life-after-RC

A different view

From CNA:

Responding to Vatican analyst Sandro Magister’s article on the leadership of the Legion of Christ, two prominent former members of the congregation told CNA on Wednesday that Fr. Luis Garza LC, current Vicar General of the Legion, should be regarded as part of the solution and not the problem.

Fr. Richard Gill and Fr. Thomas Berg, two high profile former Legionaries of Christ now working in the Archdiocese of New York, told CNA that Magister, in his reaction to the Legion of Christ's official admissions concerning Fr. Marcial Maciel's double life, “makes valid points about the likelihood the Holy See will need to remove the current major superiors and appoint a commissioner” in order to make “needed reforms” and “purge the Legion of any taint of the legacy of Maciel.”

“The current superiors,” the priests note, “whether they had prior knowledge of, or were complicit in any way with Maciel's crimes are certainly compromised by their closeness to him and their inability to be honest about, and take corrective steps concerning his scandalous life from the time it became indisputably clear in 2006.”

They note that moving forward for the Legion, “requires new leadership and a new start with a spirituality free from the influence of a man who may in fact be the most seriously disturbed major Catholic figure in the 20th century.”

Nevertheless, the two former Legionaries argue that Magister goes “well beyond the available evidence” when he suggests the Vicar General, Fr. Luis Garza, LC is “mastermind of an evil conspiracy to consolidate control."

“Our personal experience has been that Fr. Garza was candid and forthright from the beginning about the issues generated by the Maciel scandals. It was Garza who investigated Maciel once it began to appear to him the Vatican's 2006 censure of Maciel was well grounded and discovered the facts. Garza later put forth a program of openness and reform that was unfortunately rejected by the other major superiors, a program which, had it been implemented at the time, would have saved the Legion much of its current distress,” Fathers Gill and Berg say.

Magister also notes in his article that Garza “is the creator and absolute master” of the “holding company that acts as treasury and administrative center for all the works of the Legion in the world, with assets totaling an estimated 25 billion euros.”

The priests defend the Legion saying that “all religious orders have assets in real estate and investments, and some larger orders no doubt have assets in the many billions of dollars. Why should this be surprising?"

They add, “The task of any reporter who suspects foul play is to demonstrate that this wealth is somehow ill gotten or is being misused for purposes that do not further the mission of the Church.”

“A reporter should avoid innuendo that creates an impression unsupported by facts he can document,” Fathers Gill and Berg conclude

[Please be sure to read the comments for Aaron Loughery's precise explanation of Fr Garza's complicity in covering up his (A.L.'s) personal encounter with sexual abuse in the Legion. He lied to cover the Legion's reputation and intimidate the victim.

Kindly remember that your humble scribe indicated a year ago that there were troubling elements in the parting discourse of Fr Berg, not to mention concerns about Fr Gill's actual separation from the group, since he was still collaborating with them. People have gotten so distracted by recent emerging facts about MM's sexual perfidy that we've neglected the fundamental truth: this is a cult--and a cult that invested heavy in mass media apostolates. That focus seems to be paying dividends even now. Now when reading this piece below, keep in mind that the author is a Legionary seminarian (evidently in Rome) who is writing for a LC-hosted site. And there are clear indications that the seminarians have not been told everything about the founder or the details of the current situation. Consider that filter as you process how he may have understood her remarks.]

Mrs Glendon seems to have confidence in the group as well:

Mary Ann Glendon, president of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences, professor at Harvard University, former ambassador of the United States to the Holy See; visited the Legionaries of Christ in Rome and gave a conference, referring to the current situation of the Legionaries of Christ.

Wise, warm and welcoming; she confided to the Legionary community in Rome that she knows what it is like to go through a time of of testing. The first lesson learned is that God does give the strength. She mentioned that when Pope John Paul II named her to the Vatican delegation to the United Nations Conference on Women in Beijing in 1994, she felt inadequate. One of her lifetime greatest difficulties was stage fright. In Beijing, she would have to confront a vary diverse audience with views mostly contrary to some of the basic talking points of the Vatican at the summit.

Almost mysteriously, the stage fright left her. Asking a religious sister in the delegation why it had taken so long for her to get over this phobia, Sister Christine answered “so you could be sure that it is not you that did this.” God does give the strength.

The second lesson is to not exaggerate the suffering. Sometimes with hate mail or vicious phone calls, she can feel sometimes like St. Sebastian with the arrows sticking out. Then she reminds herself that she is not St. Sebastian: they are not arrows, only letters and phone messages.

