The facts about the founder of the Legionaries of Christ after decades of suspicion and allegation are now being acknowledged by the Legionaries. The Legionaries of Christ is a large and successful organization. It consists of a global order of priests,
the Legion, which now has over 800 members and some 2,500 seminarians, and a lay community called
Regnum Christi which is present in 22 Nations and has 70,000 members. This is a sad day:
From the Wikipedia profile of Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado:
"In the summer of 2008 rumors began to surface in Madrid regarding a 22 year old university student thought to be the daughter of Fr. Maciel from a relationship sustained with a Spanish woman in the 1980's. A son is also said to have been born of this relationship. The details are still sketchy and the whole story promises to be as bizarre as all other chapters of the Legion's Founder's life, but faced with irrefutable evidence and fearful of another shock wave tearing at the inner fabric of the Congregation, Fr. Alvaro Corcuera and other Legionary superiors have begun going around and making some of the priests of the Legion partially aware of the facts. Among the Legionaries that know the latest revelations there is widespread outrage and a general feeling of having been duped and betrayed for so many years by Fr. Maciel and which ever members of the Legion's leadership were aware of his double life. Internally, the Legion has collapsed and is now struggling to recreate itself on the merits of its works alone, with no reference to the Founder. His name and history are being purged from the Congregation' s internal literature, his pictures are being removed from the walls of the schools and seminaries of the Legion and his writings are no longer being quoted in homilies and preaching of Legionary priests."
Update: 2/3/2009 - 2:00 p.m. CST - As of this time the LC website has not removed much if anything from "The Founder" section. And the FAQs section does not refer to this maelstrom. This could be due to slowness on behalf of the webmaster???
Update 2/3/2009 - 9:51 p.m. CST - The New York Times weighs-in with some new information regarding financial shenanigans on top of everything else.
Update 2/4/2009 - 2:50 p.m. - Whispers in the Loggia blog has posted an informed backgound piece that will be interesting to all, regardless of their stake in this tragedy.
Update 2/4/2009 - 6:13 p.m. - Phil Lawler of CatholicCulture.org has a good opinion piece with good suggestions for new directions by the Legion of Christ.
Update 2/5/2009 - 6:55 a.m. - From Rorate Caeli: A Mexican commentator refers to the scandal of Fr. Marcial "the last nail in the coffin of the founder of the Legionaries of Christ".
Update 2/5/2009 - 8:30 p.m. - Father Thomas Williams, LC, an influential representative of the Legionaries answers questions posed by Our Sunday Visitor. His answers are more direct than previous comments by official spokespersons of the LC.
From a former Legionary priest:
One year ago today (January 30th) the Founder of the Legion of Christ, our Founder – Nuestro Padre – passed away. Instead of recalling with pride and nostalgia my thirty year participation in the foundation in privileged close company of the Founder, I find myself nearly disconsolate. Outrage, grief, a deep unutterable feeling of betrayal and deception have been growing in my soul for nearly six months as bits and pieces of the truth have painfully been made known to me.
Up until very recently I defended Fr. Maciel in public and private, knowing that the very essence of my identity as a Legionary priest depended on it. Now there is nothing to defend. It has all collapsed, and with it, a lifetime of enthusiastic commitment and high idealism.
I sit here humbled and heartsick with one earnest plea for the present leadership of the Legion: please, do the right thing. For the love of God and in honor of the hundreds of men, like yourselves, that have given their lives to the Congregation, bearing the burden of a fidelity that our Founder demanded of us but was unable himself to deliver: do what is right.
Put the truth first. You owe it to us all. Tell us the whole story, tell us what our options are now and set about the reform of the Legion.
The Legion must go forward, purged of the toxins released into its bloodstream by years of machiavellian duplicity, and recreate itself solely on the merits of its works.
No more spin, no more platitudes, no more intimidation to keep the Legion’s men from thinking, questioning, seeking the truth. Step aside if need be and allow others – with clear motives and fresh eyes – to save all that is good in the Congregation and dissipate once and for all the inner culture of deceit and control. A canonical visitation conducted in rigorous transparency might yet save the Legion of Christ.
