Maciel did not just have a secret double life. He was not a sinner like the rest of us.
When are people going to understand that he was a serial child rapist, a sex offender of the worst kind that deserved to be in prision after raping one of the de Isla brothers when the pig was only 20 years old? Come on, people! I understand the need for forgiveness and moving on, but let's be honest. We don't condemn the sinners, but we certainly do put them in jail.
Legionaries over the years may have been duped, but every time they excused any weird behavior on Maciel's part, they refused to allow themselves to question. Even his constant self pampering was excused. When a Legionary saw the powdered drugs in a suitcase, he told himself that Maciel suffered so much that he needed constant medication. This was sick and perverse. A pity.
Apologies are owed to the victims of Maciel's sexual abuse and the victims of his obsessive need to control "his legionaries".
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22 comments:
Little kids trusted - he's a priest, then the stories circulated - he's a saint. See how hard he works, etc., etc. Maciel put a bullet through a hat and told the kids he was shot at by the communists. Pray hard for me, work hard for me, because the enemies are trying to STOP GOD'S WORK.
So they excused, ignored, failed to question -- otherwise they would be SERVING SATAN, NOT GOD.
It's a cult, folks. Sad, but true. Maciel built it to satisfy his sick, twisted desires.
lol, anyone remember that letter where he said he would come BACK FROM THE DEAD if the Legion strayed from the course he marked out for it?
Hey, maybe if he comes back, we could get a clean admission and an apology.
A lot of people are crediting the Legion and RC with so much formation, but it seems to me all that can be chalked up to either the good dispositions/character/upbringing of the individual, or the universal means that the Church offers. Not much is left the LC can claim...
Wow!, even if I understand and share the anger some of you people have... I don't see Christ acting the way you are.
I really do think that the Legion is trying to do the best they can at this time, it's not an easy thing to do.
Most of the people (whether you like it or not) are good and disent people, that have found their way in the Church and towards God through the Legion/RC, lets pray for them, support them and help them in this diffcult time.
I'm confident that if the Legion/RC is God's plan (as I think it is) it will reform and keep on going (even if the reform its not 100% the one you would like to see)
I support and pray for the LC/RC as well as thousands of people! And of course I pray for you too... maybe God is asking you to help them too
What, exactly, do you find un-Christlike?
In other countries they are telling the people "look Fr.Maciel did this things and they where bad things, we will not justify nor judge this acts, we are sorry and hurt by this acts"... So please lets no just focus on the explaination of ONE person.
There are a lot of LCs (even de the US) saying very open things, they are sorry and saying it out loud!!!... or is it that you just don't want to hear it??
together in prayer
Prayer alone is not going to fix this. There needs to be action, too.
too much anger... haven't read any positive thing about the Legion or any priest in particular in most of the things I have read in this blog... come on there has to be something good in it am I right??
Yes of course but prayer first, always first.
At least thats what Jesus does right?
If you had been used and manipulated for years, you would be angry, too.
And, please tell me where Jesus prayed before condemning the pharasies? If we are true Christians, there are certain things that we know how to act upon immediately.
First, I'm an RC memeber how was out a couple of years and then back in. Because of my job I've lived in several countries where the LC/RC are, and always I have found family and friends in them.
Of course that there where people that I didn't quite liked but I have never been manipulated or used in any sense.
However probably some people may have been used, but always by a person not by the whole LC/RC. There's always bad people everywhere, I've ecounter a few of them at the RC but I understand the RC is much more than those small portion of the whole.
And in the other side I've recieved a lot of good things through LC/RC people in various countries, and for that I'll always be greatful.
I think "living a double life" in this context means pretending to live one life in public, but living another in private. So I'm willing to give the LC/RC a pass on that euphemism.
However, this does not excuse them from the obligation to come clean on the private life of Fr. Maciel, and state plainly what he did. Additionally, as ExLC points out, there remains an obligation to followup prayer and words with action.
Of course that action is needed but lets not forget God in all of this. Prayer should come first, after all who better to know what to do than Him right? And then of course action!
But just give them a breathe, many of them (I know a couple in this situation) are still trying to understand all this
I think people must be still in shock or disbelief/denial when they minimize the magnitude of MM's sins and sanctimoniously quote the Gospel "He who is without sin, cast the first stone."
Hopefully with time the deep and dirty reality that he did unspeakable things to innocent children will sink in. It leaves a nasty taste in your mouth when you have to see it in those terms. It's a big pill to swallow and may take time.
erica, I agree with you its a difficult thing to digest. Lets pray for them and help them in any way possible, so that they can do it correctly (they are the ones taht are suffering the must), make the changes needed and get on with the great work that they do.