The biggest suffering that she has witnessed up close was the 2002 Boston Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis. At the distance of eight years, it is a good moment to take stock of what we have learned from the event. Really, the involvement of Catholic priests in child abuse, while grave, is only one manifestation of the problems resulting from the Sexual Revolution of the second half of the twentieth century.

The Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis helped to underline that the true victims of this Revolution have been children. They have suffered especially from three A’s: Abortion, Abandonment by irresponsible parents, and Abuse.

Those mainly responsible have been in their own families. First on the list are their mothers’ live-in boyfriends and stepfathers. Then come teachers and other adults with privileged access to children. Way down the line come Catholic priests, accounting for less than 2% of all child sex abuse cases.

Why was there so much furor directed against the Church? We have to look at the source of the attacks. Contingent-fee lawyers in Boston, who receive as payment one-third to one-half of the amount awarded their clients, realized it was not very lucrative to sue teachers or Protestant ministers. It could be a gold mine to sue the Catholic Church. They were able to win support by getting the news media to publicize some dreadful cases that did occur in Boston.

With the help of the example of English statesman, Edmund Burke, she explained how in the French Revolution, there was an organized campaign trying to smear the clergy with immorality. This was in preparation for confiscating Church property. Burke questioned the sincerity of someone who would accuse just before robbing somebody. Burke, a Protestant, recognized the effort to get the French to hate their own clergy as a preparation for abolishing the Christian religion.

Here, Mrs. Glendon turned her attention to the Legionaries of Christ. Who can be surprised that there is so much attention on the Legion of Christ? Behind the lawyers, the opportunistic newspapers, the revolutionaries in France in the 18th century; there was another force.

St. Paul gives some good advice on what to do in this case. Eph. 6:11-20 states: “Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones and also for me, that speech may be given me to open my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, so that I may have the courage to speak as I must.” 

Nicholas Sheehy, LC studies for the priesthood in Rome.

Program notes

From Juan Vaca:

Brian Ross called me today. He is going to report a piece at 11:30 on ABC tonight... This morning 8:30AM I was live for forty minute with Carmen Aristegui. She was wonderful. Try to find it on google or youtube.

UPDATE: Here's the link. I don't intend to work on an indictment of John Paul II (who was surrounded by Legion sycophants) but simply want the mess cleaned up now. I'll watch it after Easter.

Tin foil hats, anyone?

The mission of this blog has always been reasonably focused -- trying to help people understand how such a thing as "Legion" can exist (with accolades!) in the bosom of Holy Mother Church. I want readers to understand that the Legion's mission is not to be confused with the Great Commission (given by Christ after Pentecost) although the trappings look mighty similar, and when one separates the two, one may come to a point of healing and moving on (without losing faith in the Church herself).

Thus we have looked at the nature of free will, cults, manipulative tactics, twisting of orthodoxy, the nature of authentic vocations, etc. from the ground level -- I must admit I've learned a great deal over recent years, not the least of all from you and your excellent contributions. But I'd like you to consider one more angle. Just as the Rosary and Novenas are private devotions and not essential to the Deposit of Faith, this angle is not essential to the healing from exposure to the Movement. But it might help.  

Consider that startling tidbit in Sandro Magister's piece where he refers to Grupo Integer and their enormous bank account. Some thought it might have been a typo, or an exaggeration. Others knew better. That was a hint. Then there is the promised two-part piece on Legion finances by Jason Berry (which he has been researching for a very long time, with widely gathered interviews and travel). The Reporter had it scheduled, then removed their alert, then the piece simply didn't appear. Some assumed they were double-checking the legal situation with such disclosure (Legion is known to have well-heeled lawyers at the ready) and yet there's no sign of the piece. It still may appear, but I'm beginning to have my doubt. We'll see.

Imagine, if you will, that there are two parallel con games going on -- one that gives comfort and cover to a remarkable swindler, who poses as a Saviour-Priest and fisher of men, and the other that works the back door to his enterprise (which uses the Church as private bordello). The jig is finally up on the poseur-paederast, though they kept it going as long as possible -- even after he was dead. That con is falling apart day by day, requiring the second con to take cover in different pastures.

I have hinted at this in numerous exchanges over the last few years, because I'm not sure if it helps one to recover his faith in his own judgement (and that of the Church) or not. Let's imagine Sally marries a salesman -- debonair and cunning -- and years later finds that he has three other families tucked away and that his business trips have been clever ruses to maintain his fraudulent life. She kicks herself and wonders how she could be so stupid not to see through a two-bit hustler.

