life-after-RC

The eternal illustration

One thing the members of the Movement are going to have to deal with is the use of their history as the eternal illustration of [insert scandalous defect here] by the Church and the wider world. A perfect example is this article by Mark Shea:

One of the big puzzles that many Catholics have grappled with in recent years is the baffling phenomenon of some charismatic figure (one thinks of a Rev. Marcial Maciel, for instance) who can, for years, inspire or otherwise offer blessing and solace to good and decent Christians who are full of faith and obedient to the Church. Said figure can preach or write clear and engaging explications of the Faith. He can do all sorts of wonderful things that help struggling souls find healing, that give new purpose to the hopeless, and that help the lost discover the riches of grace in Christ. He is beloved by his devotees– and not without reason.

And yet that charismatic figure then turns out to be bound up with very serious sin or even shown to be, as in Father Maciel’s case, a monster of diabolical proportions.

Mark goes on to make some excellent points, which are up for discussion here, but the larger lesson is that as long as the Legion and Regnum Christi exist, they will stand as a stark reminder of betrayal: betrayal of the innocence of particular young men over many years, betrayal of various women and children begotten by Maciel, betrayal of the Church that welcomed members of this Movement with its dark agenda, betrayal of those who were smeared and slimed for revealing the truth, betrayal of countless Catholics who offered them their money and their children, and betrayal of several Holy Fathers who mistakenly approved their toxic methodology [well-deserved correction here].

Current members can insist that THEY weren't part of the problem, THEY mean well, THEY are sincere Catholics who simply want to be part of the New Evangelisation -- but they cannot rewrite history. They can be a Congregation with a nameless founder, a corps of believers with no charism, mission or approved rule, but as long as they insist on working AS Legionaries or members of Regnum Christi, they are saying that they choose to do this work under the banner of a corrupt institution. They insist that Christ isn't enough: it must be Christ filtered through the compromised kiss of Judas.

Why isn't Christ enough? Christ filtered through Francis is understandable; as is Christ through the prism of Ignatius, Dominic or Teresa of Calcutta. What remains of Maciel's filter that cannot be done better without it? Or to reverse the question, What is it about Maciel's filter that helps the Church.

Maciel's illustration will ever be a blot on history -- on the Curia, on the Pope, and on the Congregation itself. They will always be the "go to" example of "what went wrong?"

Shame and eternal shame, nothing but shame! (Henry V, Act 4, Scene 5)

UPDATE: Another site asks essential questions about the ongoing existence of the Legion, and reminds us that we cannot clean house without going to the root of the scandal: Who knew what, when? If we learned nothing else from Boston, didn't we learn that until the truth is exposed, it will fester and harm the Mystical Body? There is the eternal illustration, and then there is the ongoing vague distrust of the entire Curia. In essence, this scandal unjustly tarnishes all of its members until an investigation distills the facts, and isolates those who are to blame.

The last dissenting voice

Dear Father Superiors and Consecrated: Again I have to raise a dissenting and dissonant voice to publicly distance myself from selling UNID universities. These are the reasons:

1. [Through these schools] we have the opportunity to evangelise 25,000 young people. [I] The Legionaries battle the ways of the world through their contact with college kids, and you, the above, have sold--without the consent of a chapter or through consultation with the Legionaries--their ability to evangelize 25,000 young people (each year).
2. The Legion still has enormous amounts of property and works which they can sell before selling their apostolic projects [ii].
- La Differencia (terrain on the hill opposite the Anahuac)
- The Inter-Americas Cultural Center in Tlalpan. (The land is worth a lot of money, and there so much money is spent on educating each person).
- La Casa Tres (complete with jacuzzi)
- The "Reino" houses there in the hills and forests, in Guadalajara and Monterrey.
- The retirement homes in Ameca meca, Las Penas, Chipinque
- The vacation home in Termini (only used 3 months a year)
- The property attached to the European University of Rome (which has a value of over $50 million)
3. Why does it have to be the UNID? Is it because there we only educate the children of railroad personnel ... and children of carpenters?