Here's my question:
Even if you put aside the filth of what macial did, the twistedness of his thinking is what formed this order. And it's that twistedness that's the problem (although his acting out on that twistedness is what gives us the proof)
I finally read the LC's inside papers - the wikileaks ones (I can understand you not wanting the links posted here) and they are so disordered...so twisted...so, oh, how can I say it? Antithetical to what it means to be oneself? To be fully human? To be live in true freedom, as God intends?
Please keep in mind: I get religious life. I understand the beauty of contemplative orders. I love the hardest-core of the religious orders: the Carthusians. But this? This is very, very different... Does anyone else see the difference?
So how could really good, smart people read those writings and say, Oh, yeah. Sign me up. I'm all about that.
Now, of course these people are good and smart. Very. But how does that work?
~confused
Very Confusing Times for many catholics who are interested in the Legion of Christ, Regnum Christi and Father Maciel. They have been "A Sign of Contradiction" since their foundation in 1941, dogged by a series of accusations against the founder and the 'cult-like' methods. A whole sector of the American -and Mexican- Catholic Church has been divided Pro and Con. The Vatican in 2006 gave Fr Maciel a slap on the wrist but left the LC/RC off the hook -at least publicly. I would appreciate some public announcement from the Pope and the Vatican to help us see more clearly and be less divided.
I believe no one can truly understand what led this man to do the things he did, but there should be so many clues to see that this man was not an "average sinner". I remember reading his Memoirs on the history of the legion- it struck me back then - I was a comitted member- this does not smack of something real. It was as if though every negative thing that the founder encountered was explained in the light of : He was so misunderstood, calumnied by those who wanted to stop his "special mission", it was such a saccharin sweet account I remember thinking, this is "pure invention" yet somehow, I kept looking for those "good fruit" in the Legion- and indeed would find it- but it was there all along, because those fruit were always a part of the treasury of the church which he co-opted and re-branded it for his own purposes. I hope I am not judging him, but it is only what seems to be obvioius , now that I've been out for several years. I truly sympathize with what the current members are going through and am praying for them, that they will really see this for what it is , and not fall back on the guilt games that that so plague the movement.
Can we in fact expect the LC's/RCer's change their way of thinking and being overnight? Is this humanly possible given their own years of abuse and how they understand the universe?
I am asking a question but I think I do have a take.
The LC/RCers have not thought for themselves (obedience and dependance) for the years that they've been in.
I get the feeling that they may actually be unable, inspite of themselves, to do this overnight. I also wonder if some like Fr Berg may not be trying his current best. I can see that he falls short of the exLC analysis.
If all the drugs are removed all at once, the long time addicts may die of shock. That's not something we seek, no matter how angry we are.
Let us go as gently as we can with them.
No one is better placed to apologize than MM. That is not possible now.
The author of the constituions and the methology which enabled the sins to remain hidden was also MM. He's gone.
Individual LCs had been bound by their fourth vow of never to "critize" until its derogation. Therefore they could not squeal without risking damnation."Critize" consisted in speaking badly of the actions of the superiors/directors. They were inasmuch victims.Arethese who must apologise? I will find an apology from such unsatifactory. Like getting an apology from a person who could not stop a thug stabbing me because the thug had succeeded breaking his legs before setting upon me and rendered him immoveable.
Those who had to speak up left that vow/promise. They speak. And some of us are here now on this blog.
If cover ups are being made now by individual LC/RCers, is it because of lack of judgement (immaturity) or received distorted thinking (cult training) or malice or shame? An apology would work for me to the degree that that person is responsible for his/her act. If the Legionary priest has been brainwashed and unpractised in critiquing, what meaning has an apology from him until that muscle is recovered?
So I think we do need answers.
And I think that we want apologies that actually mean something. A few ago ex LC blog began an excellent intro to a thread with: "there is a lot of apologising going on". Yup...
And I agree - those who knew but persecuted the victims and their supporters - we desperately need to hear from you.
We will not get an apology from the person who really needs to apologise. He is now beyond our angry and justified reach. But he is before God. And God knows.
People who say MM was a great person who made a few mistakes are being ridiculous.
All I have to say to these people living on cloud 9 is, If your so compassionate about people why don't you demand Charles Manson be released from prison and then let him babysit your 8 year old son some evening while you go out.
Point being MM didn't even get punished for his actions. Does this mean Charles Manson is a great person too?
I understand forgiveness but I can forgive Charles Manson but that doesn't make him a great person. I can also forgive MM but that doesn't make him a great person either.
To live the double life he did there is no way he could have even believed in God. You couldn't truly write all the letters, books, and prayers he wrote and then blatantly disobey them day in and day out.
If he Believed in God his conscience would have got to him at some point.
Charles Manson isn't dead.
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