I am amazed and grateful to God that so much good has and continues to be done by a religious order that has venerated and nourished its spirit from a Founder now discovered to be the antithesis of the very spirituality and discipline he imparted to us while so brazenly and artfully occulting his other life from us.
So please, do not pretend that this is not devastating to all of us. Do not act like nothing has happened and that nothing should change. Have the basic decency to come clean with your own men and trust them enough to help you take the Legion to where it must go from here. Full disclosure is the only option. You’ve tried everything else, now, finally now, give truth a chance. You may be pleasantly surprised by the strength, resiliency and commitment of us all.
May God continue to guide us, in spite of ourselves. Peace.
The facts about the founder of the Legionaries of Christ after decades of suspicion and allegation are now being acknowledged by the Legionaries. The Legionaries of Christ is a large and successful organization. It consists of a global order of priests, the Legion, which now has over 800 members and some 2,500 seminarians, and a lay community called Regnum Christi which is present in 22 Nations and has 70,000 members. This is a sad day:
11 comments:
Well said, Father Damien, but don't hold your breath!
War Tactics Should Be Applied to Abusers and to Those Who Offered Protection
By Mike Ference
Every day brings new evidence that we no longer live in a civilized and principled society. The worst part, it usually concerns another case of sexual misconduct involving a Catholic priest, young children and a church hierarchy that helped to cover up the case.
The recently unveiled federal grand jury investigation into the Los Angeles Archdiocese and it’s leader, Cardinal Mahony clearly suggests that a regime change should have been made long ago.
To be sure, media pressure and public outrage and a billion dollars in pr fees, legal fees and settlements have inspired displays of contrition from Mahony But as more and more cases of abuse — and cover-up — come to light, one begins to wonder whether Mahony should be considered any more trustworthy than, say, Saddam Hussein.
So — what should be done if the grand jury finds Mahony to be just another member of the hierarchy more concerned with protecting dysfunctional sex freaks than innocent children? Given the level of wreckage and anguish caused in the lives of so many people, it seems appropriate to look to the war on terror for a model strategy.
A first prong of attack might involve a Special Forces unit made up of highly skilled and trained military personnel capable of tracking down and obtaining confessions from any current or former priests accused of acts of sexual abuse against children. If rights are violated, if military personnel sometimes go a little too far, so be it. The Catholic Church had ample opportunity to fess up and repent. Those incapable of civilized behavior shouldn’t expect the rights and privileges of civilization.
A deck of cards can be created to help identify hard-to-find priests as well as the disgraceful church leaders who permitted, and in essence, condoned the sexual abuse of young children. Photos of the most deviant and reprehensible church officials accompanied by a list of their offenses will encourage us all to do our patriotic duty in helping the authorities track down suspected priest-terrorists or at least be able to identify the culprits as they come and go freely because their sins where covered up and the time to criminally prosecute has expired.
Another option would be to divide the nation into territories. A color-code warning system would be established, alerting parents about abusive priests being transferred into their respective regions. Depending on the designated color for a particular region, parents would know whether their children should serve at Mass, go on field trips, or even attend Catholic school that day.
To aid this unique war on terror, a pool of money should be collected, not involuntarily from taxpayers, but voluntarily from those decent human beings who believe crimes committed against our children are sins that God takes very seriously. Some of the funds raised could then be turned into outrageously tempting reward sums for information leading to the capture of our targeted criminals. Once the rogue clerics have been imprisoned and forced to talk, I recommend that their confessions be given to someone like Steven Spielberg or George Romero. Hollywood writers and producers could create a blockbuster movie like Roots or Schindler’s List to serve as a bitter reminder that these crimes should never again be permitted to occur. Tom Savini could be hired to recreate the horror on the faces of child actors chosen to play parts.