Father Superiors, the Legionaries came to know of this sale through the press. Who is responsible? Where is the transparency? What will be the new Legion's place in the Church which not only fulfills the orders of the Pope but also their own wishes?

The Legion belongs to the 900 priests and the 500 consecrated members, and they have not been consulted on the sale of their works. We seem to have changed leadership, but the culture initiated by Fr Maciel still reigns in this congregation.

I had nothing to do with this sale. It outrages and embarrasses me because it is a manifestation of elitism. It is not in keeping with the Gospel or the doctrines of the Church.

I apologize to the young people we have failed.
I remain,
The Last Dissenter,
P.Peter F. Byrne L.C

[i] 1132. The poor and the young are the wealth and hope of the Church in Latin America and their evangelization is therefore a priority (Puebla Document)

[ii] There are priests dedicated to small groups of children. In Dublin there are 3 priests, two religious, and twelve volunteers honored for their full-time dedication to fewer than 200 children. These children are not poor ($ 40,000 to be paid at the academy) or in need of spiritual care (because they come from Catholic schools). Why not sell this academy (which also loses money) in order to invest in the UNID, and also allow these people to
work with young people? Elsewhere there Mexica priests with 100 youth and 50 youth groups in his kingdom .. Why not dedicated to working with youth 25.000 UNID? Is it possible that is because they are children of workers and not worth the same as the
Anáhuac souls of priests having 3 Poniente time completely?

The original (corrections welcome):

Estimados Padres Superiores y Consejeros,
De nuevo tengo que alzar una voz disidente y disonante para públicamente distanciarme de la venta de las universidades UNID. Estas son las razones:
1. Son 25,000 jóvenes que teníamos la oportunidad de evangelizar. [i] Los legionarios batallamos en el mundo entero por tener contacto con jóvenes universitarios y ustedes, los superiores han vendido, sin el consentimiento de un capitulo ni la consulta con los Legionarios, la posibilidad de evangelizar a 25,000 (cada año).
2. La Legión tiene todavía enormes cantidades de propiedades y obras que puede vender antes de vender proyectos apostólicos[ii].
- La Diferencia (terreno en la colina enfrente a la Anáhuac)
- El Centro Cultural Interamericano en Tlalpan. (El terreno vale mucho dinero y allí no se educa a una sola persona).
- La Casa Tres (con todo y jaccuzi)
- Las casas de Reino que hay en las Lomas, en Bosques, en Guadalajara y Monterrey.
- Las casas de retiro en Ameca meca, Las Penas, Chipinque,
- La casa de vacaciones en Termini (que solo se utiliza 3 meses al año)
- La propiedad adjunta a la Universidad Europea de Roma (que tiene un valor de más de 50 millones de dólares)
3. ¿Por qué tuvo que ser la UNID? ¿será porque allí solo se educan a los hijos de ferrocarrileros … e hijos de carpinteros?
Padres Superiores,
Los legionarios llegamos a saber de esta venta por medio de la prensa. ¿Dónde está la corresponsabilidad? ¿Dónde está la transparencia? ¿Dónde está la nueva Legión que va al paso de la Iglesia y que cumple no solo los órdenes del Papa sino también sus deseos?
La Legión pertenece a los 900 sacerdotes y las 500 Consagradas y estos no han sido consultados sobre la venta de sus obras. Parece que hemos cambiado una cúpula por otra y que la cultura caciquesca iniciada por el P.Maciel sigue reinando en esta congregación.
Yo no tuve nada que ver con esta venta. Me indigna y me avergüenza pues es una manifestación de elitismo. No corresponde al Evangelio y no corresponde a la doctrina de la Iglesia.
Pido perdón a los jóvenes a quienes hemos fallado.
Me quedo,
El Ultimo Disidente,
P.Peter F. Byrne L.C

