{"id":981,"date":"2012-09-04T16:42:00","date_gmt":"2012-09-04T16:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/father-groeschel-steps-down-from-ewtn-show\/"},"modified":"2012-09-04T16:42:00","modified_gmt":"2012-09-04T16:42:00","slug":"father-groeschel-steps-down-from-ewtn-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/09\/father-groeschel-steps-down-from-ewtn-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Father Groeschel steps down from EWTN show"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Irondale, Ala., Sep 4, 2012 \/ 10:42 am (CNA<\/a>).- Franciscan friar Father Benedict Groeschel has stepped down as host of EWTN\u2019s Sunday Night Prime television show following his apology for making comments about the sexual abuse of minors.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cFather Benedict has led a life of tremendous compassion and service to others and his spiritual insights have been a great gift to the EWTN family for many years. We are profoundly grateful to him and assure him of our prayers,\u201d Michael P. Warsaw, president and CEO of EWTN Global Catholic Network, said Sept. 3.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cAt the same time, we ask our EWTN family to pray for all those who have been affected by this painful situation and in particular those who have been victims of sexual abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tFr. Groeschel decided to step down from the program after consulting with EWTN and with his religious community, the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Warsaw said.<\/p>\n

\tIn a National Catholic Register interview published Aug. 27, Fr. Groeschel suggested that a minor is \u201cthe seducer\u201d in \u201ca lot\u201d of sexual abuse cases. He said he was inclined to think that abusers on their first offense should not go to jail \u201cbecause their intention was not committing a crime.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tFr. Groeschel apologized for the remarks last week, saying he did not intend to \u201cblame the victim.\u201d He affirmed that a priest or anyone else who abuses a minor is \u201calways always wrong\u201d and \u201calways responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI deeply regret any harm I have caused to anyone,\u201d the priest said, adding that his mind and his way of expressing himself are \u201cnot as clear as they used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tWarsaw said the comments at the EWTN-owned National Catholic Register \u201cshould never have been published\u201d and \u201cin no way\u201d reflect the views of the Register or EWTN.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt should have been obvious to the editor that Father Benedict's physical condition and mental clarity have deteriorated and that the comments were completely inconsistent with his life's work and witness,\u201d the EWTN president said. \u201cWe apologize that these remarks were published and ask for forgiveness for this error.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tEWTN\u2019s Sunday Night Prime program will continue with other Franciscan Friars of the Renewal serving as hosts.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Irondale, Ala., Sep 4, 2012 \/ 10:42 am (CNA).- Franciscan friar Father Benedict Groeschel has stepped down as host of EWTN’s Sunday Night Prime television show following his apology for making comments about the sexual abuse of minors.<\/p>\n

\t“F…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nFather Groeschel steps down from EWTN show<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Irondale, Ala., Sep 4, 2012 \/ 10:42 am (CNA).- Franciscan friar Father Benedict Groeschel has stepped down as host of EWTN’s Sunday Night Prime television show following his apology for making comments about the sexual abuse of minors. “F...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/09\/father-groeschel-steps-down-from-ewtn-show\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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