Catch-22 (and a suggestion)

Another quick translation of this:

Three More Children of Maciel Claim Rights as Heirs

by Alma E. Muñoz

The Mexican attorney, José Bonilla Sada, has announced that three children
of Marcial Maciel, born in Mexico, will try to force the Legionaries of
Christ to acknowledge their existence as well as their rights as heirs to
the assets of the founder of the religious order.

The litigants' attorney, who in this case has as his assistant Joaquín
Aguilar, a victim of sexual abuse perpetrated by former priest Nicolás
Aguilar, says he has enough evidence to show that the late Pope John Paul II
as well as the legion knew of the existence of three other children of
Maciel, now adults and legally recognized by their father, but whose names
are currently being withheld.

Months earlier the order founded by the late priest, who was accused of
sexual abuse of minors, admitted the existence of a daughter. Her name, as
Bonilla states in his blog http://conlajustici a.wordpress. com, is Norma
Hilda. She lives in Madrid, Spain along with her mother of the same name,
and has a non-employment residency permit.

Originally from the Mexican state of Guerrero, she is approximately 23 years
old and enjoys a level of affluence such that she does not work, lives in a
luxury apartment, and has another which she rents in the same building where
she resides. They were acquired by Marcial Maciel with money from the
congregation's benefactors.

It was through this blog that the three children of the late priest
contacted José Bonilla seeking legal representation. They provided him with
a series of documents to support their claim of Maciel¹s paternity:
photographs showing a meeting with John Paul II, letters of all sorts, and
tape recordings of highly placed officials from the Legion of Christ
discussing the subject.

The attorney maintains that handwritten evidence is sufficient to show that
the letters were the written by the hand of Maciel, and that the children
can undergo DNA testing to prove their genetic connection.

At the moment the attorney is researching and preparing a civil lawsuit in
which it would be determined if his clients have rights as heirs, although
he hopes that, before taking legal action, an agreement with the Legion of
Christ can be reached.

"I suppose," says Bonilla, "that (Maciel) did leave them money. Our research
team is looking into that, and some sources have told us it is a sizable
amount. You have to remember that the legion was created around and for the founder. Practically everything came from him."

He indicated that the children of the late priest are seeking recognition of
their existence and their rights as his heirs, and are thinking of
eventually publicly discussing the life they lead with their father from the
standpoint of how it developed, what he said, how he advised them, and what
he taught them.

OK, we have an insurmountable problem: either the Legion knew about this, diverted the funds and will hereby continue to pay out to both offspring (reasonable upkeep -- some are still young) and victims (compensation which is long overdue) OR the Legion will stop such pay-outs and stick to authentic "apostolates."

In the case of the former, we have a breach of canon law, by which money donated for one purpose is used for something else (and the Vatican has to step in to protect the faithful); OR in the case of the latter the Legion is seen as slimy and unjust, (and the Vatican has to step in to protect the faithful).

Either way, money talks. (I doubt these kids would sue, should their father have been a Franciscan or Discalced Carmelite...) In this financial conversation, it is time for us to respond. Perphaps, through prayer, you'll be called to dig into those old tax receipts and write a letter asking that your [name specific amount] donation be returned. Certify the letter, wait a month (remember, a lot of key people aren't at their desks at the moment) and then resend with certified copies going to both the Legion and the appropriate visitator. It's one universal language that seems to preempt the other (love) and the one that gets results this side of the veil.

Comments

[RCGuest]

Seems like anyone could come forward and claim they are another child. It is certainly believable based on what we know of Fr M but maybe we should wait for DNA tests to make sure this is not a scam the other way.

[mExRC]

According to another article posted here: http://impreso.milenio.com/node/8622629 :

- The legal suit includes 3 of 6 Maciel's children. (So now the tally of Maciel's alleged brood is up to 6.)

- Norma Hilda Rivas, currently in Mexico, is one of the three children suing.

