| Sad News for the Legion and Regnum Christi |
| by Zoe Romanowsky |
| 2/03/09 |
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There is sad news hitting the press today about Legionaries of Christ (LC) and Regnum Christi (RC) founder Fr. Marcial Maciel. Maciel died last year on January 30 after a lengthy illness. He spent his last two years in seclusion, unable to exercise his public ministry after the Vatican silenced him following allegations that he had sexually abused boys over three decades. The latest details of the investigation into Maciel's life have yet to be officially confirmed, but numerous reports (including this blog, run by an ex-LC) are saying that RC and LC are being quietly informed that Maciel had a mistress, fathered at least one child, and lived a double life. It was also reported that members have been told that the Legion would have to renounce him as its spiritual father. None of this was confirmed today when LC spokeman, Jim Fair, talked to the Catholic News Agency, while one item was expressly denied: The Legion will not be renouncing Maciel as their founder:
Indeed, He does. Still, there are who believe Fr. Maciel's duplicitous life deserves more than just a positive spin -- see here and here. Patrick Madrid, editor of Envoy magazine, and formerly close to the Legion, has a good reflection on the situation. He believes this is a tragedy that should be called what it is: Again, we must keep this unfolding situation clearly in perspective and not sucumb to the various myopic temptations that beckon: at one end, to shrug and simply ignore it as a non-issue, and at the other end, to join in a gleeful feeding-frenzy of morose delectation. Already, on the blogs, one can see people falling into both camps. For those of us who can only watch from the sidelines, prayer is the best response. And solidarity. There are many, many good and dedicated priests and laypeople in the Legion and the Regnum Christi Movement. I know, because some of them are my friends. They have done much good work and have given their lives to Christ through the order. These brothers and sisters should know and feel our support, even as we hope and pray for healing, reconstitution and reform.
Readers have left 21 comments. Yes, the Dominicans have St. Dominic and the Franciscans have St. Francis. But, other orders like the Carmelites have their reformers -- St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila -- as their role models. So too the Legionaries must find their reformers to lead them through this time of trial. Let's look back at the history of the Piarists, scandal-tainted at their beginning, but they're still with us. Let Mercy come. Written by Jesse Jesse: The Legion should be purged and disbanded. It's one thing for an order to have a few bad apples, and even a period of debauched leadership, but I know of no other religious order founded by a wicked man. The Legion is a disgrace, their seminaries have a reputation for being brothels, and their founder was a bisexual rapist and father of an illegitimate child. I hope he's in Heaven, but no serious Catholic ought to have anything to do with that disgrace of an order. Written by EricG I have to admit, the only case of sexual abuse I'm personally familiar with involves several LC priests and five schoolchildren attending an LC school. I think that the LC's have, to some degree, a culture of secrecy and a potential for abuse that comes directly from their founder. The LC's have to honestly face what happened in the light of Christ--I'm not seeing a full willingness to admit the truth. To me, that leaves only a radical solution: disband the LC's and either incardinate (sp?) the priests into dioceses (separate from each other) or allow them to enter formation in other religious orders. I don't see those types of problems with the RC's (though I've seen occasional self-isolating behaviors or more-than-enthusiastic recruiting from some individuals), but I'm not sure how they could survive without the LC's. Written by Eric Pavlat Quote(4) Christ is at the center of a Legionary or Regnum Christi member February 03rd, 2009 | 10:37pm Let's remember that Christ is at the center of all Legionaries and Regnum Christi members. We are hurt and we grieve over this news. However, none of us will know all the circumstances. We did not worship our founder. We loved him and we honored him as we would a father. I want to remind those of you who are quick to judge and condemn that it is not the way Christ showed us in the Gospels. Check out the work the Legionaries and the Regnum Christi Movement is doing all over the world. It has been said that the worse cross is the one God doesn't want us to carry. One of these is pride, which produces a suffering that doesn't result from love. Humble yourself a bit. It is very sad when the Legionaries and the Regnum Christi Movement are not accepted because of ignorance of their charisma and their works and worse when they are judged by their founder in his weakness. At least he said yes when he heard God calling despite his weakness. A great Movement was born