Thursday, February 26, 2009

Are We Finally Getting It?

Madoff and Maciel: Similar-minded fraudsters
The men resemble each other in so many ways they appear to be twins

Feb. 25, 2009
By Tom Gallagher

To watch interviews of victims of Bernard Madoff’s gargantuan Ponzi scheme, and then immediately switch to interviews of Legion of Christ priests, is to quickly lose track of which scoundrel is being discussed. The priests had just learned their founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado (1920-2008), had a longtime lover and fathered a daughter now in her 20s.

From the National Catholic Reporter.
(don't shoot the messanger)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Quotes by Jay Dunlap about what happen in 1956 to 1959 are wrong and should be corrected.
The Legion of Christ was founded in 1941 by Marcial Maciel Degollado from Mexico and he was charged with abusing boys from 10 to 16 years of age during the 1940's and 1960's. He was ordained a prist in 1944. During the papacy of Pope Pius Xll charges where brought against the Legion of Christ, founder Macial Maciel, and his order of priest. He was found guilty of sexually abusing young boys and drug abuse in 1956 by the investigation, and a list of other charges were leveled against him and his order. The Vatican suspended Marciel as superior general while it sent visitators to investigate charges against him. One of the visitators, a carmelite friar named Anastasio Bailestrero of the Most Holy Rosary, sent a report recommending serious restructuring of the Legion as well as the removal of Marciel as the superior.
1. Restrict the order to Mexico only
2. The seat to administer to the order will be in Mexico
3. Prohibit new students from entering the order
4. Appoint someone from the Mexican episcopate to oversee and provide assistance.
5. Fr. Marciel should be removed from his office on the basis of his exclusive and sole responsibility for the multiple serious legal irregularities and for the abuses committed in his administrative capacity.
6. After a penance of a month of spiritual exercises, Fr Maciel should be obliged to live in a house in Mexico under the supervision of a bishop appointed by the Holy Sea.
7. The current constitutions should be radically modified, and abolish the extra vows.
8. Notify the Spanish Bishops and the Spanish Government at the appropriate time.

Before Pope Pius XII would act on these charges he would face death on October 9th 1958. During the time of the election of a new Pope the power is shared by four Cardinals, Secretary of State, Prefect of Congregation of the Docgtrine of Faith, Dean of College of Cardinals, and the Vicar of Rome. The Vicar of Rome at the time was Cardinal Clemente Micara. He was a liberal and very close friend of the Legion of Christ and Fr. Marciel Maciel.
The new Pope John XXIII was elected on October 28th 1958 and died June 3rd 1963. During that 19 day period without a Pope before John XXIII's election, the Vicar of Rome Cardinal Micara cleared the Legion of Christ and Fr. Maciel of all charges and reinstated his order. There was no input or discussion from any other authority. Therefore Pope John XXIII had no input in the outcome. You can check this out in the Vatican archives.

Anonymous said...

WOW. It appears as though the Church bureaucracy also needs major major restructuring. But who will oversee that? Talk about dysfunctional. What a mess!

Bucda397 said...

Is there a way to verify that information Anon? It sounds very likely but is it written anywhere? The Vatican archives is the only place?

Anonymous said...

See the regnum christi home page!!!
The name of maciel is not at the final as the founder!!!They changed the final of the page,maciel isnt there,theres not a founder there.

Exlcblogger said...

Miles jesu: Get your jesu off of my blog!
Exlcblogger.

Anonymous said...

The correct link for Tom Gallagher's Feb. 25 2009 article in the National Catholic Reporter is
http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/madoff-and-maciel-two-kind
(nomore .../madoff-and-maciel-similar-minded-fraudsters)