The scars still linger

“Memories fade but the scars still linger”, is a verse from “Memories Fade” by Tears for Fears. Those lyrics would surely apply to the Legionaries of Christ (LOC) and its controversial founder.

The late Rev. Marciel Maciel founded the LOC in Mexico in 1941 and he used his links to the country's elite in order to build the LOC into “one of the most influential organizations in the Roman Catholic Church.” The conservative priest constantly denied rumors of personal improprieties while the LOC’s clout grew within the global Catholic Church movement.

The precarious house of cards that Maciel erected throughout his life came crashing down after his death in 2008. Allegations that he fathered multiple children were true according to LOC officials last March. "We express our sorrow and grief to each and every person damaged by our founder's actions," said a statement from sixteen LOC leaders that also admitted that they helped cover-up sexual abuse committed by Maciel.

The LOC has tried to overcome the terrible stigma left behind by Maciel’s callous actions. The Vatican authority appointed to run the LOC, Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, announced several reforms to the sect including expanding the powers of the group’s general counsel. De Paolis last Friday also appointed members of a commission that will revise the LOC’s constitution.

Earlier today the LOC took several steps in trying to airbrush Maciel from its history:

The conservative order says photographs showing the late Rev. Marciel Maciel alone or with the pope must be removed from its installations…

The Legion also announced on its website Monday that it was prohibiting the celebration of Maciel's birthday. It also banned the sale of Maciel's writings inside Legion centers.

Aside from deeply damaging the LOC, Maciel’s legacy has shined a negative light on the Vatican that helped cover-up his wrongdoings.

Online Sources- Los Angeles Times, The Latin Americanist, BusinessWeek, CNN, MSNBC, AP

Ignoring the Golden Rule

Developments involving an influential Mexican cleric and a priest originally from Cuba may put increased pressure against Pope Benedict XVI and the Vatican.

Last week officials at the Legion of Christ (LOC) admitted that their late leader fathered three children with two women and sexually abused minors. “We express our sorrow and grief to each and every person damaged by our founder's actions," said a letter written by sixteen LOC leaders regarding the actions of Rev. Marcial Maciel.

The accusations against Maciel were nothing new as we reported last August yet the group was forced to admit that they covered up Maciel’s abuse since 2006. This was preceded by a two-year Vatican investigation against Maciel who was allowed to retire and he would eventually pass away in 2008.

Maciel’s sordid life has damaged the LOC’s once-powerful international reputation but has had little negative effect on the group in Mexico. “The Legion has long-standing ties with the ruling class and an expansive network of elite schools,” which has helped them in Mexico according to the Los Angeles Times.

In the meantime, a lawyer in a Florida clergy sex abuse case claimed that the Vatican protected Rev. Ernesto Garcia-Rubio and his “troubled past” before being transferred to South Florida in 1968:

After arriving in Miami in 1968, Garcia-Rubio served as a church advocate for recent immigrants from Latin America, (attorney Jessica) Arbour said, giving him access to child refugees from Cuba, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

The priest would take the children in, and then require them to have sexual contact with him, she said. If the child refused, Arbour said, Garcia-Rubio would threaten to deport them. Arbour says her client was 15 when he came to the U.S. by himself from Nicaragua.

With millions of Catholics like myself celebrating Holy Week these scandals are difficult to stomach. It’s nothing short of tragic that the likes of Rev. Maciel made a mockery of their spiritual beliefs by exploiting vulnerable victims.

Image- New York Times (Image of Rev. Marcial Maciel)
Online Sources- AP, Wall Street Journal, The Latin Americanist, CNN, Los Angeles Times, MSNBC

Late Mexican priest in chastity scandal

An influential Mexican cleric who founded the Legionnaires of Christ (LOC) has been accused of fathering multiple children.

The late Rev. Marcial Maciel passed away in 2007 after overseeing decades of growth in the LOC to include about 800 priests and 70000 lay affiliates. Reports emerged earlier this year that he had a mistress “for many years” and may have sired at least one child.

Now comes word from Mexico that Maciel’s double life was more sordid than once thought. Three people claiming to have been his offspring are suing the LOC for inheritance rights. Maciel’s mistress alleged that she was a minor when she first got involved with him and that she was supported with LOC funds. There may have even been a cover-up of Maciel’s actions by higher-ups in the LOC.

The recent allegations have shaken the LOC to its core:

The latest accusations will give added urgency to questions about which other members of the Legionaries' leadership team were aware of the founder's personal misconduct and his misappropriation of funds. In July the Vatican opened an investigation of the Legionaries, with five prelates probing the order's affairs in different locations around the world.

Image- Catholic News Agency
Online Sources- Catholic Culture, The Telegraph, The Latin Americanist

Mexico: Molesting priest accused of fathering child

A Mexican cleric who founded an influential Catholic religious order has been accused of secretly having a child.

In 1941 Rev. Marcial Maciel founded the ultra-conservative Legionaries of Christ, an order that has grown to include about 800 priests and 70000 lay affiliates. In 2006, he was given a slap on the wrist by the Vatican after it was discovered that he molested and former seminarians. (Maciel died in 2007 at the age of 87).

Recent blog posts emerged claiming that despite his strong Catholic teachings Maciel fathered at least one child. The late priest’s double life was said to have lasted “for many years” and included having an affair with a mistress.

The hypocrisy of a priest who couldn’t practice what he preached has rocked the Vatican beyond the Pope Benedict XVII’s controversial de-excommunication decision. The scandal over Maciel’s secret doings has undoubtedly hurt the Legionaries of Christ, which at times appeared to be a cult of personality:

“Father Maciel was this mythical hero who was put on a pedestal and had all the answers,” (Rev. Stephen Fichter) said. “When you become a Legionarie, you have to read every letter Father Maciel ever wrote, like 15 or 16 volumes. To hear he’s been having this double life on the side, I just don’t see how they’re going to continue”…

Father Fichter added: “As Legionaries, we were taught a very strict poverty; if I went out of town and bought a Bic pen and a chocolate bar, I would have to turn in the receipts. And yet for Father Maciel there was never any accounting. It was always cash, never any paper trail. And because he was this incredible hero to us, we never even questioned it for a second.”

Image- Catholic News Agency
Online Sources- The Telegraph, BBC News, New York Times, Catholic Online, Reuters, IHT