But on the other hand, imagine that Sally finds out that her husband is playing both ends to the middle -- supposedly working for the mob, but playing them off against Interpol, and really an agent for the Kremlin. This rachets his crimes into a whole new universe of bad, and she might actually have more peace of mind that he fooled much better/smarter people than herself, and his con wasn't "two bit" but worth a staggaring amount. (Of course, it's only natural that she's also far more rattled that she ever played house with such Evil!)

Does this help? I know we're all descending into the penumbra of the Holy Triduum, where we see the Evil stake its claim against the Son of God -- and over which He conquered. He does win in the end, though each generation is party to a new efforts to bring down His Kingdom. In truth, we've just had our own frightful run-in with a particular gambit which is still operational. Sometimes the Big Picture helps; and other times it's a distraction -- your call. I just want you to remember that even if the "black helicopters" are only in my imagination, you've bumped up against a terrible manifestation of the Dark Lord. But with God on your side and Our Lady's mantle over you, we'll see this con crushed like the head of the Serpent.

What are we looking for?

The contributors to this discussion forum have accused us of being cranks, in that we fussed over the lack of apologies, and then grumbled when one was offered. A reader offers an explanation:

I can't speak for the victims, but I can say this: I believe that if I had been anally and orally raped by a priest who was revered by his entire order of followers for decades, and that priest was now dead and gone (and apparently unrepentant, too, by all outward signs), I would not seek or want an apology for HIS actions from his minions. What I would want is an apology from his followers for not only refusing to listen to me and all his other victims (most importantly because this obstinate blindness thus allowed God only knows how many others to be raped and abused by this criminal), but for publicly calling me a liar and an attacker of good and a worker of the Devil.

I can't read the article because I am not spanish-speaking, so I don't know what apology these victims stated they desired, but I know what kind of apology I would desire. It would be an apology for what THEY had done, not for what Maciel had done. Maciel is dead and gone, Alvaro and Co are alive and well and perfectly capable of providing contrition and restitution for the sins of obstinate blindness, covering-up of a pedophile, committing the grave sin of calumny against the pedophile's victims (repeatedly, and for years), continuing to have children the world over worshiping same child rapist as a saint (for years after they knew he was a fraud!!), continuing to form their priests in the methodology of the hardened criminal (again, for years after they knew he was a sodomizer and a father of lies). I don't think it's complicated.

As for not going to the authorities, I am not sure there is anything that could have been done? Once the statute of limitations is over, I don't think the law has much interest in such deeds. I personally have no knowledge of what civil authorities they did or did not contact, but it has been made clear they went through proper Church authority channels for years and got nowhere by doing so. It was after trying to go through proper Church channels for years and then hearing the Pope call an anal and oral rapist of children an "efficacious guide to youth" after they had sent letters to the Pope via official emissaries for decades that they finally decided to go to the press. And thank goodness they did, because left to the devices of the Vatican, it's fairly obvious this story of abuse and cover-up never would have seen the light of day.

To my knowledge, none of of them has ever sought one dime from the Legion or from the Church, I might add. Have you never heard the phrase "too little, too late"? Timing does matter. After a certain period of years of lying, obfuscating, chattering on in pious truisms, etc, you might just find you really are damned if you do and damned if you don't.

There are consequences for years of lying, calumny, perpetuation of a fraud. One of them is that if you actually ever do manage to see the light, nobody is going to believe you are of good will. Credibility matters. Once you've lost it through your own behavior, you can't then cry foul when nobody is satisfied with your responses. It's a price that must be paid for years of egregious behavior.

For the Legion to now whine that they are damned if they do and damned if they don't is unbecoming. You can't use, abuse, cover-up, lie with abandon, show total lack of remorse for the effect your behavior has on the children in your care, etc, etc, etc, for years and years and then suddenly expect everyone to sit up and take notice because you now say you are sorry, especially when it is cushioned in mealy-mouthed vagueness and expressions of how tranquil of conscience you are about it all. Behavior has consequences.

Larry King

Tonight, Father John Bartunek, LC and Bill Donohue (Catholic League) will be talking about the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. Should be interesting, given their association/defense of the Legion throughout. [Let me know how it goes.]

UPDATE: We have the transcript --

REV. JOHN BARTUNEK, CATHOLIC PRIEST: The first thing that I really want to say as a priest, as a Catholic priest, is that I share the expression of sorrow and pain the Pope has expressed at various times, that the bishops have expressed. These crimes, these sins of priests, the Pope actually said in a letter to the people of Ireland recently -- he called it the betrayal of a sacred trust. And every time we hear about more cases, and every time we hear from the victims, it just tears your heart out. And I want to express that. I want to make sure that's clear. There is -- one case is too many. And we've had too many cases.

