Can Legion of Christ Survive?

Can Legion of Christ Survive?

Richard Salbato

Living close to me and attending my Church for daily Mass is a wonderful, traditional Catholic family with five children. It is wonderful to watch the children and their love of God, which is a great reflection on their father and mother. Only reason they have not become close friends of mine is that they are members of Regnum Christi, the lay branch of the Legionaries of Christ. That in itself is not a problem for me, but when asked I cannot lie about my feelings. On the other hand, members of LC do not associate with people who do not agree with them. Sad!

In spite of the outward appearance of Orthodoxy, over the years the harm this order has done to marriages, schools, children, the wealth of Catholics, and loyalty to the Church cannot be overstated. When I first started investigating LC and RC, I did not know about the founder, but I did know this had all the signs of a cult, and used psychological mind control over its members.

Later when I found out about all the children that the founder and other leaders of the group sexually abused it did not surprise me, because all the signs were there that this was a Satanically inspired order. It was cleaver because it appealed to all those Orthodox Catholics who felt left out of a Church, that lost all its reverence, discipline, and made a mockery of holiness. Because I have made a life time of investigations into cults, I knew this apparent outside appearance of Orthodoxy was only a front. Satan pretends to be an angel of light.

Now that I and those who were abused by these orders have been vindicated, it is time to think if the order can survive and should it survive. After reading the attached articles by ex-members of the order, leaders of the order and their apologies, pros and cons of what they should do, reasons they cannot survive, and the book, Vows of Silence, I have come to my own conclusion.

Years ago I remember arguing with Patrick Madrid and getting nowhere. I talked to almost all the people now involved in REGAINNETWORK www.regainnetwork.org Not only were some of these people sexually abused by the order, and others mentally abused but even after that they were publicly accused of every sin in the world for even daring to say bad things about the order and it’s founder.

I know there is nothing good in these two orders, but my problem is that many of the people in it are very good people. If you read some of the apologies listed below, you might think this order can survive and change. That would be a good thing if it was possible because the Church needs good orders and good people. I wish that could be the case.

However, it will never happen for one good reason. When I go to confession and say that I harmed someone, physically or mentally, I must make restitution to that person. Apology is not enough. If I harmed their financial well being, I must restore that. If I harmed their reputation, I must do everything to restore it, or make restitution some other way, even with money. This is why the civil courts have what is called, “emotional compensation”.

Now LC and RC have not only denied the accusations against the order and its founder but have ferociously attacked the victims, and anyone who left the order, to the point they needed to join a support group to even survive the attacks.

You will see below that LC and RC have now admitted to being wrong over the past 10 years of attacking these victims, but have apologized for attacking them. These attacks are still all over the internet and will never go away.

But based on Catholic Moral Theology, is that enough. Can we now put it all behind us? Well! No! The people abuse by Bishops and priest did not leave it be, because even under civil law, they had a right to restitution. When LC and RC pay back to the abused with some of their $260,000,000 yearly budget, I will believe they are sorry and have been forgiven by Christ.

Until then I will continue to work towards their total disbandment.

Richard Salbato

1. To Ex-wife, Removed for privacy

2. Tom Hoopes February 3, 2009

All I want to say is, I’m sorry.
I want to say it here, because I defended Fr. Maciel here, and I need to be on the record regarding that defense:

I’m sorry, to the victims, who were victims twice, the second time by calumny. I’m sorry, to the Church, which has been damaged. I’m sorry, to those I’ve misled. did it unwittingly, but this isn’t a time for excuses.
The Church gave me great, great good in Regnum Christi. The Church did bring justice, and did penalize this man. Thank God for the Church. I seek repentance and forgiveness, and I leave it at that.