and souls are being saved all over the world. Listen to the recent audiences by the Pope with the Legionaries. Listen to what Cardinals and Bishops all over the world are saying who are familiar with their apostolates. Written by Sharon I'm struggling with feelings of schadenfreude here, which I know to be totally un-Christian. Trust me, I am really trying hard to bring up my better nature and be generous in spirit. But I've always felt uncomfortable when it comes to the LC. They have always seemed too cultlike, too "check-your-brains-at-the-door." We *need* to be able to question our leaders, even spiritual ones. We need to use the brains God gave us to make sure the people we are going to for counsel are indeed reflecting God's will. Maybe it's not schadenfreude that I'm feeling, but vindication for those who came forth with the stories of sexual abuse by Maciel. Their stories always struck me as being true. I guess the truth always comes out eventually. I do feel for those who are disillusioned by this news. It is never easy to see one's hero exposed. Anyhow, an interesting development. It has made me do some helpful soul-searching. Written by Fran I'm struggling with feelings of schadenfreude here, which I know to be totally un-Christian. Trust me, I am really trying hard to bring up my better nature and be generous in spirit. But I've always felt uncomfortable when it comes to the LC. They have always seemed too cultlike, too "check-your-brains-at-the-door." We *need* to be able to question our leaders, even spiritual ones. We need to use the brains God gave us to make sure the people we are going to for counsel are indeed reflecting God's will. — FranGood points, Fran. I feel somewhat the same. I have friends in the Legion and have had numerous interactions with them over the years - every one was positive in itself. However, I certainly was put off by the sense you describe - a hearkening back to the bad elements of clericalism that characterized the Church prior to VII. The Legion seemed to epitomize a pendulum swing as regards obedience: "if our modern culture is going to rebel against all authority, then we're going to mindlessly obey authority". There seemed to be a disapproval of questioning / challenging authority, which of course is fertile ground for abuse of all sorts. I take no pleasure in this revelation, though, and I pray that the Legion and is members will use this as an opportunity for self-reflection, growth and maturity. Written by Jason Did Peter (the ROCK upon which God built the Church and our first pope) not deny Christ 3 times on the day of his ordination? Did the great St. Augustine not say "Lord make me pure, just not yet". Let's put this whole ordeal into perspective and resist our human nature calling us to react and judge this man. I'm not saying this is a good thing by any stretch, but it is for God to judge him and not us. Just because God called a man with sin to develop this order, does not mean that the order is now null and void. If that was the case, why would the Catholic Church that we know and love have approved and supported the movement and its charisms? Let's do the right thing and pray for all those involved with this movement on their road to recovery. And let he who is without sin cast the first stone! Written by David I think some hard questions need to be answered: 1. How did a religious order get to be so big when there were serious allegations against the founder that had never been investigated? 2. Rc/LC is banned in many dioceses, yet operate programs under the radar nonetheless. Many conservative Catholics participate in these programs, which are not part o the local diocese. Why do so many conservative Catholics not trust the judgement of their bishops regarding Regnum Christi? 3. Why are so many Catholics so poorly catechized and informed that they blindly accept so many of the "strange" things coming through Regnum Christi- high fees for everything, separation of children from parents, pressure to enter religious life, etc. 4.My personal involvement with Regnum Christi sent up many, many red flags. An LC priest fell asleep while hearing my confession, we were always being charged for everything, a retreat I chaperoned seemed to be all about Fr Maciel and ECYD, families I knew in RC seemed to not have enough family time due to RC commitments. I could go on. Why was all this not found out sooner? Why didn't more people catch on that something was out of whack? Written by Ellen It is very sad when the Legionaries and the Regnum Christi Movement are not accepted because of ignorance of their charisma and their works and worse when they are judged by their founder in his weakness. — SharonThis is false. Most of the strongest opponents of the LC and RC are, like myself, "co-founders" - members of the "movement" who worked for it during the founder's lifetime. They are the ex-seminarians, ex-priests, ex-coworkers, ex-mission directors, ex-teachers, ex-RC captains, etc. It is because they know the movement inside and out and have seen its deceptions, manipulations, and practices that they oppose it. Do they believe that good men and women are drawn to it? Absolutely. If not, they wouldn't have participated in it themselves. But the corruption that stems from the founder has tainted the entire methodology, and thousands of people have been hurt, maligned, and even have lost their faith because of their experiences. They have been discounted and ignored for far too long, and with every revelation like this, their credibility grows. Most of us simply want to see justice served, and good people freed from the spell of this group so they can live productive, Catholic lives focused on true sanctity rather than the viral propagation of the "movement". I think that's an entirely reasonable thing to ask for.  