But at the same time, as a young priest in the Catholic Church, I feel a lot of hope right now, because I know in the last few years, my ordination and right after my ordination, that the policies that have begun to be put into place by the bishops here in the states and now in other countries as well are addressing the issue of protecting children.

We are being screened when we're in the seminary. We are being trained to recognize potential predators and to act. We are having norms put in place across the country. And this is all the initiative of the bishops in response to -- as we came to understand the depth and the extent of the problem, the bishops have respond not -- it would have been great if we could have responded more quickly and more thoroughly. And all the bishops here in the states says Cardinal Ratzinger was one of the key people in Rome that encouraged that to happen, to go towards zero tolerance. So I have a lot of hope for the future.

And that Zero Tolerance is going to be a real wake-up call for the Legion, isn't it. That he said all these words with a straight face and clear conscience tells us a lot about the integrity of their formation. (I hate to say it, but by the transcript, Sinead O'Connor sounded like a rocket surgeon compared to him.

[nota bene: all my previous comments in red removed. We'll let the man's words stand for themselves.]

Radio interview

An alert reader found a radio interview given by Alvaro Corcuera here. He notes:

What is significant is that for the first time he has mentioned in public that a General Chapter will be held, where the final determinations as to how to deal with the person of the founder. 

UPDATE: Now there are more Q&A's included and it's appalling stuff. There will be little more you could read to prove the obstinacy, the obtuseness, the insensitivity and the infernal pride of this group -- that still can promote ostensible "goods" on the backs of abused children (and I don't for a minute submit to his account of his conversations with victims, except that they are good men). One can read the Biblical narrative of Christ's Passion, or you can read this as a lived reality of the same. [Translation is still not official.]

 Pero, ¿qué hará la Legión con la figura histórica de Marcial Maciel, va a desaparecer esa figura en la historia, en los recuentos de la Legión de Cristo, qué van a hacer con la figura histórica del Padre Maciel? -Es evidente que tenemos que reconstruir la historia. Sinceramente creo que es un momento que nosotros tenemos que tomarlo como un reto hacia el futuro, tenemos que tener un capítulo, reorientar totalmente la figura, para una congregación es lo más doloroso que puede recibir, porque estás hablando de tu propio fundador. Creo que allí tenemos un momento de reflexión profundo y sincero en la verdad y va a depender de eso el futuro de la imagen que tengamos de él, que totalmente ha cambiado después de estos actos.

Translation: But what will the Legion do with the historical figure of Marcial Maciel? Will he disappear into history in the recounts of the Legion of Christ, what will they do with the historical figure of Father Maciel?

"Obviously we have to reconstruct the history. Honestly I think it's a moment that we have to take as a challenge for the future. We must hold a [General] Chapter and completely reorient the picture, which for a congregation is as painful as it gets -- because you're talking about your own founder. I think that we have a moment of deep and sincere reflection on truth, and the future will depend on the image we have of him, which has totally changed after these events.

Se supo el viernes, que pediste perdón en privado a tres de las víctimas mexicanas de Marcial Maciel, ¿lo vas a seguir haciendo después de este comunicado Álvaro? -Si, tuve la oportunidad de hablar con el padre Félix Alarcón que fue uno de los primeros que denunció estos actos, lo fui a visitar a Madrid, encontré una respuesta extraordinaria, de un hombre muy bueno, me dijo que yo no había hecho estos actos, pero le respondí que experimentaba la necesidad de acompañarle, de pedirle un perdón.

Translation: It was learned on Friday that you privately asked for forgiveness from three of the Mexican victims of Marcial Maciel; will you continue to do so after this communique, Alvaro?

Yes, I had the opportunity to speak with Father Felix Alarcon who was one of the first to denounce these acts, I visited him in Madrid; I found an extraordinary response from a very good man. He told me that I had not done these acts , but I told him I felt the need to accompany him, of asking him forgiveness.

Of course he's a very good man -- all the victims are. This sounds very suspect and incomplete. AC may not have done the original damage, but he was certainly complicit in saying that Fr Felix was everything but a good man up until quite recently. This is the confused Legion approach to forgiveness -- perhaps Fr Felix was saying that Alvaro couldn't apologise for MM since he didn't do it, but AC is painting it in the best light. I'll check with the men themselves for a reaction/opinion.

También he tenido conversaciones con otros padres y con otros miembros que me han pedido privacidad, también he encontrado respuestas muy positivas, con dolor y varios de ellos reconociendo las cosas buenas que recibieron. Tuve la oportunidad de hablar por teléfono con Juan José Baca, un hombre que admiro, y también dos conversaciones breves con don Saúl Barrales, que me apena mucho por su enfermedad, es un extraordinario hombre.