3. Patrick Madrid

Below is an apology from Patrick Madrid, a Legion spin master, one of Fr Owen Kearns right hand men and a staunch defender of Maciel. Apparently, the bullshit artist is "sorry".

http://patrickmadrid.blogspot.com/

“Last night, as many of you are just learning this morning, some very sad news about Fr. Marcial Maciel's duplicitous actions, began to seep into the mainstream. While a significant number of people knew ahead of time that this was coming down, no specifics were disclosed publicly until yesterday, and more details will come tumbling out soon in the mainstream press.

“Predictably, the range of reactions to this bad news spans the gamut from outrage and stunned incredulity to something approaching despair to blasé "I-told-you-so" unconcern.

“Regardless of how you react to this unfolding tragedy, be sure you look at it in perspective. Judging from what I've seen in the blogosphere in the past few days, it appears that some people just don't seem to understand what this deplorable situation really entails and what ramifications may arise from it.

“Some have prattled on about how this really isn't bad news. It was long expected and now that it's been proven and publicized, and the temptation to lounge smugly in the worldly-wise posture of "I-told-you-so" may be something too difficult for some to avoid. But we should avoid it, because this story is bigger than just the sum of the embarrassing details of this man's sexual (and other) sins. Let's keep in mind a few points.

“First, this is indeed very bad news — the worst possible kind — for the tens of thousands of good and faithful Catholics in the Legionaries of Christ religious order and its lay-affiliate, the Regnum Christi Movement — the vast majority of whom have, over the years, steadfastly refused to believe any accusation against Fr. Maciel, however plausible and vehemently attested to by those who claim to have been witnesses. Now, these Legionary priests and seminarians (there are thousands of them, all over the world, keep in mind) and the tens of thousands of good-hearted Regnum Christi folk are realizing that they have been duped. They are faced with the stunning, crushing, irrefutable evidence that their trust in this man was in vain, their unshakable faith in his goodness and innocence has finally been shaken to pieces. The gleaming giant of holiness they had admired for so long has been shown to have feet of clay (Daniel 2:31-32).

“Yes, many of Fr. Maciel's ardent followers have been naive in their refusal to consider that there may have been some truth to at least some of the myriad of accusations that mounted against him, but I believe theirs was a naiveté born of sincerity and love for Christ and the Church. This sincere love attached itself firmly (and now we know, undeservedly) to a man who, at least by outward appearances, merited their trust. If nothing else, this sordid saga proves the truth of Scripture's reminder: “Put not your trust in princes, in man in whom there is no salvation. When his spirit departs, he returns to his earth, and on that day his plans perish” (Psalm 146:3).

“Second, it is true, as some are saying, that, while painful, this bad news is actually a good thing, at least insofar as it entails light shining in a dark place.

“This may be exactly the necessary impetus — albeit a horrible one — that will lead to a purification and renewal of an organization that could do great good for souls in ways that go way beyond what many critics say was merely good work that had serving the Legion as its ulterior motive. I make no judgment personally on that criticism, as to whether it is legitimate or not, but regardless, this new chapter in the Legionary saga can become the starting point for a very good thing in the Church. It may in fact be a bitter harbinger of a sweet and long-hoped-for outcome: a Legion of Christ that becomes free from the controversies and complaints that have dogged it for decades, a religious order that is seen by others to be truly at the service of the Church as a whole and not, as many of its critics allege, merely at the service of itself. It could be that, by God's grace and the prudent courage and honesty of the group's leadership, there can be a good outcome — possibly a spectacularly good one.

“There may be a viable effort to undertake a thorough reform and reconstitution of the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi Movement, although there remain nagging reasons to wonder if that will really happen. It's too early to know. But we should be praying now for that outcome, if it's God's will. Time will tell.

“One thing is for sure, though. If the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi movement are going to emerge from this crucible in one piece and remain in existence for the long haul, they cannot lapse into robot mode, they cannot wear a happy-face mask and attempt to deny that this is a very serious problem for them. At this precise juncture, denial and dismissal of the clear and present danger that this situation poses to the Legion, will, I believe, sooner or later, prove fatal to its efforts at sustaining itself.

