Fr. Marcial Maciel

From Catholic News Agency:

Responding to unconfirmed revelations of misconduct by the Legionaries of Christ Founder Fr. Marcial Maciel, the U.S. spokesman for the Legionaries of Christ has acknowledged unspecified actions that “weren’t appropriate for a Catholic priest.” However, he insisted that Fr. Maciel “was and always will be the father of the Legion.”

The blog “Exlcblog” claimed that Fr. Scott Reilly, the Legionaries of Christ Territorial Director in Atlanta, Georgia announced to those in the Territorial Direction that Fr. Maciel had a mistress, fathered a child, and lived a double life. The blog claimed that the Legionaries of Christ is therefore renouncing Father Maciel as their spiritual father.

CNA contacted Legionaries of Christ spokesman Jim Fair, but received no specific confirmation of any allegations.

“We’ve learned some things about our founder’s life that are surprising and difficult to understand,” Fair told CNA on Tuesday.

“We can confirm that there are aspects of his life that weren’t appropriate for a Catholic priest."

The American Papist sums up some of the allegations, which include the charge (now admitted fact?) that Fr. Maciel had fathered a child twenty-some years ago. Several other allegations have existed for quite some time; it's not clear if those have been addressed or will soon be addressed.

Amy Welborn comments:

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.

Tom Hoopes, editor of National Catholic Register (which is owned by the Legionaries of Christ), left this comment on Welborn's post:

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.

I 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.

A few days ago Patrick Madrid indicated that "some shocking, saddening news about a prominent figure in the Church will soon become publically known." Madrid (who I worked for as editor of Envoy magazine from 2002-04) has now posted a long piece about the news:

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 don 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 sucumb 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.

Considering the painful and dark nature of all of this, combined with the many years of tension, suspicion, and conflict it has involved, some emotional and angry reactions are understandable. Sin, of course, is never a reason for rejoicing, nor should the sins of anyone be used for sensational or revengeful ends. But Fair's comment, "Fr. Maciel died over a year ago and obviously whatever has happened is between him and God and God’s judgment and mercy, so we’re going to let him take care of that," is troubling since these sins of Fr. Maciel—specifically those involving sexual immorality—have deeply wounded Catholics, the Church and many outside of the Church. Such scandal is not just a private matter; it demands a more adequate response.

Comments

[jc]

This is very tragic and for the all the members of LC/RC, this will be a true Cross. My humble prayers and sacrifices go out to all of those who this deeply affects, including myself. At the same time, THANK YOU Jesus for all of the MANY, MANY, MANY faithful, holy, dedicated, courageous and self-sacrificing members of the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi. Our mission, blessed and approved by the Church...does not change. We will continue to strive for charity and defend and love the Church and the Holy Father at all costs. We will persevere to... Love Christ. Serve People. Build the Church.

[NW Clerk]

Sad, sad news, especially for those good Legionary priests whom many of us know....And sad indeed is the "hay" the MSM are making of this. The New York Times delights in this fall, yet never mentions that a liberal favorite (one of mine too, I confess), Thomas Merton, not only fathered a child, abandoned it, and kept it secret, but had an affair (with a woman) in the 50s that in all charity can only be described as "tawdry." And that great womanizer Martin Luther King gets a national holiday. None of this BEGINS to excuse, God forbid, Maciel, but it just shows the double standard.....

[Martin Mazloom]

MLK a womanizer? Yes, he had an affair. But he was not a Catholic priest who took a vow of celibacy like Fr. Maciel and molested young men. MLK betrayed his wife and, by extension, his children; but Fr. Maciel betrayed hundreds of thousands, if not millions. You can't compare the two. MLK was a great man. I can't say the same about Fr. Maciel.

I'm a Catholic loyal to the Pope, but we have to call a spade a spade. And I think Tom Hoopes of the Natl. Catholic Register said it best. He did what a real man does: he apologized for going to bat for Fr. Maciel and he expressed his grief for all those Fr. Maciel victimized.

