In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller has the protagonist, Willy Loman, state the following regarding how he was being treated by his ungrateful sons: “A man is not an orange. You cant eat the fruit and throw the peel away” Yet, that is what was done to Fr. Benedict. The reporter who actually published those remarks, and the editor who allowed their publication are disgraceful human beings. An old man who had a series of strokes, who did so much for so many ought to have been given the benefit of the doubt, that perhaps Fr. Benedict was speaking thoughts unfiltered by cognitive impairments from those strokes. It was VERY evident that he struggled neurologically in his last years. When I would sit and talk with him, he often had to stop and struggle for the word he was thinking of. It is normal that in old age people begin to speak their mind in ways they never would have done even a few years before. It is all the moreso for people who have had strokes. Yet Fr. Benedict was thrown away. Even Fr. Benedict indicated as much after the firestorm: I apologize for my comments. I did not intend to blame the victim. A priest (or anyone else) who abuses a minor is always wrong and is always responsible. My mind and my way of expressing myself are not as clear as they used to be. I have spent my life trying to help others the best that I could. I deeply regret any harm I have caused to anyone. After EWTN had eaten the orange, after the church had eaten the orange, they threw away the peel. Mealy-mouthed declarations of company policy only add to the disgrace for how Fr. Benedict was treated. I applaud the Catholic League for having written this.
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 00:52:04 +0000