“Again, we must keep this unfolding situation clearly in perspective and not succumb 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.

“Third, let's be realistic. No matter what some of the Internet pundits and commentators may be saying, THIS IS BAD NEWS. To call it anything else is to badly misunderstand the import of what's taking place here. These salacious revelations (please God, may there be no more of them) are causing and will cause serious damage, not only to the shell-shocked members of this group (many of whom have spent years in dogged defense of the holiness of Fr. Maciel and who now feel the keen knife of betrayal and fraud sever the bonds of trust they once had in this man), but to the Catholic Church in general.

“Watch and see. You'll soon notice certain people trying to use this scandal to malign Pope John Paul II (a long-time supporter of Fr. Maciel and the Legion), in a way similar to how some are right now attempting to exploit the recent SSPX Bishop Williamson Holocaust-debacle against Pope Benedict XVI.

“As I've been saying all along on my blog, what we need to do is pray earnestly for all the people involved in this mess. They need our prayers, now more than ever. Pray for the soul of Fr. Maciel. Pray for the Catholic Church and also for those outside the Church who will be swayed or disoriented by this scandal, many of them seeing in it confirmation of their worst suspicions about Catholics and Catholicism. And let's not omit to pray for ourselves that we might not fall from our own fidelity to Christ, however firm or tenuous it might be.

“Now is a good time to contemplate the famous maxim that "There, but for the grace of God, go I." If nothing else, these revelations about Fr. Maciel should serve as a cautionary tale to hammer that point home for each one of us.

“Finally, it's worth repeating: Don't lose your sense of perspective. Don't think that this bad news isn't bad news. Let's call it what it is and avoid the temptation to slap a happy-face sticker on it.”

4. Legion and Regnum Christi Apologizes

To: Jason Berry info@vowsofsilencefilm.com

From: James Dunlap Jr. LW/RC communications director

Re: apologies to Father Maciel's victims, 6 February 2009

Greetings, Mr. Berry.

I am Jay Dunlap, the communications director for the Legion of Christ & Regnum Christi from 1998-2006. While I have shifted to full-time duties as a teacher at a Legionary boarding school, I continue to serve in the Legion's communications office.

I need to apologize to the men who's story you have told and whose dogged determination has finally led to revealing the truth about Marcial Maciel. I must also apologize to you as well.

Those of us who trusted Maciel's protestations of innocence because of what he was building for the Church feel deeply, bitterly betrayed for having been so used, but that can be nothing to the sufferings of men who, as mere boys, were taken from their families and subject to brutal manipulation. They are in my prayers.

You, as the teller of their story, have done a service for the Church. If you can, please pass along my personal apology to these victims.

Sincerely yours,

Jay Dunlap

5. Fr. Thomas Berg, LC, tberg@legionaries.org Feb 8, 2009

To my beloved Regnum Christi Family

A personal note from Fr. Thomas Berg, LC offering guidance and warmest companionship in the midst of this intense suffering.

Dear everyone—Christ's peace.

I write to you this Sunday morning with my heart in my hand. I know personally that so many of our priests, section directors, have been working for hours on end, meeting with groups of RC, first to break the horrible news and then to accompany them, often themselves reduced to the point of tears. Then there have been the endless follow—up phone calls, private conversations. Believe me, we have all been trying to do everything possible to reach out to all of you personally.

But my heart aches because our best efforts have not been enough. I want to reach out to you as a brother and friend this morning and try to assure you, if nothing else, that we are here. I know further efforts are underway to attempt to respond more adequately and formally to the confusion you all feel, not to mention the hurt and betrayal. I beg you, in the midst of such pain and hurt, please bear with your directors.

At the same time, however, I also beg you forgiveness for the disastrous response which this crisis has received from our upper LC leadership. There is no other way to say it: in so many respects, Legionary superiors have failed, and failed miserably to respond adequately to this crisis, and not surprisingly, have engendered in many of you and understandable lack of confidence. Those are the facts and your reaction is natural and reasonable. With all my heart, on their behalf, I apologize. Our superiors are human instruments; I know in their hearts they have trying to do the right thing, under inhuman pressure. Please understand that.