I pray that God have mercy on Fr. Maciel's soul and take him to heaven, but we have a right to be angry and sad. And blaming the MSM or the "liberals" is just a cop-out. Fr. Maciel screwed up big-time. And it appears that, inadvetently I believe/I hope, so did the Vatican and JP2.

-Martin Mazloom

[Thomas Michael Barnes]

I just don't get this. The guy was obviously a sociopath from a very young age. A blind man could see that. Okay, so we found out that he was a child molester, raped seminarians, led a double life, was a drug addict and had a child when he claimed to be celibate. He was a bad man. He was a liar. He was less than we hoped. So am I. Where is the news here?

Only a goof would have thrown their entire trust and life behind someone as cultic and nuts as this super right wing "Catholic". Let me explain something to you people. A "Catholic" is in how you behave, NOT in what you say you believe. People can believe anything. We found that out in the Inquisition. What do I have to do to drag all the Legionnairies of Christ kicking and screaming into the 19th Century? The Legions' vision of Catholicism is four hundred years old. I would settle for the Legion accomodating itself to Vatican I. Vatican II can wait till next century.

NO ONE reading this would want me as a fellow parishioner. I am a sinner, a liar, a cheat and a no good bum. No one realizes that better than me. But I have a hope that there is the One God and that he is merciful. NO ONE can earn heaven. It is not possible. Not even a member of the Legion of Christ. They are nutjobs that think that they are living a Catholic life. They are not, a Catholic is involved in the dirt and grime and struggles of the world. A Catholic gets his psyche dirty trying to witness to Christ. You cannot witness to Christ from an ideological platform that is about as real as the Easter Bunny. If your hands are not dirty and your brow is not sweaty trying to witness in some way genuine to yourself, you are a phony at worst and a moron at best.

Stop with all the whining about how bad a man Maciel was. It is not important. HE was not that important. That is my entire point. Let the man rest in peace. He was no worse than I am but he raised a hell of a lot more money for the church than I ever did. That has to count for something.

Full Disclosure: I am a victim of childhood sexual and physical abuse at the hands of nuns and an attempted and flubbed rape by a priest when I was in college. I was drunk...but I was not THAT drunk! Nothing happened. Lucky for him. I am a grandfather, a former seminarian for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and a non practicing anything.

http://www.themcgurk.vpweb.com

[Ruben Pradier]

Make me feel so sad to hear about Fr.Marcial Maciel ,if it is troth ,I just hear good things of the Legionairs of Christ .They have to keep going after all they don't serve a founder but the Christ .It is a cross that they will have to carry allowys .Like S.Paul's thorn ,perhaps is a blessing to keep them hamle(humildes) .We have the saying "Dios escribe derecho en lineas torcidas "God writes wrigt on twisted lines. Lord forgive that man his sins and give him the etarnal rest and to the Leginaris the courage and force ,guidance ,and go on for Christ !.Ruben Pradier Marantaha"

[Luke M]

(response to jc "Thomas Merton, not only fathered a child, abandoned it, and kept it secret").
True he had an illegitimate child but that was before his conversion. He mentioned it when he applied to become a Franciscan (and was not accepted because of this).

[Isaac]

Sadly we, the Roman Catholic Church, have reached an all time low with Maciel. I call on the legion to recognize all his victims personally, enough with the general apologies, ask those hurt by Maciel for forgiveness personally. Help them heal, because in doing so you will start to heal.

I also call upon the legion to reform, you need to totally reform and re-found without any vestige of this monsterous priest who sullies the good name of all good Christians. Abandon your obsession and cult of the personality of Maciel!

[Ana Moreira]

Divide and conquer.

As members of One Church, the Church founded by Christ himself, we are called to be humble, forgiving, hard working, rightful and ---praying hearts right now.

Father Maciel fell to temptation -we think we know all those he fell to.

How many of us are falling to temptation right now? Which ones?

Who dares to build the Church? Who dares to be another Christ as we are called to be -right now and every moment? It's too hard? Are we trying?

Whatever we think, say or do... let's do it for the better good... not just for the sake of "letting out steam". Let's dare to do our share of good.

Serve the Church. Build the Church.