Rev. George William Rutler’s Cosmic Retribution
Mosaic at the entrance to St. Michael’s Church
In Neil Simon’s 1976 comedy mystery film, Murder by Death, the character Sam Diamond, a parody of the fictional detective, Sam Spade, is played by Peter Falk. His secretary (and girlfriend) blows his cover as a straight, tough guy when she tells the other detectives and guests that Diamond keeps stacks of naked muscle man magazines in his office. Diamond counters that they are part of his detective work –“I’m always looking for suspects!” he says. “I hate them queeries!”
The Rev. George William Rutler, 75, hates queeries, too, but must he have needed new material for an article, Eternal World Television Network (EWTN) program, or one of his pounding homilies. On November 4, 2020, he was caught watching gay porn on the rectory TV by Ashley Gonzalez, 22, a security guard, who filmed a 19-second clip of a man who looks like Father Rutler watching two men blow each other. Gonzalez said she started filming after she heard “sexual noises” on the TV and saw the priest masturbating. Rutler had initially watched election coverage but switched it off around 1:30 am to something more edifying. I think at that point, Joe Biden had beaten Donald Trump for the presidency.
Rev. George William Rutler is one of the most famous conservative priests in the U.S., and a long-time critic of Pope Francis, Democratic politicians and “sodomites.” According to Rod Dreher of the American Conservative, Rutler “presents himself as a flinty arch-conversative who suffers no fools gladly.” He is quite explicit on his view of sex: “The only safe sex is real sex, done for the procreation of life and the sanctification of love.” 
When Gonzalez tried to flee the room, Fr. Rutler grabbed her. “He aggressively threw himself on me and grabbed me sexually, aggressively, and I was fighting him off of me,” Gonzalez told News 12, who added that she sent frantic text messages to her mother begging for help. Gonzalez, who is about five feet tall, got out of the office by elbowing the old geezer in the chest. She made it to the street and called a private detective.
There are a number of weird things in Gonzalez’ story: why would a man who is getting off on two guys having sex try to grope or force himself on a woman? And, how can you possibly have time or your hands free to text your mother if someone is trying to rape or molest you?
What seems unequivocal thanks to a cell phone video clip is that Rev. Rutler’s career as a conservative Catholic spokesman and as a liberal and gay basher is washed up. Even though the assault accusation could be a “he said, she said” situation, the video evidence, and the downloads and browser history on the rectory computer will not lie. Rutler has stepped down as pastor of the Church of Saint Michael Church in Manhattan and has been dropped by EWTN.
One of Fr. Rutler’s quotes on homosexual activity sums up his downfall perfectly: “If people want to engage in aberrant sexual activities, well, by all means then they are free to do so. They are free to pay the penalty.”
P.S. To the Episcopal Church: STOP sending us your self-loathing, hypocritical homosexual priests! We have enough of our own.
January 31st, 2021 at 1:48 pm
Her story certainly sounds far fetched and she can’t have been all that clever to have told it.
But I don’t like hypocrisy.
March 9th, 2021 at 3:10 am
Apparently that basic principle of Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence–found in many nations–that one is legally considered innocent unless–or until–one’s guilt is proved ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ no longer influences a good number of American minds. Or, is it, perhaps, a certain irrational influence–that derives from the early days of Salem, in the Colony of Massachusetts–which sometimes holds sway in many American minds?
March 9th, 2021 at 5:48 am
Anonymous, I do agree. I don’t think there is enough evidence to charge much less convict Rev. Rutler with attempted rape or sexual molestation. What interesting though, is the cell phone video and the browsing history on Rev. Rutler’s computer and possibly his cell phone. What I don’t understand is the irrational focus of some ultra conservative clerics and others on homosexuals and homosexual sex. Why is that? Perhaps they are trying to exorcise their own demons of desire…I suggest you ask your question about presumption of innocence to EWTN and the Archdiocese of New York. They dumped Rev. Rutler pretty fast. They didn’t wait around for a court date. Why?
March 24th, 2021 at 6:42 pm
Let priests marry.
April 14th, 2021 at 2:28 pm
Censor Liborum, the people who are obsessed with homosexual sex are homosexuals. Others find it disgusting. The interest of the Catholic Church is moral: it is mortal sin, and the Church tries to turn people from sin so that their souls can be saved.