I am not making any excuses, however, for the fumbled media responses (which I believe have been too often unfairly attributed to Jim Fair our communications director who needs your prayers and has earned a very high place in heaven for what he has had to endure this week), for the appearances of being less than forthcoming, for the lack of information, for the confusion of messaging. For that, there is no excuse in a way, and tragically is largely due to the ineptness of many of those in leadership positions to respond with expertise and diligence in a crisis management situation like this.

But it is more than just crisis management. The thing I am most pained about—I share this as a brother—is the near absence of but fleeting suggestions of sorrow, and of apologizing for the harm done, both to alleged victims of Maciel, and, frankly, to all of you. I am deeply, deeply sorry, and I personally apologize with my heart in my hand to each and every one of you.

I understand your feelings of betrayal. For twenty-three years I have loved and tried to follow Christ in the Legion. I can say before God, in spite of my many human frailties, I have been faithful. I have also, more than many of you to be honest, gone out on limb after limb, trying to defend Maciel. I have lived my priesthood always with that cloud hanging over me, always having to essentially apologize for being a Legionary. You feel betrayed? You feel rage? I can only say that the rage, and raw emotions that I have felt these past days (the hardest days of my entire life, emotions like I have never experienced) are only a glimpse of the unspeakable hell that victims of priest sexual abuse must go through. My thoughts and my heart have been so often with them these days…

I know that many of you are utterly confused about what you are feeling and about where we go from here. In no particular order, let me offer my advice and counsel as follows:

1.    Most of you are going through the stages of mourning. Understand that and know what that means. This is a very useful site: http://www.cancersurvivors.org/Coping/end%20term/stages.htm

2.    Keep talking to your section directors. Let them know how you feel. Let them know if you are satisfied with their response to you.

3.    Many of you might find it to be a wonderfully freeing and healing experience to offer acts of reparation for those suffering the effects of priestly sexual abuse. You might also find it healing to reach out to persons who, in any way, have found themselves hurt by their experiences with the Legion or RC.

4.    For your own spiritual needs right now:

a.    Remember you are free to speak with anyone, inside or outside the Movement about your pain, your reactions to this tragic news, and for ease of conscience to speak to whomever you believe can best help you at this time. I would encourage you to reach out to and find guidance from priests whose holiness and sound judgment you trust, whether Legionaries or not.

b.    Your spiritual experiences—even when they came through the letters of the Founder—are valid, and real. God was working through those instruments. The sad revelations about Maciel do not change that. Try to thank God for the past, and sing his praises for the way he has done in your lives through RC. Prayer of thankfulness will help you. Prayer of thanksgiving for this deliverance he has given us now, and for the purification which we are undergoing will also be very helpful.

c.    If you still find the letters of the founder helpful in prayer, feel free to use them. But it is certainly OK to leave them aside. Remember that in many ways, the spirit and charism we have lived is Pauline. Continue to nourish your spirit on the letters of St. Paul.

d.    In your meditation, go back to the bedrock truths of your life and ponder them serenely before God and let him use that meditation to soothe your hearts: the Incarnation of the Son of God, the Redemption, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, your Baptism, your call to a more deeply committed Christian life, and a loving meditation ("Mary meditated on all these things in here heart") of all the wonders God has done in your life.

e.    I also recommend using The Better Part by Fr. Bartunek, and any other spiritual writings of Legionary priests. You might find those helpful. Your section directors should also be able to point you in the direction of other sources on which to nourish your souls. Share your ideas with each other.