Proceeds from the movie could go to victims of abuse and their families. And no matter how old the crime, compensation would be available. There should be no statute of limitations when the rights of children have been violated by those who lived much of their adult lives perched on a pedestal heightened by the trust of innocent and vulnerable believers. In fact, I would extend compensation to the second and perhaps even third generation of sufferers. It would certainly include siblings denied the experience of growing up with a brother or sister untraumatized by such abuse. And since crimes of abuse tend to echo, it would extend to the victims of the victims as well.
If all else fails, is it any less rational to declare war on the Catholic Church as part of a war on child abuse than it was to declare war on Iraq (which had nothing to do with 9/11 or Al-Qaeda and apparently had no weapons of mass destruction) as part of a war on terror? How many innocent children have been verifiably lost to this menace — and how many more will be lost if we don’t make a preemptive strike?
As horrific as sexual abuse by priests may be, the perpetrators might merit a more forgiving place if only their superiors had the courage to do the right thing. For a few, counseling and close supervision might have been enough to prevent future abuses. Others clearly required something more intensive — a mental hospital or a prison.
But repeated abuse, as well as willfully hiding the crimes and the criminals — as far as I can see, this brings us much closer to the realm of mortal sin. And the sinners include not just the church hierarchy, but also attorneys who ill-advised parents not to buck the system and take on the Catholic Church, or may even have provided inside information to thwart legitimate cases against the church, law enforcement officials who may have thought it best to warn church officials of pending investigations, and janitors, housekeepers, teachers, and employees of the Catholic Church who kept silent because of concerns about a paycheck, a 401K, a pension, or a fear of standing up to church authorities. God has a place for everyone — and if you abuse children or protect the abusers of children, we can only hope that your place is called hell.
Had heard rumors about him for years, but assumed they were just that. Rumors. Makes you wonder how many others are leading double lives.
I agree with you completely Father. I am a former 'coworker' a volunteer for Regnum Christi- and I always felt very strange giving so much honor to a man I knew very little about- just from what I could gather from reading all of his letters- which were a part of my required prayer as a volunteer! Now, I can't believe it. I am in a state of shock... I feel sickened... I know of so many that idolized him- and based so much of thier way of life on how he supposedly lived his life. And now, to find that after he said he had no grave sin on him in one of his letters- we find that he was not truthful, and in fact leading a double life- taking 5,000 dollars when us coworkers had to eat pasta and sour milk with stale cereal for breakfast... it makes me sick.
All I have to say is now I understand why he kept the guys away from the girls so much as a coworker.... he must have been plagued with guilt? maybe?
A sociopath is what you call someone like this.
I am grieving the loss of what I thought was my vocation.
We do need to be careful to not post speculations. The Legion is not collapsing from within, rather are holding strong, saddened by the facts surrounding their Founder, but reminded of the good that God can bring about in spite of one's sinful fallen nature.
Jessica, the problem with your assertion is "what" are they holding strong to? lies. That's the problem. This man, MM, led everyone to believe that all his writings, meditations and rules came from the Holy Spirit. They did not, so there is nothing for the LC's to hold onto. Everything is based on lies and fraud. It's fine to be forgiving, but the norms and formation that people have been living for years are not from God. It's not going to be an easy thing to heal from. It's not something we can be flippant about. It's not something you can just say, "forgive & forget." The man who perpetrated these CRIMES built everything on sand. Thousands of people worshipped Maciel. Yes, he's dead but the spiritual backlash will be devastating.
Hi Missy68,
I am an utterly devastated RC member, who devoted 2 years of my life to the RC Movement as a coworker, and the feelings of betrayal, outrage, anger and deep deep sadness are not overcoming the strength of my faith. I am firm in my belief in the role of the LC and RC in the Church, not because I believe it was inspired in MM by the Holy Spirit (anymore...I don't know, maybe it was, I don't know what to think anymore), but because of the fact that the Constitutions of the Legion, and the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Movement have been definitively approved by the Church.
I feel it would be a great thing to have an Apostolic Visitation to the Legion so that as members of the Movement and LC, we can know for sure what is to be a part of our charism, and what is simply from MM. I know I personally would benefit greatly from the clarity, as I know in my heart, as much as it is broken right now, that nowhere else in the Church or in my life have I encountered Christ so profoundly or been changed so much for the better.