April 23rd, 2021 at 8:46 pm
It is outrageous that a supposedly Christian person or organization would print salacious, damaging material as though it were fact, when the only thing that supports it so far is the word of a young woman who is clearly lying. What person fighting off a molester is able to use her cell phone to phone her mother? What person, having been assaulted phones not the police, but a disgraced, ex-cop, private investigator, whose own history is somewhat shady? Is it likely that Fr. Rutler would be watching porn knowing Ms. Gomnzales was in the room, photographing him? Is it likely that a gay man would sexually assault a woman? Is it likely that Fr. Rutler, abou9t whom there has never been a whiff of scandal, would suddenly , at the age of 75 become a porn addict? The whole story is preposterous. It’s possible that the young woman’s video was doctored. Surely examination will eventually show whether or not it was. And eventually examination of the church’s computer will show whether or not Fr. Rutler was watching porn. If it is determined that he was, indeed, watching gay porn, then, and only then, can you report it as fact. As for the assault . . that remains complete nonsense in every way. Have you no sense of shame or decency?
April 24th, 2021 at 4:31 am
Dear Anonymous, think about it…all of these allegations would be easy to clear up by the district attorney’s office AND the Archdiocese of New York if they made public what they found on Rev. Rutler’s computer and on the young security guard’s cell phone. Why haven’t they? What did they find? Why didn’t the Archdiocese and EWTN defend Rev. Rutler and keep him in place until all the facts of the accusation were made public? “Innocent until proven guilty” isn’t practiced in the Catholic church? At the first whiff of homosexual scandal out you go? In regard to the young woman, I agree, her story is flimsy. Blackmail seems likely.
May 2nd, 2021 at 10:36 pm
It saddened my heart and assaulted my common sense to hear of this downright lie against such a dedicated priest. I knew Fr. Rutler many years ago when he was curate at the Anglican Church of The Good Shepherd in Rosemont, PA, , and later rector himself. Father Rutler was such a dedicated Anglican priest when I knew him, and now as a Roman Catholic Priest. Since I knew Fr. Rutler I have followed him on television over the years and enjoyed many of his telecast sermons and homilies. Father Rutler was not only one of the most devout people I have known in my 75 years, but he was and is a champion and true hero in the conservative movement. No wonder he has been attacked so viciously by those outside of the Church, and especially on the eve of such an earth shattering event as the past presidential election.
I have read the charges against this wonderful priest and watched the video with the Father Rutler look-alike and I have to say that there is no way this is Fr. Rutler. These accusations are just one more liberal fabrication used to silence the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ. Please keep Father George Rutler in your prayers and pray that the truth will surface to exonerate him.
June 2nd, 2021 at 7:08 am
When can we see tour apology to Father Rutler?
June 2nd, 2021 at 4:33 pm
Mark, why would I apologize? If anything, Fr. Rutler should apologize to all the lesbian and gay people he vilified. He should also apologize to his parishioners and other people who believed in him for being a phony. All the hatred and nastiness he spewed makes him a disgrace as a Catholic priest.
June 3rd, 2021 at 11:30 am
Not for an instant do I believe that Fr. Rutler is guilty. In my opinion if you read his latest book you willing know pretty quickly why he has been targeted and possibly by some very powerful liberals. He pulls no punches. God bless him and protect him.
June 8th, 2021 at 10:45 am
DA dropped the case after a 6 month investigation, the security guard made the whole thing up! Video was a fake.
June 9th, 2021 at 5:25 am
Hi Bill, thanks for the update. I checked, and I didn’t see that Fr. Rutler was restored to St. Michael’s Church on 34th Street. Is he back on EWTN? What were the results of his browsing history on his computer?
Did the Archdiocese and/or DA release that information?
June 10th, 2021 at 1:36 pm
Hi Karen, no he was not restored, he is not back on EWTN, I have not heard if either one will take place. Search LifeSiteNews May 28th, For some reason it has been downplayed, but he is innocent of those horrible allegations. I also heard he is forgiving all, don’t know if I could have done that, but Pope John Paul 2nd forgave the person who shot him then I can understand Father George’s way of thinking. There are some other outlets stating his innocents, Thedeaconsbench.com is one. Be well Karen.