[DaniNz]

I don't understand how someone would have a legal claim to money from a congregation. However; heartbreaking if its true, even more so JPII knew about it

[gregorbo]

One of the stories mentions that Maciel held properties "in his own name" and not in the Legion's. Perhaps it is these assets that the children are going after. Even still, I'm willing to be reminded that scandal often breeds scandal and will suspend my belief until all the facts are established.

[Another exLegionary]

I just about fell out my chair when I read this commentary from el Trastever blog:

Juan Antonio // Ago 11, 2009 at 17:21
Señores, infórmense mejor. La visita apostólica a la Legión NO es para investigar el escándalo del fundador, ya muerto, sino para revisar qué tan fieles están siendo los legionarios a su carisma fundacional. Ahí sí hay MUCHO que investigar, rascar, sanar y corregir.
Si quieren información de las otras visitas apostólicas que están siendo llevadas a cabo con el mismo fin: recuperar la fidelidad a su carisma, visiten este lugar:

"Guys, get a clue. The apostolic visitation of the Legion is NOT about investigating the scandal of the founder, who is already dead, but about reviewing how faithful the Legionaries are being to their founding charism. About that there is a LOT to investigate, open, heal and correct. If you want information about other apostolic visitations that are being carried out for the same purpose: recovering fidelity to their charism, see this: http://www.apostolicvisitation.org/en/about/sistermaryclare.html"

the mind boggles.

[Katie]

CAN it be true that JP II knew of his children? That, for me, is the only hard to believe item in the whole sordid story.

[Don]

I agree Katie. It's entirely possible that he did bring her along at some point to meet JP2, but I don't for a minute think that he said, "Your Holiness, I'd like you to meet my daughter." Even if she did call him "papa" in his presence, JP2 probably would have thought that was a term of endearment towards her spiritual father.

It is inconceivable that JP2 would have known the real story and done nothing about it.

[Don]

That interview on el Trastever is incredible. It's hard to believe that some people are so drunk on the Kool-Aid that that are willfully blind to the obvious. She went so far as to suggest that the woman must have seduced poor Maciel.

I don't think these true believers will ever see the light, even if Pope Benedict personally shut down the entire order.

[mExRC]

Friends in Christ,

It is CRUCIAL that you all read the latest interview of Mrs. Lucrecia Rego, a Mexican RC woman of many years. In case you are not familiar with her, she is the one who called herself "the other daughter of Marcial Maciel" when the news about the daughter's existence was made known -- and admitted -- by the Legion.

Lucrecia's latest comments can be found here: http://blogs.21rs.es/trastevere/2009/08/10/lucrecia-rego-quien-se-confeso-hija-espiritual-de-marcial-maciel-tras-conocerse-el-nuevo-escandalo-habla-sobre-la-visita-apostolica-a-los-legionarios-de-cristo/

It's in Spanish, and I'll do my best to translate in in the next few days.

But it's a MUST READ for anyone who wants to understand the mindset of the LC/RC throughout Mexico.

Lucrecia even DENIES the existence of Norma Rivas, the daughter, and says that, even if it did happen, the woman surely seduced her and its HER fault. Lucrecia still LOVES and defends "nuestro padre" as much as ever, and is proud of the way the LC leadership is handling the whole affair.

It is absolutely mind boggling, and it shows the tight grip the Legion has in Mexico, and how effectively the Kool-aid is working down there.

Amazing! Amazing and tragic!

[Freetobe]

Asking the Legion to return donations that were given under false pretenses is a good idea. Has anyone ever considered a class action suit?

[Daniel]

The latest article that mExRC mentions is definitely a must read. I trust that this generous soul will translate it soon.

The things she says makes you sick to your stomach. It's unbelievable how brainwashed someone can become. I didn't think people could get this insane with the RC Kool-aid.