Written by Steve Skojec Sharon, We did not worship our founder. We loved him and we honored him as we would a father. This may well be true of you, but I have seen a lot of hero-worship in Regnum Christi. I have heard too many comments from RC members along the lines of "the Legionary priests are all so holy" and "We know he [Fr. Maciel] is already a saint" (this while he was still alive) to agree with you. I heard these comments during Encounters. Interestingly, I did not hear the LCs hero-worshipping as much as I did other RC members. I thought it was creepy then and still do now how we were all supposed to support Mama Maurita's cause for sainthood when the only reason I ever heard was that she was his mother. (oh, and the one weird story about making lunch for her husband every day even though he threw it away.) I am sorry for everyone who is struggling with this news, but Fr. Maciel is so much the center of Legionary and RC formation, one has to look at all of it. I have looked at the Gospels, and Christ has something to say about millstones around necks and it would be better to not have been born than to commit some sins. Written by MinTX This is very tragic and for the all the members of LC/RC, this will be a true Cross. My humble prayers and sacrifices go out to all of those who this deeply affects, including myself. At the same time, THANK YOU Jesus for all of the MANY, MANY, MANY faithful, holy, dedicated, courageous and self-sacrificing members of the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi. Our mission, blessed and approved by the Church...does not change. We will continue to strive for charity and defend and love the Church and the Holy Father at all costs. We will persevere to... Love Christ. Serve People. Build the Church Written by jcd "We were all supposed to support Mama Maurita's cause for sainthood when the only reason I ever heard was that she was his mother. (oh, and the one weird story about making lunch for her husband every day even though he threw it away." I guess I'll never be a saint because if my husband EVER threw away a meal I made for him I would for sure NEVER make him anything again!! That aside, this is a very difficult situation not only for the members of Regnum Christi and the Legionaries of Christ, but for the Church herself. We are all missing one key component here. The Legionaries and Regnum Christi are ecclesial realities, fully approved by the Church. The entire spirituality of the Legion was ALL written by Father Maciel, and was poured over by a team of theologians in the Vatican, and they gave their OK to it. The constitutions of the Legion have also the Vatican approval. Benedict XVI made a small, yet significant change, by removing the private vows. So how did that happen? How did a man who was living a double life for years (and we still don't know the true extent of that) fool thousands and thousands of smart people, including a few Popes, many cardinals and many more bishops and priests??? Maybe not all of us -- a nod to those who always thought the Legion was "creepy" -- but a lot of us supported the Legion, whether by being a part of it, or by admiring it from afar. Really, how did he do that? How did he pull that off? Are we really that gullible, or was he really that duplicitous? How could his inner circle not know? Did they turn a blind eye, or was he just a genius story teller? And was everything he said a story? How could that be if he wrote a spirituality approved by the Church? It just boggles the mind. There are so many conflicting elements here. Elements that really could bring someone to question faith in the Church. Was Maciel was evil incarnate...Lucifer's brother...willing to tell a thousand truths to tell one lie? If he was, how was his order and spirituality approved by the Church? Maybe he was just messed up, maybe he had multiple personailties, maybe a health professional needs to do an indepth case study. Whatever the case may be, I want to know HOW HE DID IT! This is a unique case in the history of the modern Church ... We are living history here. Written by Lalis Lalis' post provides an occasion for us to reflect upon the limits of this thing we call infallibility. It might be reassuring for us to believe that the Pope and the Church are preserved from all error, but this simply isn't so. The charism of infallibility has defined limits. I think it's a