En cuanto pueda ir a México, desde luego que quiero acercarme a las demás personas, a las que aprecio y las que estoy seguro, necesitan unas palabras y una manifestación de cercanía.

Una de esas personas es José Barba, así como otras personas que han sido afectadas por estos hechos tan tristes, me parecía difícil enumerar a todas las personas, pero desde luego, al padre Félix Alarcón, al licenciado José Barba, a Saúl Barrales, Alejandro Espinosa, Arturo Jurado, a los hermanos Pérez Olivero y a Juan José Baca, y también a nivel humano, a Francisco González Parga, quien fue el primero que me habló de la vocación sacerdotal, le tengo una profunda gratitud, soy muy feliz como Legionario de Cristo, soy muy feliz con mi sacerdocio.

Translation:

I've also had conversations with other priests and other members who have asked me to keep it private, where  I also found very positive responses, with pain, and some of them recognizing the good things they received. I had the opportunity to speak by telephone with Juan Jose Vaca, a man I admire, and also two short conversations with Don Saul Barrales. I am very sorry about his illness, he is an extraordinary man.

When I am able to go to Mexico, of course, I want to approach other people, whom I appreciate and I am sure, need a word and an expression of closeness. [Closeness!? I think they had too much "closeness," perhaps that's not what they're looking for.]

One such person is Jose Barba, and others who have been affected by these sad events.  It seems difficult to list everyone, but of course, Father Felix Alarcon, the lawyer Jose Barba, Saul Barrales, Alejandro Espinosa, Arturo Jurado, brothers and Juan José Pérez Olivero Baca, and also on a human level, Francisco Gonzalez Parga, who was the first one to speak to me about a priestly vocation. I have  deep gratitude to him,  I am very happy as Legionary of Christ, I am very happy with my priesthood [enough about them and the dark side, back to me and my happiness; sorry if my vocation was discovered by an abused young man -- wasn't that fruit worth it?].

Q: ¿El Padre Maciel terminó, se acabó, terminó para los Legionarios de Cristo, Álvaro?

A: -Creo que no podemos nosotros reconocer al padre Maciel como un modelo cuando hemos llegado a la conclusión de estos actos que no solamente han sido reprobables, sino también terribles, nos ha costado muchísimo reconocerlos, porque no coincidían con lo que nosotros experimentamos, con lo que vimos, con lo que escuchamos, no te puedo decir en lo personal que no recibí unas lecciones totalmente opuestas a este comportamiento, por lo tanto, con un dolor muy profundo, hemos de decir que no lo podemos tener como modelo en este sentido, en estas acciones totalmente ajenas a lo que nosotros profesamos y tratamos de enseñar.

Translation: "Father Maciel  is finished, he is done. Is it over for the Legionaries of Christ, Alvaro?

A: "I think that we cannot see  Father Maciel as a model now that we have come to the conclusion that these acts were not only reprehensible, but also terrible [um, that makes no sense whatsoever]. It cost us a lot to recognize it [poor us, the pan!], because they did not coincide with what we experienced, with what we saw, with what we heard. I can not say that, personally, I did not receive some lessons totally opposed to this behavior [I think that in a roundabout way that means "I did receive many lessons that had nothing to do with this behaviour" but his sentence structure is convoluted -- like his thoughts], therefore, with great pains, we have to say that he can not be a model in this regard, in these actions which are totally unrelated to what we profess and try to teach.

Q: ¿Como Director General de Los Legionarios de Cristo, qué esperas de esa visita apostólica, de esa investigación vaticana?

A: Sinceramente espero que sea una pauta, un parte aguas en la Congregación, donde todos los elementos positivos, queremos unir todos nuestros esfuerzos, no solamente como congregación católica, sino también con otros grupos para poder ayudar a la sociedad, a México en lo particular. La Santa Sede nos va ha ayudar a corregir, a reorientar definitivamente la figura del fundador de nuestra congregación, y también de hacer un análisis y una auto crítica profunda, estamos dispuesto a llevar a plenitud todo aquello que recibamos.

Translation: As Director General of the Legionaries of Christ, what you do expect from the Apostolic Visitation, from the Vatican investigation?

A: "Honestly, I hope it is a guide, a watershed moment for the Congregation, where all the positive elements, we want to unite all our efforts, not only as a Catholic congregation, but also with other groups in order to help society, and Mexico in particular [senseless, in that we can only cling to the Cross of Christ, not our own merits]. The Holy See will have help us to correct, permanently reorient the image of the founder of our congregation, and also make an analysis, a deep self-critique, we are fully prepared to carry out everything we receive [from them].

