>seriously? on what planet would it make sense that if a child or teen needed a father figure they would go and seduce one??? and he might need to be reminded that Sandusky’s victims were all around 10 yrs old, not 14, 16 18!!</p>
<p>" Groeschel is the director of the Office of Spiritual Development of the New York Archdiocese"</p>
<p>After a quick google of the “office of spirtual development New York Archdoiscese”, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Someone else is director. Doesn’t seem as if he is currently involved.</p>
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<p>Yeah, poor Jerry Sandusky - he just kept getting seduced, against his will, over and over again. For decades. They ought to do something about those awful, predatory, seducing teenagers before they victimize another innocent, defenseless father figure.</p>
<p><a href=“http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/1-catholic-leagues-bill-donohue-defends-pedophile-sympathizing-priest/news/2012/08/31/47879[/url]”>http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/1-catholic-leagues-bill-donohue-defends-pedophile-sympathizing-priest/news/2012/08/31/47879</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/us/cardinal-authorized-payments-to-abusers.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/us/cardinal-authorized-payments-to-abusers.html</a></p>
<p>From a Faux News report:</p>
<p>"On the civil side, Paterno’s role in the scandal could expose his estate to liability, said Altoona lawyer Richard Serbin, who has pursued lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Church and other institutions in Pennsylvania for the past 25 years. Paterno was considerably wealthy; he and his wife donated millions to the university, and in April the school paid millions in retirement benefits to his family and estate.</p>
<p>“When a responsible party passes away, that does not mean to say their wrongful conduct is excused by death,” said Serbin, who does not represent any of Sandusky’s victims. “Their estate becomes the representative of that person, and assets of their estate … remain exposed to any verdict or judgment.”</p>
<p>Read more: <a href=“Legal expert links PSU, Catholic church scandals | Fox News”>Legal expert links PSU, Catholic church scandals | Fox News;
<p>I don’t think that lawyer’s position is a particular surprise…certainly the Paterno estate is vulnerable (rightly so) to lawsuits, but the University has said it will settle and the Paternos will fight tooth and nail, so I would imagine plaintiffs would go after PSU. </p>
<p>But for those of you who frequent this epic thread – how do you feel about the beginning of football season at PSU? Do you want them to lose? Win? Be ignored? What would constitute proper fan behavior – rallying to their university, or boycotting it? (And let’s not open up the “they shouldn’t be playing” can, okay? Let’s just accept that they get to play, and stop debating that) </p>
<p>[Forging</a> a new meaning for the rally cry ‘We Are…Penn State’ - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/31/us/penn-state-identity/index.html?hpt=hp_c]Forging”>http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/31/us/penn-state-identity/index.html?hpt=hp_c)</p>
<p>I don’t really care what the football team does. I am waiting for more unequivocable communications from the trustees and the faculty that PSU is more committed than ever on focusing on academics and ethical behaivor, and if the team wins, fine, and if it doesn’t thats OK too.</p>