discussion worth having, facilitated by those who have really studied the issue. IC? Written by Jason Lalis' post provides an occasion for us to reflect upon the limits of this thing we call infallibility. It might be reassuring for us to believe that the Pope and the Church are preserved from all error, but this simply isn't so. The charism of infallibility has defined limits. — JasonI think it's a discussion worth having, facilitated by those who have really studied the issue. IC? Lalis post has about as much to do with the topic of infallibility as it does to do with the nature of elephants. Papal infallibility has to do with moral and doctrinal issues, not the approval of particular orders and their constitutions. Written by EK Pavlat Lalis' post provides an occasion for us to reflect upon the limits of this thing we call infallibility. It might be reassuring for us to believe that the Pope and the Church are preserved from all error, but this simply isn't so. The charism of infallibility has defined limits. — EK PavlatI think it's a discussion worth having, facilitated by those who have really studied the issue. IC? Lalis post has about as much to do with the topic of infallibility as it does to do with the nature of elephants. Papal infallibility has to do with moral and doctrinal issues, not the approval of particular orders and their constitutions. Some people seem to think that the Church's approval of the LC's constitution & methodology ends the discussion as to whether there were/are harmful elements of error contained in them. At least, they did before these revelations about Fr. Maciel became known. This says, to me, that they are giving the Church's charism of infallibility a wider scope than it really has, and that maybe it's an opportune time to clarify its limits. I'm a little surprised that you don't see any connection at all. Written by Jason Let me check my understanding; maybe I typed too soon. Are you saying: a) the Church used its infallibility to approve this order and spirituality, which has now been shown to be flawed, which calls into question said infallibility? Or: b) the Church approved this order and spirituality without exercising its infallibility; however, some mistakenly believe that the Church did exercise its infallibility in this area, which calls into question a distinction between when the Church does and does not act infallibly? --Eric Written by Eric Pavlat I am not LC or RG affiliated, though I have relatives and friends involved. They are devastated right now. I know they are good people. Aside from these friend s and family, I have had poor encounters with the order over the years and am in general really frustrated with the group, though I put it off to their being a young community that just needed to mature. In terms of the Catholic Church, they are new-borns. Some problems iron themselves out over time. At this stage, with the disclosure of Maciel's double life, and what will probably be a string of new revelations, that time to mature may or may not happen. My question, which several had brought up above and in other online forums, is: How much of their method, practices, and formation was influenced by the obviously dysfunctional behavior of their founder? We now have to re-evaluate everything he did and said on its merits and in light of what we now know about him. Those things that jive with Catholic teaching and stand alone as proper should be kept. Those questionable practices that may be imbalanced should be reconsidered and thrown out. If the bad outweighs the good, the Church might dissolve the order. Thank God that is not up to me. Hasty reactions now will not solve the problem or help those involved with the group. Like the rest of the Church and the society it lives in, RC and LC probably have their good eggs and bad. My heart goes out to the good eggs who are in pain right now. Their pain is that of Christ, who was betrayed as well. Whether Maciel was a Peter or a Judas is not the point right now. We are in the moment of betrayal, the forgiveness and healing and re-evaluation will take some time. We are ONE Church. Any order is an expression of that oneness. In each order that oneness and Catholicity is never fully expressed by itself. It is only in the fullness of the Church that we are one. (cf 1 Cor 3) Our concern should be to foster healing and help our brothers and sisters through this. Onlookers will in the future discover if LC and RC were in fact a cult of personality or not by how they handle this. For those who felt that Fr Maciel, RC and LC is all there is, a faith crisis might ensue or some form of denial will settle in. For those authentically Catholic members, transition and healing will be easier. For those RC and LC who read this, many of us pray for you. Many have been through this recently (Boston, New England, California and Florida being just a few of the diocese hit by sexual scandals in the US). Give it some time. St Ignatius of Loyola warned against making big life decisions in times of desolation. There is much wisdom in this, and it has been tried and proven over