While we await mExRC's official translation, I have to highlight 3 egregious quotes from Lucrecia:

"Así que, si Dios quiso elegirlo a él para imprimir el carisma de la Legión, todos los legionarios deberán ser fieles a su carisma fundacional, si es que desean cumplir con lo que Dios ha pensado, desde el principio, para ellos.

It's such that, if God wanted to choose him (Maciel) to establish the charism of the Legion of Christ, all Legionaries must be faithful to her foundational charism, if they want to fulfill what God has thought, from the beginning, for them."

--Right, it's always good to remind the poor LC's that God has called them from all eternity (from the beginning) to follow the charism that Maciel left behind.--

"Acusar de esa manera a los padres es una tontería. Nadie está obligado a revelar los pecados de otra persona. Al revés, hubieran sido traidores si los hubieran revelado. El que lo hayan mantenido en secreto, es señal, no de traición ni complicidad, sino de su fidelidad, cariño y respeto. No hay nada que reclamarles a ellos.

To accuse the priests (Corcuera, Garza, Sada) in such a way is stupidity. Nobody is obliged to reveal the sins of another person. On the contrary, they would have been traitors if they had revealed them. The fact that they have kept them secret is a sign, not of betrayal or complicity, but of fidelity, love, and respect. There is nothing to blame them of."

"Gracias a él conocí a Jesucristo y, sólo por eso, le debo un profundo respeto, una gran admiración y un enorme agradecimiento. Digo, como el ciego de nacimiento: “Si es un pecador, no lo sé. Yo sólo sé que antes era ciego y ahora puedo ver”.

Thanks to him (Maciel) I knew Jesus Christ, and for that fact alone, I owe him profound respect, great admiration, and enormous gratitude. I say, like the man born blind: "If he is a sinner, I don't know. I only know that before I was blind and now I can see.""

--Here we go again placing Maciel in Christ's place, just like in 2006 with the communique.--

I am speechless.

[Mouse from Am Pap]

Well, in a sense, the Visitation IS investigating whether the Legion is true to the founder's "Charism"---

Deceit, abuse, lies, disrespect for the person, doing one thing and saying another, misuse of donor funds, fraud......

What the "other daughter" doesn't get is that, in this situation, the ideal case would be if the Legion was completely UNTRUE to the founders wishes, and had turned its back on the founder and morphed into something honest and decent.......

In the meantime, every impassioned cry of "We must hew more closely to the founder" is just another nail in the coffin. I mean, this isn't the Franciscans we're talking about here... they're not trying to imitate a saint, they're imitating an evil madman......

[Sane in St. Louis]

I had a conversation just yesterday with a friend about all of this. We both had our children in an LC school. She clearly sees all of the scandal, but she also feels that her faith was strengthened via the school.

I hope that the Vatican sees that there is a real need and hunger for pure-of-intent orthodox orders and/or for existing orders to follow the teachings of the Church more faithfully.

[Pete Vere]

In many ways, Lucrecia's reaction reminds me of Bellatrix Lestrange at the Battle of Hogwarts. When all the machinations fall apart and all others have fled, she continues fighting for her master until the bitter end.

St. John Chrysostom gives us the best advice in such a situation: Hers is a soul that deserves to be pitied, rather than mocked. Pity her, and pray for her, for she is a soul that revels in her brokenness.

[Tom]

Same here, Sane. The problem is not at all with the laity that join these movements. These people and families are seeking holier lives. I know this from personal contacts. One of the problems is that all too often regular parish/diocesan lay life does not offer enough. Movements know this and take advantages of this. There is nothing wrong with a Catholic lay organization whose only mission is to support the Church. The problem is with movements that use brainwashing for self preservation and, by doing so, badly hurt people. Perhaps its time for us, the laity, to step up to the plate and be more active in our parishes and dioceses, and not wait that this will come from who knows where. Perhaps it's time to start reading the Bible and understand what is in our Catechism (even though I find the new version hard to read). Perhaps it's time for us to know the history of our Church, the lives of the hundreds of wonderful Saints. Perhaps its time for us to be true building blocks of our Church. It’s our only true Home. No? We can do it within our families, in our Parishes, but also in larger diocesan groups, with the support and to support our Bishops and priests. If diocesan life is too wishy-washy, there is too much use of washed down politically correct doublespeak, we need to speak out constructively. For example, what father and son Pete and Thomas Vere have shown me from reading their blogs over the last few months, is that there is great lay talent and expertise out there that we can rely on. Does that make sense? Tom