Finally, I encourage you to speak to Legionary leadership, and even in the form of petition letters, demand nothing less than full transparency regarding the case of Fr. Maciel. Demand that Fr. Alvaro seek an independent third party investigation (perhaps in the form of a temporary review board or Visitation team from the Holy See) into uncovering any Legionaries who may have been accomplices to Maciel. Demand that a similar body guide Legionary leadership in introducing any needed reforms into the internal culture, methods and religious discipline of the Legion.

And remember: "Entrust your life to the Lord, and He will act."
Let's pray for each other. With all my love, gratitude to all of you for your fidelity!
In Jesus,
Fr. Thomas Berg, LC

6. Legionaries Spokesperson, Jim Fair

A spokesperson for the Legionaries of Christ said Feb. 3 the order has recently reached the conclusion that its founder, a Mexican priest named Marcial Maciel Degollado who was close to the late Pope John Paul II, was guilty of conduct that is "surprising, difficult to understand, and inappropriate for a Catholic priest."

The spokesperson, Jim Fair, who works out of the Legionaries' U.S. headquarters in Connecticut, declined to offer any specifics in response to an NCR inquiry.

Speaking on background, however, a Legionary priest in Rome confirmed the order has learned that Maciel, who died in January 2008, apparently fathered a child out of wedlock.

Four former Legionaries or supporters of the Legion, meanwhile, told NCR that priests in the order were recently sharing this news with members and supporters in private briefings in the United States and Mexico.

Fair declined to say whether the Legion's discoveries amount to a confirmation of earlier accusations of sexual abuse leveled against Maciel by ex-members of the order, which first became public in 1997. Those accusations were eventually the subject of an investigation by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which ended in 2006 with instructions that Maciel discontinue all public ministries and lead a life of "prayer and penance."

Though the Vatican declined to initiate a formal canonical process against Maciel because of his advanced age, its action was widely seen as a concession that at least some of the charges against him at that time had merit.

Rumors that the Legionaries had reached new damning conclusions about Maciel have built in recent days in the wake of confidential meetings the new superior of the order, Fr. Álvaro Corcuera, has been holding with members to inform them of an internal probe of Maciel's conduct.

Legionary sources told NCR that Corcuera has stressed that Maciel's misconduct was not a "one-time slipup," but rather "a pattern that stretched over years."

These sources said Corcuera and other Legionary officials began their review after Maciel stepped down as the order's superior in January 2006, and after the Vatican's conclusions were issued four months later.

These new statements represent the first time that the Legionaries of Christ have conceded that Maciel was guilty of any misconduct. When the sex abuse charges first surfaced, the order issued strenuous denials; in the wake of the 2006 Vatican investigation it issued a statement suggesting that the finding was a "new cross that God has allowed [Maciel] to suffer."

7. Can We separate the Founder from the Order

http://amywelborn.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/way-truth-and-life/#comments
February 3, 2009 by Amy

A year ago last week - January 30 - Legionary of Christ founder Marcial Maciel died in Houston and was, a few days later, buried in Mexico, rather than the tomb that had been constructed for him in Rome.
Over the past week, with more intensity over the weekends, rumblings have been heard about the Legionaries of Christ and their founder, Maciel. The rumblings have now reached the level of blogs, so here we go.
The Life After RC (Regnum Christi) blog has the general story
There has also been a war going on over Maciel’s Wikipedia page. (view the “history” tab)

I could always guarantee that a blog post dealing with the Legionaries of Christ or the lay arm, Regnum Christi, would engender scores of comments in very short order. I am sure this one will be no different. Speaking for myself, although I know a few LC priests who seem to be very good men, as well as a few RC members, I have always found the movement to be afflicted with the disease which leads one to equate one’s own particular angle or charism with the totality of the gospel.
Serious problems have surfaced in relationship to the group, both present and past. Financial questions. Questions of formation. There is much, much to be concerned about, concerns voiced by many observers and several bishops, most notably Archbishop O’Brien of Baltimore, who stepped in and requested complete transparency from LC and RC regarding their apostolates in his see last year.

