Comments Removed: Prominent Priest Defended Child Sex Abusers, Later Apologizes - Yahoo! News

No one sane supports the following comments by Rev. Benedict Groeschel, who said the following regarding sexual abusers and victims:

"People have this picture in their minds of a person planning to -- a psychopath. But that's not the case. 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,"

And, Broeschel said, Jerry Sandusky is a "poor guy," and first time sexual offenders should not go to jail.

Those comments appeared in the National Catholic Register in an interview in that paper. Broeschel's comments have been removed from the site and Broeschel's apology put up in its stead: Comments Removed: Prominent Priest Defended Child Sex Abusers, Later Apologizes - Yahoo! News

Not only did Broeschel apologize, but the editor in chief Jeanette R. De Melo -- she apologized for posting the interview in the first place. I find this very odd. Shouldn't the pathetic comments of a sexual abuser be posted for all to see? It's news. It's fact. But this is what De Melo had to say:

"The editors of the National Catholic Register apologize for publishing without clarification or challenge Father Benedict Groeschel's comments that seem to suggest that the child is somehow responsible for abuse. Nothing could be further from the truth."

In rereading the comments, I don't see how Broeschel was misunderstood. Here's more from Broeschel, according to the article:

"Well, it's not so hard to see. A kid looking for a father and didn't have his own -- and they won't be planning to get into heavy-duty sex, but almost romantic, embracing, kissing, perhaps sleeping, but not having intercourse or anything like that. I's an understandable thing, and you know where you find it, among other clergy or important people; you look at teachers, attorneys, judges, social workers,"

He doesn't see sexual abuse as a crime, but a "moral failure" and "scandalous."

And that is where the sexual abuser lives; in that state where sexually abusing others is not a crime. They are so messed up they don't get it. They can't get it. No matter, sexual abuse  is a crime, and they need to know it's a crime, and that they will not get away with sexually abusing others.