By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican has ordered an apostolic visitation of the institutions of the Legionaries of Christ following disclosures of sexual impropriety by the order's late founder, Father Marcial Maciel Degollado.
The announcement of the unusual investigation was posted on the Web site of the Legionaries of Christ March 31, along with the text of a letter informing the Legionaries of the pope's decision.
The letter, written by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said the pope wanted to help the Legionaries of Christ deal with its present problems with "truth and transparency." It said the visitation would be carried out by "a team of prelates," who were not identified.
Apostolic visitation is a form of internal church investigation ordered by a pope and undertaken by his delegate or delegates. The pope sets the jurisdiction and powers of the visitation, which usually ends with the submission of a report to the Holy See.
In February, Legionaries of Christ officials in Rome disclosed that Father Maciel had fathered a child. Sources in Rome said the order was also looking into accusations of financial irregularities by Father Maciel.
In the past, Father Maciel had been accused of sexually abusing young seminarians in the order. After investigating those allegations, the Vatican in 2006 told Father Maciel to renounce public ministry as a priest and spend the rest of his life in prayer and penitence; the Vatican did not, however, confirm that sexual abuse had occurred.
Father Maciel died Jan. 30, 2008, at the age of 87.
Cardinal Bertone's one-page letter, dated March 10, was addressed to Father Alvaro Corcuera, director general of the Legionaries and its lay association, Regnum Christi.
"The Holy Father is aware of the noble ideals that inspire you and the fortitude and prayerful spirit with which you are facing the current vicissitudes, and he encourages you to continue seeking the good of the church and society by means of your own distinctive initiatives and institutions," the cardinal's letter said.
"In this regard, you can always count on the help of the Holy See, so that with truth and transparency, in a climate of fraternal and constructive dialogue, you will overcome the present difficulties. In this respect, the Holy Father has decided to carry out an apostolic visitation to the institutions of the Legionaries of Christ through a team of prelates," it said.
Details of the visitation were not made public in the announcement. Jim Fair, the order's U.S. spokesman, said the order knew little more than what the letter stated.
"We know they're going to be visiting. We'll cooperate and prepare. But all we know is what's on the site," Fair told
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They lied before. Will they lie again?
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8 comments:
If they lie again, they will not fool everybody again. Too many of us know too much. God help us! Your justice is Your mercy.
Now it's time for LC/RC to put up the show, look pretty and make nice.
They're not waiting for Godot now, friends.
They're waiting for Goffman!
I meant...Guffman.
Waiting for Guffman.
I hope the Legion is dissolved and refounded with new rules.
There is too much entrenched, engrained "Macielism" in the Legion for it to continue.
And Alvaro, Garza, Sada are all complicit. Until that mexican mafia is disbanded and new leadership, untainted by the favoritism of Maciel, is brought in, the Legion will lose all it's trust and internal unity.
There will be internal fallout. Alvaro knew about Maciel's shenanigans for 2 years before he fessed up the community? And they should trust him? The Holy See wrote him on March 10th (Maciel's bday... how ironic) and yet Alvaro didn't communicate it for 19 days? 19 days to tell everyone "good news"?
They are all guilty. That is why they will implode. Some of the LCs must be so disgusted.
The Vatican must investigate all the Directors of the Legion worldwidw, specially their finances, and also the family that Maciel left
The Vatican must make a psychological profile of Maciel, he always hated his own father; in Mexico he left a family in Cordoba, Veracruz, not only in Spain.
jijiji...Mexican mafia...Who should be the new leader? A Northamerican priest?
I think we'd better pray that the following takes place:
(1) The Holy Father's perseverence, persistence and protection at this time and in all coming trials,
(2) The timely and profound purging of the Legion's and Regnum Christi's hierarchy, methods and culture and
(3) Healing for the hearts and minds of all members, ex-members and other victims, whatever be their current mental state or opinions.
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