[i] 1132. Los pobres y los jóvenes, constituyen, pues, la riqueza y la
esperanza de la Iglesia en América Latina y su evangelización es, por
tanto, prioritaria- Documento de Puebla

[ii] Hay sacerdotes dedicados a grupos minúsculos de niños. En Dublin
hay 3 sacerdotes, dos religiosos, doce consagradas y doce voluntarios
a tiempo completo dedicados a menos de 200 niños. Estos niños ni son
pobres (pagan 40,000 dólares por estar en la academia) ni necesitan de
estas atenciones espirituales (pues vienen de colegios católicos).
¿Por qué no se vendió esta academia (que además pierde dinero según el
director) para invertir en la UNID y además poner todas estas personas
a trabajar con los jóvenes? En otras partes de Mexica hay sacerdotes
que tienen 100 jovenes o 50 jóvenes en sus grupos de Reino.. ¿Por qué
no se dedicaron a trabajar con los 25,000 jóvenes de UNID? ¿es posible
que sea porque son hijos de trabajadores y no valen lo mismo que las
almas de la Anáhuac Poniente que tienen 3 sacerdotes a tiempo
completo?

Pope Francis [previously "New meme?"]

UPDATE II: I am simply updating this post, because it's too hard to move all the comments on Pope Francis which have accrued since his election. One commenter found an interesting article on how then-Cardinal Bergoglio dealt with another problematic group, the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) that was using the support of Cardinal Sodano to undermine local authorities:

These moves by Sodano were a "great humiliation" and a "slap in the face" to the Argentine Bishops.  So much so that then Cardinal Bergoglio even traveled to Rome to meet privately with Pope Benedict and express his concern over influence that Ambassador Casselli (and his ally Sodano) still had in appointing Bishops (such as the lone Argentine supporter of the IVE, Bishop Hector Aguer.)  Like an excerpt from a Godfather movie, Casselli, Aguer, and Sodano coordinated together and the Sodano and Casselli families even had close economic ties. 

This may be unrelated, but the broad brushstrokes (and personalities) are the same. That might lead one to conclude that the new Pope is no pushover, nor a stranger to these sorts of games.

AnonObserv has some trenchant thoughts in the combox as well:

Well let me at least put in that as far as possible moves of Pope Francis, I doubt he will radically undo what has been done thus far with the LC, i.e. the program of a renewal without a dissolution/re-foundation etc..  but he does have an opportunity to bring about some radical shifts in what still remains which is the completion of the constitutions that preempts the General Chapter to come in a year or two.  Some ideas of what an experience provincial and novice master may consider:

1. He would clearly know from his lived experience that the appointment of Provincial by a Superior General rather than electing them creates an institutional environment of cronyism, hyper-centralization of authority, and the consequent cult-like paternalism of the great spiritual father the person of the director general is to be for all.  I have many places pointed out how AC assumed this persona, and Fr. Sylvester is following in perfect step..

2. He will know what passes for valid spirituality and what does not.  A founder-less, and a-historical foundation that has no integral witness behind it, with only rules and abstract mottoes of seemingly a bunch of Jesuit wannabes, must look awfully empty to him once you get beyond the doting papal subservience and peacock display of youth.
3. The new Pope will have the opportunity to define the apostolic charism of the LCs, and even more precisely what is "the work with leaders."  The Jesuits have labored in this vineyard before- they know where the sophisms are.  They know the conflict of a pretended elitism vs the Christ-like witness of humble service incumbent upon any religious.  One can perhaps even say their participation in the Theology of Liberation may have been simply a misguided effort to reconcile a conflict that the LCs have yet to identify.  And this theme is still very much in the press with the scandal of the Mee fortune.

We do have some evidence that the LC website only notes the name of the founding ordinary of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Quarracino.  No note of Bergoglio has been made even though he did permit them a school which in some ways was tied to a Mano Amiga program that followed shortly after.  This suggests the relationship was not a warm one.

THE REST (the original post) CONCERNS THE REMARKS OF FR MORRIS THAT OBFUSCATE REALITY