[nota bene: the father and son tem are Ed and Tom Peters; Pete Vere's work is not associated with his father, whom I assume to be a fine man, whatever he does. ed.]

[Another exLegionary]

Where did their brains go?

I would pity them Pete if they were sitting at home moping, but they're STILL out there getting young men to join, recruiting people for the Movement, etc.

Anger is better than pity - it gives one energy to confront an evil you can do something about. Pity seems so resigned.

[mExRC]

Pete,
Lucrecia is not a alone in her posture. A VAST MAJORITY of "integrated" RCs in Mexico espouse the very same ideas, and are willing to die for "nuestro padre," because they equate faithfulness to MM to faithfulness to Christ and the will of God.

We are talking of thousands of families in Mexico who think and feel exactly like Lucrecia does.

[Mouse from Am Pap]

Sane-- the thing is, there ARE a lot of good, orthodox orders out there, and a lot of good groups (K of C, Vincent De Paul,Legion of Mary,etc.) that lay people can join.

In fact, many RC apostolates duplicate the efforts of other groups already out there! The thing is, a lot of orthodox Catholics tend to be...well... quiet. And all groups are a mixed bag, so you can always find that one guy in the local KofC who insists on voting pro-abort, even as the group as a whole is an amazing force for Life.

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of RC people I know take the existance of one sinful member as proof that the whole group is insufficiently faithful to church teachings...

No lay group or order is going to be completely perfect-- we're human. But there are lots of wonderful groups out there for people who want to help build up the church. It's not like the Bishops are standing in the way of these groups and forcing people into RC....

I think, if anything, it may be that they just tend to assume that EVERYONE knows about the KofC and VdP and Catholic Mission Societies and Serra clubs and whatnot, and so are confused when people complain about the dearth of good oppurtunities....

And as for good bible studies/prayer groups/etc.... well, talk to your pastor and START one... usually there's a demand for these sorts of things, it's just that most people are afraid of taking on the responsibility!

[Still RC - For Now, Anyway]

Souls that revel in their brokenness . . .

That might be the best diagnosis of the disorder I've observed among some of the "die hard" RC formators. They simply can't see the light and actually enjoy the darkness. The thinking seems to be "I (and/or my family) didn't really know Christ before RC, and now I do. Therefore I will stay with RC". They are confusing their masters and I predict many of them will do so till the very end.

They should definitely be pitied and prayed for. Especially because many are at risk of not choosing Christ in the end but continuing to cling to whatever is left of the LC. They are at risk of becoming "Regnum Christians" - an offshoot of genuine Christianity which is not approved by the Church.

[Another exLegionary]

Here's another little gem from Lucrecia:

De “las grandes sumas de dinero” que dicen que el P. Maciel le daba a
la madre de la niña… la prensa ha hablado de sumas de $5,000 a $10,000
dólares que, de vez en cuando, llevaba consigo Nuestro Padre. ¿Son
$10,000 dólares, dados de vez en cuando, una suma escandalosa para
mantener una familia? De ninguna manera. Son apenas lo necesario para
asegurar que la niña (que no tiene ninguna culpa en la historia) tuviera
vestido, casa, alimento y estudios en un lugar digno y decente. Lo que sí
sabemos, es que Nuestro Padre trabajaba mucho por la Legión y, humanamente
hablando, tenía todo el derecho (como simple trabajador y director de una
empresa) de disponer de algún dinero para sus gastos personales (en este
caso, la manutención de esta inverosímil familia).