Please pray for us Missy, don't beat us down. We are good people who are hurting terribly and are floundering somewhat trying to make sense of it all before we can approach the angry mobs with a satisfactory response.
The problem is that not only Regnum Christi members have been hurt. There are many souls who have been/ and continue to be severely damaged by the problems inherent in the Regnum Christi Movement. These problems have not/cannot? be admitted and rectified because they are inherent to the Movement. This is aside from the current scandal. Much good has been done and continues, but that good cannot justify the ongoing damage that occurs because of the Movement itself.
To the last anonymous...
Be specific. What problems are you referring to?
I don't know who the above anonymous is... but I concur with their statement.
For the record, I am not RC/LC nor have I ever been. I was turned off years ago, when they came recruiting and refused to specify anything concrete about their charism, unless I formally joined and made promises that would enable them to disclose more information. From the get-go, that was a huge red-flag for me. Any organization that would not allow transparency unless you had proven yourself to be "worthy" of it, indicates a cult-like mentality from the get go. To require the loss of your interior freedom to discern and rationally weigh if something is good or not, by its' nature goes against catholic teaching, that upholds the dignity of free will.
That being said, since then I have become close friends with multiple RC/LC members. Some have left and some have stayed. The ones who left, have related personal testimonies that have strengthened my concern about this loss of freedom that is cloaked in homilectics regarding "charity" and the upholding of one's reputations above EVERYTHING, including truth. In fact, I am close with quite a few who are current survivors of both mental and sexual abuse, experienced at the hands of priests within the order who then used the "orders" teachings/tactics to increase a sense of guilt if they were to ever admit what had happened to them. I've known these people for years. Only now, are they feeling the courage to go ahead with a criminal prosecution, which I hope will be the last straw in bringing down this order down. They've been frightened and scared, and doubtful of any support from their friends or family within the order.
Much of what they experienced were echoed in the accusations levied against Fr. Maciel. These individuals have been isolated and vilified by LC/RC, to such a degree, for simply asking questions, let alone for the information that is about to be released. They were completely unaware of any specifics regarding the accusations against Fr. Maciel, and ... fortunantly, or unfortunantly, I've spent months assisting them in detailing methods of mind-control, and ritualized abuse that would make you want to hurl a thousand times 7. Methods that didn't start with the crop of priests who instituted them, but methods that took years to develop. You want to talk about how Fr. Maciel was just a weak man, who had a momentary lapse of judgement?? Right. These stories I'm charting, are not the first I've heard, and I'm sure they aren't the last based on what is being documented.
I'll be prostrate in adoration for days, the moment this insiduous order is fully disciplined and wiped clean off the map. I'm not going to say it doesn't have good LC/RC members or priests. It does. I've met them. But even they will admit that they keep their faith and love intact at a price. They don't deserve this crap. Noone does. Pray for healing for those who have been abused, and those sincere current members who have been truly blind-sided. They need a LOT of our prayers.
I'm not going to disclose my name or the name of those who will be coming forward in a criminal prosecution. You'll know them in good time. However, until everything goes on the books, I will not jeopardize their individual testimonies.
However, after careful consideration, I do realize I have a responsibility to give a "heads up" if you will. For any LC/RC member who might still be convinced that there is a possibility to salvage this order, I encourage you to increase your prayer for greater discernment, greater clarity, and greater faith, so that you might know to whom you bear allegiance. The LC priest you might know as such a strong, upstanding priest... just might be the one of the ones for whom I have pages of personal testimony documenting acts punishable by law. I know of 2-3 who are in extremely "reputable" positions, well trusted by "important" people, who were ring-leaders in a pedophile scam that lasted for up to 10 years within the schools and camps within the last 15 years. If they could get away with it for that long, you can bet your bottom dollar they're not rehabilitatable.
You might want to keep an eye on your kids. There's no statute of limitations for the particular crimes that are about to come out.
Please see www.life-after-rc.com
There is a column on the side called helpful articles.
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