¿La Legión de Cristo continuará?
-Creo que sí, la congregación de los Legionarios de Cristo, es una obra que para mí como sacerdote la veo como venida de Dios, se que ha hecho un grandísimo bien, tiene que continuar haciendo un gran bien. Tengo la confianza total en que va a seguir y que tenemos que aprender lecciones de humildad y espero que realmente las aprendamos, unas lecciones en las diversas facetas de nuestra vida espiritual, humana, apostólica-pastoral y que podamos dedicarnos ha a hacerle bien a la sociedad, tanto en la clase dirigente, como en las clases más necesitadas para poder orientar hacia allá nuestro trabajo.

Finalmente, el director general de la congregación de los Legionarios de Cristo, manifestó que en estos cinco años que está cumpliendo al frente de la legión, y luego de hacer el perdón, "siento que uno tiene derecho a manifestar lo que ha sufrido y lo que hemos sufrido como congregación la ofuscación, la tristeza, el dolor, la pena profunda".

“Yo no quisiera expresar que lógicamente me la he pasado muy mal, pero estoy muy sereno y tranquilo en la conciencia porque hemos buscado realmente actuar según conciencia con todos los errores y limitaciones. Me siento con mucho dolor, con mucha pena, es a lo que yo nunca hubiera imaginado el día del capítulo general cuando fui elegido, si hubiera sabido todo lo que iba a venir, hubiera habido un funeral, porque me hubiera dado un infarto, pero sin embargo estoy orgulloso de esta familia, estoy muy feliz con todo lo que yo veo”, expresó.

Translation: Will the Legion of Christ will continue?

A: "I believe so, the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ is a work that, for me as a priest, I see it as coming from God, that has done a great deal of good, and has to continue doing a great deal of good [sigh]. I have total confidence that it will continue,  and we must learn lessons of humility and I hope we really learn them, these lessons in various facets of our spiritual life, human, pastoral, apostolic, so that we can dedicate ourselves has to do good in society, both in the ruling class, as with the most poor, in order to guide our work over there ["ruling class?" and "doing good?" We spread the love of Christ, not a Benefits Program].

Finally, the director general of the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, said that in the five years while serving as head of the Legion, and after asking pardon, "I feel that one has the right to express what has been suffered and what we have suffered as a congregation such as obfuscation, sadness, pain, grief.” [Well, no sh*%^$, Sherlock. That's why "serenity" doesn't work for healthy people in the face of this.]

"I would not say that of course it has been very bad for me, but I'm very tranquil and serene in conscience, because we really wanted to act according to conscience [even with] all our errors and limitations. I feel much pain, with much sorrow,  what I would have never imagined the day I was elected by the General Chapter. If I had known everything that was coming, there would have been a funeral, because I would have had a stroke [back to him, waa waa -- but of course with only MM as model, what was he to do?] However I am proud of this family, I am very happy with everything I see, " he said. [Bi-polar, evidently]

Um, beyond words. Simply beyond words.

Awkward boasting

As I was meditating on the Office of Readings for today, it hit me afresh how wrong the Legion response is, i.e. "Look at all the fruit." This is said in a variety of ways: "But we do a lot of good," or "We sincerely want to serve the Church," or "Regnum Christi is all about good works." Perhaps, and I'd like to think everyone is motivated by their own definition of good. But consider this:

The death of the Lord our God should not be a cause of shame for us; rather, it should be our greatest hope, our greatest glory. In taking upon himself the death that he found in us, he has most faithfully promised to give us life in him, such as we cannot have of ourselves.

He loved us so much that, sinless himself, he suffered for us sinners the punishment we deserved for our sins. How then can he fail to give us the reward we deserve for our righteousness, for he is the source of righteousness? How can he, whose promises are true, fail to reward the saints when he bore the punishment of sinners, though without sin himself?

Brethren, let us then fearlessly acknowledge, and even openly proclaim, that Christ was crucified for us; let us confess it, not in fear but in joy, not in shame but in glory.

 

The apostle Paul saw Christ, and extolled his claim to glory. He had many great and inspired things to say about Christ, but he did not say that he boasted in Christ’s wonderful works: in creating the world, since he was God with the Father, or in ruling the world, though he was also a man like us. Rather, he said: Let me not boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (from a sermon by Saint Augustine).

And let's look again at the Legion/Regnum Christi response:

• They don't say that they are boasting in God's good works through them, but in their own good works (maybe shorthand for the former, but it's always said this way, which indicates sloppy thinking at best) but even if they claim it's God working through them, that's not something to boast about according to Sts. Paul and Augustine;
• Good works--whether God's or man's--are not the point. We can only cling to the cross and pray that we are saved by the blood of Christ;
• "Consider all the good" seems to be the heighth of self-righteousness--and I know I used that phrase myself when in. For this I am truly sorry.