many, many years. Just something to chew on. Written by Dave There are many wonderful attributes of the Movement. The care of the co-workers, the consecrated and the Legionary priests for the spiritual health and well being of the youth and their families. The selfless and untiring dedication of many of these people to serve Christ and Build the Church is amazing. Being surrounded with such commitment and zeal, why did I often feel in spiritual turmoil? Why did I leave the movement? The amount of pressure applied to joining, adhering, not questioning, no matter the problem or stage of formation. The pressure felt like it was contrary to free will. The very gift that God bestows on all of us. There should be transparency with checks and balances to ensure human dignity and human rights are protected. I didn't see this, in fact I often saw the contrary. Especially in the hardships the co-workers were expected to endure. There was no way to question or help to remediate/prevent the issues that I was seeing. Not only that, even after Father Maciel was urged to be in seclusion, groups of students were still allowed and encouraged to visit him in Cotija. I didn't allow my daughter to join the group that traveled to visit him and stay in Cotija, because it felt disobedient and wrong, not only for the movement to challenge the authority of the Holy Father, but for Father Maciel to allow it. Obedience were issues not only with the founder to his vows, but also for the movement in many regards. It is only more evidence of our fallen and sinful human nature. I do have faith that Christ will lead the movement toward a direction of conversion though. There are many wonderful people with a firm commitment to a life of holiness. Written by Carla The fact is that credible allegations against Maciel have been in circulation for forty years or so. For almost all of that time, the Vatican dicasteries - INCLUDING THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH UNDER CARDINAL RATZINGER - stonewalled and protected Fr. Maciel. We need to face the possibility that the current pope may be guilty of a cover-up that is as egregious as that of Cardinal Law and other bishops here in the US. Written by Michael b) the Church approved this order and spirituality without exercising its infallibility; however, some mistakenly believe that the Church did exercise its infallibility in this area, which calls into question a distinction between when the Church does and does not act infallibly? Eric: while it would seem rather obvious to you that approval of the constitutions and norms is outside the purview of "infallibility," the Legion's insistence that "the Church approves of us" is an example of what cult experts call a "thought-stopping phrase" by members, who defend their methodology. Read through comments on all the blogs where RC's defend themselves and you'll see it over and over. I confess, it worked for me all the years I was an ardent member myself. It adds an odd twist to the LC's lawsuit against ReGAIN who published some of the material to prove that there were cult-like elements. If they were approved and so perfect, then they should be accessible as part of the patrimony of the Church. Instead, the LC's kept them under lock and key and howled when they were quoted in a public forum (saying ReGAIN was undermining the Legion "mission.") Whatever. Lalis' point is a good one -- even if simply for informing the families that they are allowed to question the methodology that the group holds so sacred. Written by giselle Hmm it seems to me the Mormons are also growing. Statistically they are the fastest growing Religion in America at 3.2% per year. I don't understand how people keep using the argument, "Well since the Legion/ RC is growing so rapidly, it must be from God." 1st of all, is the Legion/RC really growing as fast as they say it is? How will we ever know? I know they have a high turnover rate(people who join then quit). For example, I was incorporated in RC but am no longer involved. I am sure my name is still a statistic on a chart somewhere counting toward the numbers of this "rapidly growing order". I also know alot of people similar to me, people who incorporated but have since withdrawn. Be careful when they tell you it's "rapidly expanding". Because remember... for every 10 who join, 10 more are dropping out. 2nd of all, if you don't believe my first statement, does this mean the Mormons are from God? Their rate of growth would imply they are God's doing due to the nature of most RC members arguments that only God can make a religious order thrive. And whoever said RC was "ex cathedra" should be excommunicated for not knowing basic catechism. If RC was infallible, all Catholics would be required to believe it, just like we believe in the Immaculate conception. Remember people. MM conned you already, don't remain soft and just say "Well if the Church said their good they have to be". Get the facts and dig a little deeper first. God Bless you all, Marcial Maciel, LC Written by Marcial Maciel, LC |
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