A kind reader has found and translated an account that says the Visitators have been summoned to Rome and submitted their earliest reports:
The visitors appointed by the Vatican to conduct an investigation of the institutions and centers of the Legionaries of Christ (LC) and the Regnum Christi (RC) were summoned to Rome in late October, where Benedict XVI was presented a first report on the results of their investigation.
According to information provided to EFE by Legionary priests who are still within the religious congregation, but who disagree with the attitude of "secrecy" of their superiors, the apostolic visit is almost complete.
However, the visitors continue to work as some schools are outstanding [waiting for?] a visit, as in the case of Spain, and because there are still many people, especially the RC laity and consecrated persons, who have requested to be received by the visitors and give their testimony.
Through sources close to one of the visitors, EFE been able to confirm the meeting: "we were called to Rome with urgency," said one, adding that the accusations of pedophilia against LC founder, Marcial Maciel, have virtually not been investigated.
The reason is that the Holy See has had already for years an important dossier about it, which led to the conviction of Maciel in 2005, and are only now receiving testimony from affected victims or who have requested to meet with some of the visitors.
The Pope, according to these same sources, "is now very clear about the situation of the Legion of Christ and the accusations against the founder. What we are deepening our investigation of, at the request of the Holy See, is the compliance with the suppression of the fourth vote of charity - never to speak ill of or denounce the superiors, as ordered by Rome.
Also being investigated with emphasis is "if the Legion's constitutions correspond to those adopted at the time by the Holy See, on the financial issue and ownership of properties and facilities and, by express mandate of the Pope, the possible 'coercion and control' of conscience in the consecrated members of the Legion, "sources told EFE.
Distrust and dissension
The situation that exists internally in Legionaries and Regnum Christi centres has gone from public embarrassment when it became the Pope's decision to investigate the works of Maciel and the Legion after recognizing that the founder had a daughter, to that of distrust of lack of information, to the distress of many priests and consecrated for their future, and
because of the exit (or abandonment) of priests and lay members [corrected, thank you, anon].
A Legionary priest, who occupies an important position in the LC and is still in pending the decision of the Holy See at the end apostolic visit, summarized the situation to EFE:
"In the LC and RC at the moment there are three types of attitudes: those who still think that everything is false and that this is further proof that Christ calls us; those who have left and have gone out; and us who live with a tremendous frustration because of the secrecy of our superiors and are waiting on what the Pope decides and whether we convene a General Chapter.
"Everything that has been said is true," says this priest, "and has been known to some LC superiors and to the Holy See for at least twenty years as acknowledged by the Vicar General, Luis Garza,pronounced at internal conferences this summer. "
"What I do not understand is precisely the attitude of Alvaro Corcuera, director general of the Legion, who is working and forcing the territorial directors to work and act as if nothing happened, and virtually denying the facts."
"He has not even apologized to the first victims of pedophile, because deep down those responsible for the Legion wants to continue denying this fact and disguise the contradictions and double life of the founder with the recognition of the existence of a daughter.
"It's an untenable situation because when your ask questions about something specific, either you do not get an answer or they say: 'Well you are the first person to bring this up."
For this Legionary, and for other LC members who have spoken to EFE and who have asked to work in other dioceses, including those of Madrid, the "distrust" is absolute in Legionnaires centers, "you can not trust or talk about these issues to anyone beside you, either because he tells you that he wants nothing to do with it or because minutes after they tell the superior. "
This same situation is also happening in the Regnum Christi houses and Consecrated centres, although the possibility of Internet access and more information enables them to follow more easily what is happening. In Legionary centres, internet access or e-mail is strictly controlled and certain critical pages and the reporting of this apostolic visit is censored.
The disappointment, questioning their faith in some cases and the inability of many to find support in their immediate environment, have led a group of lay of the RC to create a host network, in private homes, for those members and consecrated in the RC who need to "reflect without external pressures" on the future of remaining or not in the RC.
Transparency
Also, on reports of cases of sexual abuse in Legionary schools, a group of parents whose children continue their studies in Legionary schools in Mexico an association "Transparency Legionaria" has been created with the aim of uniting parents and to demand transparency in those schools.
This group has submitted their request for "transparency" to Benedict XVI, the apostolic visitors, heads of schools, the superiors of the Legion of Christ and the Integer Group -- the institution that controls all funding for the Legion, worldwide through various businesses, demanding "an official, public and expeditious response" to three question:
- Monthly report of revenue and expenditure in schools, to know what happens to the money they invest in the education of their children;
- a statement of principles of the school, whether your goal is to educate or to "have a breeding ground for future priests or members Regnum Christi;"
- and the curriculum of those who educate their children and how and why they are hired.
I'm running a bit today, but will update throughout the coming days. At first glance, it seems as if all the essential information has found its way into the report, and God willing, onto the proper desks in Rome. What remains is their response, which requires prudence and courage. Prayers, dear friends.
UPDATE: Ok, my initial response is in context of what we call the "Boston" scandal (which, of course, permeates so many many dioceses around the world). In those cases, for the most-part, we had depravity and sexual license being used in the name of the priesthood, so that not only were children gravely hurt and families insulted, but the faith was watered down either to cover for bad priests or because the hierarchy was so compromised that it was unable to evangelise with integrity.
Evil was present -- not only in the jaded environments in which innocence was brazenly stolen, but in smoke-filled back rooms where deals were cut and insane dissimilation was offered "for the greater good of the Church." The perverse and misguided attempts to avoid scandal only served to pour kerosine on the raging sparks. Please know I am not trying to minimise the gravity of that scandal, but it has certain parameters that confine it to regions of sexual perversion, financial stupidity and moral mismanagement.
Not so the Legion case. We've discussed ad nauseum the nature of this evil and it runs laps around the Boston scandal. Yes, there are the sexual and financial elements, but this was a far more cold-blooded scheme which made a gambit for the hierarchy itself and succeeded to a great degree. This was not a few men who couldn't keep their trousers zipped, this was a cadre of Machavellian mauraders who leveled their sights at the institutional Church and very nearly succeeded with an end-game that takes one's breath away.
BUT, here's the kicker. In God's infinite wisdom, we should be eternally grateful that the Boston scandal preceded the Legion scandal. Or to put it another way, the Legion scandal couldn't be cracked without the entree provided by Cardinal Law's feeble attempt to sweep his paederasts under the carpet. Sadly, we are jaded enough to have an entirely revamped vocabulary with which we can take on this broadside to Holy Mother Church. Our own innocence has been lost to the degree that we don't kowtow to collars, assume integrity of cassocks or trust the hierarchy to do the right thing. (I say this with uncompromised trust that the Holy Spirit is guiding and will ultimately prevail -- despite what corrupted souls attempt to do in His name.)
What we do know is that cover-ups have been tried and don't work, the old boy network has so enraged the laity that few Cardinals think they can escape with platitudes and double-speak and there WILL be consequences to playing footsie with evil. This has been a wake-up call for everyone who cares about the Church -- and Benedict knows it. Even if the Legion is allowed to continue in one form or another, it will only hobble along humiliated, either purifying itself or withering on the vine.
The Legion Game is far worse than the Boston precedent, and the awful decisions made month-by-month, year-by-year, decade in and out concerning the latter have greased the skids for a different response to the former. We'll continue to hope and pray that the Holy Spirit will embolden the Shepherds to do what is necessary to protect the flock -- no matter how difficult and painful that may be. May we join our suffering to those of victims of depravity everywhere and intensify our prayers for a cleaning of the Augean Stables. Now is the acceptable time.
UPDATE II: Pete Vere has posted some thoughts here, with an excellent story that illustrates the heart of the problem.