So we can revisit some quotes on behalf of the Legion to see how they stack up:

For his own mysterious reasons, God chose Fr Maciel as an instrument to found the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi, and we thank God for the good he did. At the same time, we accept and regret that, given the gravity of his faults, we cannot take his person as a model of Christian or priestly life (Legion Communique of 25 March 2010).

Love moves us to continue making a reality of the beautiful and fruitful charism that God gave us. Out of love, we seek to make it bear fruit (Fr Alvaro's letter of 25 March, 2010).

Why would these elderly men attack Father Maciel? Who would conspire to allege sexual misconduct against an aging priest who started a fast-growing priestly congregation, the ecclesial movement Regnum Christi, hundreds of schools, 10 universities, and a host of other institutions and apostolates serving the Church? (Fr Owen Kearns boasting about MM's works, as proof of his goodness).

There have been so many questions in my heart - but I can't doubt the call God put on my heart to join Regnum Christi - and I can't doubt what I have seen of the Holy Spirit working through so many good people: priests, Consecrated, and laity. I also don't deny that I am a sinner myself (RC member defending good people in the Movement -- note the awkward wording).

“While we cannot deny that Father Maciel was our founder and did much good,” the letter says, “neither can we deny the reality of what has recently come to light and his grave human failings."

"Along with the severe failings of the founder, and of the probable few who directly or tacitly enabled those failings over the years, please acknowledge the many good and effective works of the Legion and Regnum Christi, and the thousands of religious vocations in them. The Catholic Church needs and wants to maintain those. I trust Pope Benedict to do that" (comment on article about the Legion).

If you thought the Catholic Church was dead, look again! Fr. Maciel is a true son of the Church, faithful to what God asked of him, and -at 83 years old- is still going strong. This book is candid and historically accurate, showing how a 20 year old seminarian was able to found a religious congregation that is one of the fastest growing in the Church today. "You shall know a tree by its fruits;" for anyone who has heard of the work of the Legionaries of Christ, this book is a chance to see the roots (Ed Mulholland's review of Christ is My Life.

Maciel gives a tearful farewell speech to the congregation: “The Legion is said to be a good work, but what is the chance that the Legion, the tree, the branches, and the fruits are good, but I, the trunk, am evil? What sense is there in that?” (10 October 1956).

"I believe so, the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ is a work that, for me as a priest, I see it as coming from God, that has done a great deal of good, and has to continue doing a great deal of good. I have total confidence that it will continue (Alvaro Corcuera in the radio interview above).

Yes, by their fruits you shall know them, but the fruits are secondary -- not the hook on which you justify your existence. "Who are you calling good?" asked our Lord.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it Lord that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my God
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrificed them to His blood.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

Forbid it Lord that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my God
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood

From: http://www.musicbabylon.comFrom: http://www.musicbabylon.com

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

Forbid it Lord that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my God
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood

From: http://www.musicbabylon.comFrom: http://www.musicbabylon.com

Benedict is part of the solution

John Allen has an op-ed in the New York Times which is well worth the read:

For example, considerable skepticism surrounds the Vatican’s insistence that in 1980 the pope, then Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger of Munich, was unaware of a decision to transfer a known pedophile priest to his diocese and give him duties in a parish. In some ways, the question of what he knew at the time is almost secondary, since it happened on his watch and ultimately he has to bear the responsibility. However, all the criticism is obscuring something equally important: For anyone who knows the Vatican’s history on this issue, Benedict XVI isn’t just part of the problem. He’s also a major chapter in the solution.

To understand that, it’s necessary to wind the clock back a decade. Before then, no Vatican office had clear responsibility for cases of priests accused of sexual abuse, which instead were usually handled — and often ignored — at the diocesan level. In 2001, however, Pope John Paul II assigned responsibility to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s all-important doctrinal office, which was headed by Joseph Ratzinger, then a cardinal.

As a result, bishops were required to send their case files to Cardinal Ratzinger’s office. By all accounts, he studied them with care, making him one of the few churchmen anywhere in the world to have read the documentation on virtually every Catholic priest accused of sexual abuse. The experience gave him a familiarity with the pervasiveness of the problem that virtually no other figure in the Catholic Church can claim. And driven by that encounter with what he would later refer to as “filth” in the church, Cardinal Ratzinger seems to have undergone a transformation. From that point forward, he and his staff were determined to get something done.

