Jason Berry has summarised the current situation here. Most of the background is familiar to those who have done their homework, although personally I would quibble with two points: I don't think Ratzinger expected to be pope (he did what he could do to avoid it) and I still think John Paul II was effectively shielded from the truth by his personal secretary, whom this article fails to include with those MM influenced for his own benefit.
All in all, a very helpful piece which will spread the story effectively.
Excellent article! I agree with Giselle, that Ratzinger was not expecting to be Pope, and that JPII was effectively shielded from knowing the truth about Maciel. I sat in the auditorium when Ratzinger visited us LC's back in 2003 or 2004. Someone asked him if he thought he might be the next Pope and he said no, that he was too old.
I'm glad that Berry focused on the seemingly small detail of the LC gift baskets to the Church hierarchy. It represents how things have always been done in the Legion since its inception. In Thornwood, the brothers would spend a week or two before Christmas, buying and preparing expensive gift baskets for all of the bishops of the New York diocese. The best looking and the smoothest talking brothers (maybe a priest too) would then drive around NYC delivering these baskets, hoping to have a good opportunity to spend some time with each bishop to do some good PR work. Hours, days of philosophy study were completely wasted in this work.
In Rome, around 2003-2004, Cardinal Sodano celebrated his 50th priestly ordination. The Legion hosted his party at their seminary. Cardinal Sodano and his 50-100 invited guests were treated to a lavish dinner complete with all of the usual LC trimmings (brief LC speech, LC orchestrina, concluded with a Sodano pep talk).
Posted by: Daniel | July 20, 2009 at 12:43 PM
But for John Paul II, he still should have known. Recklessness on his part?
Also, yes, Daniel, you are correct. I served a similar meal in 1994 for Sodano's receiving the red hat. Over 100 of his family members wined and dinned on the dime of benefactors.
Posted by: JF | July 20, 2009 at 01:30 PM
I was struck by the accusations of corruption on the part of Cardinal Rode. I have always assumed that he was simply a useful idiot to the LC -- it now seems credible that he is corrupt through and through. If so, I hope that Papa Ratzi continues his housecleaning.
Posted by: Don | July 20, 2009 at 01:57 PM
Once a year RC members worldwide and any others participating in "Regnum Christi Day" (celebrated on Feast of Christ the King - the last Sunday of the liturgical year) are asked to contribute to a collection "for the needs of the worldwide Church". Here is the intro to the set of instructions pertaining to this collection:
“To all Organizers of Regnum Christi Day
Dear Friends in Christ,
As you know, it is our custom on Regnum Christi Day to take up a collection that is forwarded to the general director in Rome to be used for whatever Church need he chooses. We forward the full content of the collection without deducting anything for the expenses of the RC Day. This is a beautiful way of expressing our solidarity with our general director’s intentions, and previously Nuestro Padre sometimes remitted the full amount directly to the Holy Father for his needs, further expressing the Movement's unity with the Church."
The instructions are very detailed so I'll just highlight the main ones: 1) All checks, as well as money orders from cash collected, should be made payable to "Legion of Christ", 2) The collection should be totaled and the total e-mailed to the Legion the evening of CTK, and 3) The funds are to be mailed to the General Director's attn. at the Legion of Christ's Thornwood address the very next day (Monday). Donors would be issued a receipt, etc.
In previous years our Section Ass't had represented to us that the funds were presented personally to the Holy Father to determine the best use. It was only in the past couple of years that I saw actual instructions disclosing the "best use" decision to be the General Director's and NOT the Holy Father.
I now realize that the "Regnum Christi Day" collection has probably been funding the Legion's bribery machine, arriving as it does right at the start of Advent (so plenty of time to purchase those $1,000 hams, whiskey and other items for the Christmas baskets). Looks like the lid has been blown on this particular financial shenanigan as well - I'd be curious to see how much the LC collects this year.
Posted by: Still RC - For Now, Anyway | July 20, 2009 at 03:56 PM
Dear Still RC-For Now, Anyway,
Seriously, what are you waiting for.
Posted by: molly-out-6409 | July 20, 2009 at 09:48 PM
I wish I could be in the bishop's shoes when the LC brothers come knocking on the door to deliver the special gift basket. I would instruct them to give it to the homeless just down the street. The looks on their clean shaven faces would be priceless, as would be their uncomfortable comments in response to such a quip. I doubt they would actually give the basket to some homeless soul, regardless of what his Excellency just said. Since they only have permission from their superiors to give the basket to the bishop, they would probably return home with the basket, which could always find good use during the Christmas octave celebrations and also merienda de Padres at 11:00am.
Posted by: dumbfounded | July 21, 2009 at 08:59 PM