"Of the 'huge amounts of money' that they say that Fr Maciel gave to the mother of the child... the press has talked about sums of $5,000 to $10,000 which now and again Nuestro Padre would take with him. Are $10,000 given from time to time a scandalous amount for the upkeep of a family? No way. It's barely enough to make sure the girl (who has no blame in all of this) could be clothed, sheltered, fed and schooled in a decent and dignified way. What we do know is that Nuestro Padre worked very hard for the Legion and, speaking just on a human level, he had every right (as a simple worker and director of a business) to use some of that money for personal expenses (in this case, to deal with this unlikely family)."

LUCRECIA, ARE YOU FROM THIS PLANET OR WHAT?

[Katie]

It is painful and maddening to read these quotes. Terrible to think that some people have their personal identity so thoroughly bound up in the Legion that they cannot face reality. But I'm glad she's talking to the press. It serves a important purpose, albeit opposite to the one she intends.

[giselle]

This is painful and maddening (or "brainless," as Another EX says) unless you understand cults. All of this represents textbook behaviour and the logical responses of those who are in cults, no matter what the profile and theology of the group. If the readers of this blog would take the time to do their homework and get past the "C" word, so many details would fall into place.

I remember the hue and cry on the AmP blog months ago about using that term, but it's the easiest way to understand this insanity.

Proper diagnosis (as always, in the medical sense) is essential to responding properly to this group. When it's classified as a cult, then we'll stop pulling out our remaining hair and being shocked. This is what cult members do.

[Don]

To set the record straight -- Thomas Peters (the American Papist) is the son of Ed Peters, who is a canon lawyer (http://www.canonlaw.info/blog.html) Pete Vere is also a canon lawyer, but no relation to Tom.

[lrs55]

Having been a part of an adult study group for over 25 years, I would highly recommend everyone to belong to such a group. Our group got together from a parish-sponsored program--Renew--but after it finished, we continued on our own. If you are using orthodox materials, you may find opposition in the clergy, but you don't need the pastor's approval to gather in homes. We had one priest who hated Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict but we read his works anyhow since we knew he was good. It only takes one semi-knowledgeable person who knows what is good and how to access it to get going.

I am experiencing for the first time in 34 years as a Catholic, a pastor who is conducting a study group and who says exactly what we have learned on our own over the past many years. It is very exciting but how sad it would have been if I would have waited until now when I am in my 50's to begin learning about the faith because I had been waiting for the clergy to lead something. Vatican II was a call to PERSONAL holiness, that means us laity, and with all of the tools available through books and the internet, we have no excuses.

People get into Catholic cults for the same reasons people get into other cults. My husband and I saw red flags in Regnum Christi as soon as we started looking into it. We were actively recruited because my husband would have been the first man in the area and they wanted him to lead all of their husbands! If people leave RC and start looking for another group without looking at themselves to see how and why they were sucked into such an organization, they may end up in another one.

[Pete Vere]

One can be angry with a person's action and still pity him for him situation, even if some of it (or even all of it) is his fault. The fact an individual sees nothing wrong with his situation is what makes him (or in this case "her") all the more pitiable.

As St. John Chrysostom writes in his fourth homily on the Epistle to the Romans:

"For even if there were no hell, and no punishment had been threatened, this were worse than any punishment. Yet if you say 'they found pleasure in it,' you tell me what adds to the vengeance. For suppose I were to see a person running naked, with his body all besmeared with mire, and yet not covering himself, but exulting in it, I should not rejoice with him, but should rather bewail that he did not even perceive that he was doing shamefully. But that I may show the atrocity in a yet clearer light, bear with me in one more example. Now if any one condemned a virgin to live in close dens (θαλομευομένην), and to have intercourse with unreasoning brutes, and then she was pleased with such intercourse, would she not for this be especially a worthy object of tears, as being unable to be freed from this misery owing to her not even perceiving the misery? It is plain surely to every one."