We should note, in retelling this story, that the charges against Maciel apparently had no traction at the Vatican, for whatever reason, until Benedict XVI became Pope. In May, 2006, Maciel was ordered to retire to a life of prayer and penance. Here is the text of the communique, which was intermidably parsed here and other places, but whose meaning is hard to escape.
There are, indeed, good people associated with LC and RC - many of us reading this blog know them. They need our prayers and great strength - the strength that any and all of us need when we have been deceived in the name of God.

That said, the book on this affair will be long and complex. Torturous, in fact. There will undoubtedly need to be several volumes. The news coming out now is sketchy and incomplete. The word is that the leadership is admitting that Maciel fathered at least one child, perhaps two. Some sources are saying that the leadership is admitting the veracity of the previous accusations, as well, but that is fuzzy to me at this point. Over the past few days, various parties and groups have been informed of this. After the question of the accusations against Maciel himself, the huge question waiting to be unraveled, but extraordinarily difficult to do because of the group’s obsession with secrecy, is the awareness of the LC leadership of all of this over the years.
The third question is that if the leadership is admitting the truth of the bulk of the many accusations against Maciel…will the victims, long vilified by the movement and its defenders…receive an apology?

The greater point, though - is this: Movements of all kinds (including religious orders) are a constant source of renewal for the Church. But there are risks and problems associated with any movement, and it is the Church’s responsibility - and by “Church” I mean every one of us - to view movements with open eyes, to see the good, be wary of the bad and call the evil to task.
Secrecy, hero-worship, deification of individuals, reflexive dismissal of critics as wrong-headed or even of the devil, an untoward interest in money and appearance, manipulation of members, demeaning attitudes toward non-members, deceptive means…trouble.

There is another message for church leaders, including pastors and bishops here. Let’s be frank.
What is the appeal of Regnum Christi and its apostolates in the United States?

The appeal may be negative in some ways, but those I have met who have been drawn to it are thirsting for solid faith content. They know that their children live in a challenging world and have no confidence in what passes for catechesis in the parish or even in many Catholic schools to equip them for that world. They do not see these programs or liturgies seriously oriented toward bringing those participating into a deep, committed relationship with Christ. So something substantive appears…it appeals. Take note.

It is wrong to derive the truth about the nature of something simply from anecdotes, but anecdotes can be telling. I have two, regarding Regnum Christi: I gave a talk in a parish once, mostly to youth. The youth ministry and adult catechesis in the parish had been revived by the enthusiasm and efforts of Regnum Christi members. A good thing!

As I was carrying my books out to my car, I was assisted by a 14-year old boy, a son of one of the Regnum Christi families. He was slight and nervous, but seemed particularly anxious to speak with me, which he did at some length.

He told me that he had been at a LC boarding school – pre-seminary, in fact - for a year, but had come back to be with his family. I do not remember his exact words, but there was a clear sense that he believed that he had failed in his “vocation” - that there was something wrong with his return home, that he had not tried hard enough, that his return was a revelation of a flaw.
14 years old.

It made me so, so sad. All I could say to him was, as forcefully as I could, that it was normal and good to want to be with your family and that for right now, it was where he belonged.

The second was simply strange.

Back in Fort Wayne, there was a convenience store a few blocks from our house. It was just a normal, busy neighborhood convenience store where I got my Diet Coke refills, gas and would run into neighbors, including the bishop a couple of times. (For his house was in our neighborhood.)
One day, I went in and in front of the counter stood a small table on which stood a large empty plastic container with a hole cut in the lid. The sign affixed to the display was written in a child’s hand. It said something like, “Please donate for our birthday party for our founder.” Next to a photocopy of a picture of Maciel.

Something is not right.

Already, all over the Internet, there are comments indicating that LC and RC can easily get past all of this, that we should focus, not on the apparent sins of the founder, but on the good in the present. We can separate them. The question is real - can we? I am not so sure.

Christifidelis. May 1, 2009