He then notes the two-fold scandal -- the reprehensible actions of priests, and then the bishops who covered for them. It's that second scandal that is the obstacle (still) to the MM debacle, since many members of the Curia are subtly batting for the wrong team.

George Weigel uses a somewhat different angle to get to the same point in First Things, underscoring the horrific world-wide epidemic of childhood sexual abuse and the part the Church plays in it. They were slow on the uptake, but are completely "on it" now:

That the Catholic Church was slow to recognize the scandal of sexual abuse within the household of faith, and the failures of governance that led to the scandal being horribly mishandled, has been frankly admitted—by the bishops of the United States in 2002, and by Pope Benedict XVI in his recent letter to the Catholic Church in Ireland. In recent years, though, no other similarly situated institution has been so transparent about its failures, and none has done as much to clean house. It took too long to get there, to be sure; but we are there.

Oremus.

The Larger Picture?

From the esteemed Financial Times:

Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, an aide to the Pope, set the tone, telling reporters on Thursday: “This is a pretext for attacking the church. . . There is a well organised plan with a very clear aim.” This theme was pursued by Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s newspaper, in an editorial accusing the media of neglecting facts with the “evident and despicable intent to get to and strike Benedict XVI and his closest collaborators, regardless of everything.”

People close to the Vatican have been speaking in ominous tones of a conspiracy by masonic lodges and big business to undermine the church. Associations representing victims of child abuse dismiss such talk. They attribute the surfacing across Europe in recent weeks of hundreds of fresh allegations of abuse, some dating back decades, to a breaking of a social taboo [snip].

More embarrassment emerged for the Vatican on Friday when the Legion of Christ, an influential order of priests, apologised and disowned its late Mexican founder, Father Marcial Maciel, a cult figure accused of having been a sexual molester and to have fathered at least one child. But observers note that it was Benedict, first as cardinal and later as Pope, who had demanded an investigation of the order.

Consider what this "distraction" allows Grupo Integer to accomplish in the present, fleeting moment. Consider how they benefit by every other story dredged up to compete with their own scandal. Consider what odd bedfellows must exist around the world who each stand to benefit by a weakened entrenched pontiff.

When you think of Christ this week -- abandoned, derided, cursed, defiled, think of his Vicar and how he suffers. Who now is closer to Pontius Pilate?

A question of moral credibility

Rocco's blog points us to a quote that should give us cautious hope:

While continuing to cast blame on "media attacks" for the recent spate of stories on sex-abuse and serial mishandling of allegations in the church, even the Vatican's lead spokesman conceded today that "the way in which the church deals with [its response] is crucial for her moral credibility."

"The truth is that the cases that have come to public attention generally took place some time ago, even decades ago," Lombardi added, "although recognizing them and making amends with the victims is the best way to restore justice and to achieve that 'purification of memory' which enables us to look to the future with renewed commitment, with humility and trust."

Exactly. Making amends would begin by dealing severely with those who created the situation in the first place. And while the bulk of the charges against MM were decades-old, the AV was focused on the situation that allowed it (and shrugs over it still).  

UPDATE: and Sandro Magistro agrees --

Legionaries. The "nomenklatura" that must disappear. Name by name, all the top leaders of the congregation. Their extremely close connection with the founder and with his scandal. The impossibility of any real renewal, as long as they remain in power.

It is likely that the Vatican authorities will put the Legion under the command of an external commissioner endowed with full powers. And he will have to be obeyed by the current heads of the congregation, who are the real obstacle to any movement toward renewal, no matter how slight.

But this leadership group is anything but resigned to giving way.
 
Freed from the annoyance of the visitors, and not yet subjected to the command of the commissioner, during this interim period which they are hoping will last for "several months" they are doing everything they can to consolidate their power and win the support of the majority of the 800 priests of the Legion, and of the other religious and lay members.

The cohesion of the leadership group, originating from its decades-long connection with Maciel, endures today in the bond that binds and subordinates everyone to Corcuera, and even more to Garza.

Garza concentrates two key posts in himself. He is vicar general, with control of administration, and he is the director of the congregation's Italian province, headquartered in Rome, where the Vatican is. He took this second post shortly before the beginning of the apostolic visit, transferring his predecessor, Jacobo Muñoz, to the province of France and Ireland.

But in addition to this, Garza is the creator and absolute master of Grupo Integer, the holding company that acts as treasury and administrative center for all the works of the Legion in the world, with assets totaling an estimated 25 billion euros.

This is an excellent introduction to the new piece about to be dropped on the financial details of this  gang of pseudo-religious (I've only grabbed snippets). Do read it all, and understand how others see the Legion. There is a cage match in place and prayer alone will ensure a victory for good.