July 2nd, 2021 at 10:21 am
Were you aware that the security firm employing Ashley Gonzalez, Father Rutler’s accuser is M.G. Securities, owned by one Manny Gomez, while the investigation firm Black Ops Investigators, which helped Gonzalez announce her accusations soon after the alleged Election Day 2020 attack, is owned by a second Manuel Gomez? Is this a mere coincidence? Did you know The Black Ops owner, the second Manuel Gomez, was the subject of an extensive biographical article in the NY Times Magazine on Jan. 23, 2019?
I am not aware that any of the many reporters who published numerous articles on the alleged TV episode and attack took any time to investigate the background of the accuser, her employer and / or her her investigator spokesman. Plenty of reporting about the background and accusations (and presumption of guilt) against Rutler, but nothing about Gonzalez, the accuser, and her backers Gomez and Gomez.
July 8th, 2021 at 9:33 am
Bill (above) says the video was fake. The video, at least, was certainly not fake. Someone who looks like Fr. Rutler is in his rectory watching gay porn on his computer. It’s definitely his rectory, as it’s the same room he was in when Zooming into EWTN’s “The Word Over” for an interview about his newest book.
Was the video a “deep fake”? Well, if your primary motive is defending Fr. Rutler, you could argue that.
But our eyes show us it’s him.
July 9th, 2021 at 3:40 pm
Kevin it is his rectory but the subject sitting in the chair is not Father George. Wrong head. Ok video was doctored.
July 18th, 2021 at 9:22 am
The District Attorney would only be interested in whether the alleged victim was assaulted, since viewing gay porn does not violate the criminal code. And the DA would only bring a charge if it felt it could prove the allegation of assault beyond a reasonable doubt (BARD), a very high standard. My guess as a former prosecutor is that they felt the assault proof was not necessarily false but couldn’t be proved BARD. It is also possible the alleged victim decided not to go through with the case. Happens all the time. Apparently, the only way anyone knows that the case was declined is because Fr Rutler says so. So, he is the filter for the information. He called it an exoneration, but all it likely means is the DA thought they couldn’t prove it BARD, so dropped it. The Archdiocese now has to do its own investigation of the alleged assault and the gay porn viewing, now that the DA has declined to prosecute. That could take some time. Presumably, the parish – and hence the Arch – owns the computer, so they can do their own forensic investigation once the computer is released by the DA.
July 26th, 2021 at 5:48 pm
It is usual practice in the Church now to stand down priests who are under investigation. The people saying the Church is hypocritical would be the first to protest if he were found guilty and ewtn had gone on showing his programmes. The principle of innocence until proof of guilt is a judicial one and should be stringently upheld, including in websites like this. This is a disturbing story, but the inconsistency of the allegations is part of what disturbs about it.
August 4th, 2021 at 1:30 pm
Its really interesting and read worthy
August 8th, 2021 at 8:45 pm
I too knew Fr. Rutler when he was an Episcopal priest and cannot believe the utter nonsense this young woman concocted. My son does digital animation, and knows that it’s easy enough to create a phony video. It is appalling that this website would report the accusation as though it were fact. Fr. Rutler is owed an apology.
August 9th, 2021 at 3:42 am
Catharine, you can’t believe it, or don’t want to believe it? I didn’t believe the young woman’s sexual assault allegation, either. He might have been trying to grab her phone, not her bosom. What is VERY INTERESTING is that neither the New York Archdiocese – a pretty conservation bastion –and EWTN – a really conservative bastion — haven’t reinstated Fr. Rutler. Why do you think they’re doing nothing and not defending him?
September 1st, 2021 at 8:36 pm
Based on rash response of the Archdiocese and the swift action of EWTN, Father Rutler has clearly had other issues in history. I will not be the first one to cast the proverbial stone. He is a great scholar of the Church and a Renassiance man. We have all failed God in some way or another. With the rampant homosexuality plaguing the Church, the non-criminal details of story are quite plausible. When someone is cast into a role of moral authority, your personal sin cannot be so transparent to others. Discretion and heart-felt penance are strongly indicated..
October 16th, 2021 at 4:55 pm
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone…
April 16th, 2022 at 12:59 am
And now that Father Rutler has been truly vindicated and cleared off all charges, what do your sick minds have to say about that?
April 16th, 2022 at 3:08 am
Fr. Rutler was cleared of assault charges. As for watching gay male porn, that’s not a crime.