A version of this article appears in the April 11 print edition of the Register.
In a communiqué dated March 25, the top leaders of the Legionaries of Christ acknowledged and asked forgiveness for the “reprehensible actions” of their founder, Father Marcial Maciel.
Jim Fair, communications director for the Legion, said March 26 that the communiqué was issued during the general director’s annual meeting in Rome with his general council and the territorial directors after a discussion on the current state and future of the order.
Though the scandals surrounding Father Maciel have been alluded to by leaders within the movement in previous documents, homilies and conferences, the recent statement is the first one to be jointly written and signed by all the territorial directors of the movement.
“We had thought and hoped that the accusations brought against our founder were false and unfounded, since they conflicted with our experience of him personally and his work,” reads the statement. “However, on May 19, 2006, the Holy See’s Press Office issued a communiqué as the conclusion of a canonical investigation that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) had begun in 2004.
“At that time, the CDF reached sufficient moral certainty to impose serious canonical sanctions related to the accusations made against Father Maciel, which included the sexual abuse of minor seminarians. Therefore, though it causes us consternation, we have to say that these acts did take place.
“For many, especially the victims, this time has been too long and very painful,” the leaders said. “We have not always been able, or found the way to reach out to everyone in the way we should have, and in fact wanted to. Hence the need we feel to make this communiqué.
“We ask all those who accused him in the past to forgive us, those whom we did not believe or were incapable of giving a hearing to, since at the time we could not imagine that such behavior took place. If it turns out that anyone culpably cooperated in his misdeeds, we will act according to the principles of Christian justice and charity, holding these people responsible for their actions.”
Looking ahead to the end of the apostolic visitation, carried out by five bishops who will present their final report to Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone on April 30, the Legion leaders wrote, “We will embrace with filial obedience whatever indications and recommendations the Holy Father gives us as a result of the apostolic visitation, and we are committed to putting them into practice.”
The communiqué concluded by listing multiple “resolutions” that the group will now adhere to, including honoring the “truth” about their history, continuing “to offer safety” for minors, improving cooperating with bishops and other institutions in the Church and redoubling their “dedication to their mission of offering Christ’s Gospel to as many people as possible.”
Father Alvaro Corcuera, the Legion’s general director, wrote a letter to Legionaries and members of the Regnum Christi Movement on March 25, explaining the intent behind the communiqué. In his letter, Father Corcuera said that leaders of the order hope to “close this chapter of history and open a new one.”
“It has been a very painful time for everyone, even traumatic,” Father Corcuera wrote. “The sudden revelation of some facets of our founder’s life that were so opposed to what we lived by his side, was a totally unexpected surprise for us all. We were not prepared for it.”
“In recent days,” he added, “I have been thinking through all of this with the general counselors and the territorial directors. Together, we have seen that once we have all read and assimilated this page in the life of the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi, our task is to take a step forward, individually and as an institution, to close this chapter of our history and open a new one.”
“We have tried to make every decision and take every step in the presence of God, trying to discern how Jesus Christ would act,” he wrote, adding, “But I am not infallible. I don’t know if I got it right. For certain, not in everything.
“The other directors also may very well have committed some mistakes amidst countless wise actions. But what is beyond doubt is that God can write straight with crooked lines. In spite of the great limitations and defects of his instruments, God has guided our path in the past, and he will continue to guide us in the future.”
Catholic News Agency/EWTN News
The complete text of the communiqué follows. (PDF version)
Thy Kingdom Come!
COMMUNIQUÉ
regarding the current circumstances
of the Legion of Christ
and the Regnum Christi Movement
March 25, 2010
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Introduction
As we are gathered for the annual meeting of the territorial directors with our general director, we wish to write to our brothers in the Legion of Christ, to the consecrated and all the members of Regnum Christi, our families and friends who accompany us at this juncture in our history, and also to all those who have been affected, wounded, or scandalized by the reprehensible actions of our founder, Fr Marcial Maciel, LC.
It has taken us time to come to terms with these facts regarding his life. For many, especially the victims, this time has been too long and very painful.
We have not always been able, or found the way to reach out to everyone in the way we should have, and in fact wanted to. Hence the need we feel to make this communiqué.
1. Regarding some facts in the life of our founder, Fr Marcial Maciel, LC (1920-2008)
We had thought and hoped that the accusations brought against our founder were false and unfounded, since they conflicted with our experience of him personally and his work. However, on May 19, 2006, the Holy See’s Press Office issued a communiqué as the conclusion of a canonical investigation that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) had begun in 2004. At that time, the CDF reached sufficient moral certainty to impose serious canonical sanctions related to the accusations made against Fr Maciel, which included the sexual abuse of minor seminarians. Therefore, though it causes us consternation, we have to say that these acts did take place.
Indeed, “the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, […], mindful of Father Maciel’s advanced age and his delicate health, decided to forgo a canonical hearing and ask him to retire to a private life of penance and prayer, giving up any form of public ministry. The Holy Father approved these decisions” (Communiqué of the Press Office of the Holy See, May 19, 2006).
We later came to know that Fr Maciel had fathered a daughter in the context of a prolonged and stable relationship with a woman, and committed other grave acts. After that, two other people surfaced, blood brothers who say they are his children from his relationship with another woman.
We find reprehensible these and all the actions in the life of Fr Maciel that were contrary to his Christian, religious, and priestly duties. We declare that they are not what we strive to live in the Legion of Christ and in the Regnum Christi Movement.
2. The Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi Movement in the face of these facts
Once again, we express our sorrow and grief to each and every person damaged by our founder’s actions.
We share in the suffering this scandal has caused the Church, and it grieves and hurts us deeply.
We ask all those who accused him in the past to forgive us, those whom we did not believe or were incapable of giving a hearing to, since at the time we could not imagine that such behavior took place. If it turns out that anyone culpably cooperated in his misdeeds we will act according to the principles of Christian justice and charity, holding these people responsible for their actions.
We also ask our families, friends and benefactors to forgive us, and all other people of good will who have felt that their trust has been wounded.
In addition, as members of the Mystical Body of Christ we feel the need to expiate his sins and the scandal they caused, making reparation with a Christian spirit. We ask all the members of our religious family to intensify their prayer and sacrifice.
It is also our Christian and priestly duty to continue reaching out to those who have been affected in any way. Our greatest concern is for them, and we continue to offer them whatever spiritual and pastoral help they need, hoping thus to contribute to the necessary Christian reconciliation. At the same time, we know that only Christ is able to bring definitive healing and “make all things new” (cf. Rev. 21:5).
For his own mysterious reasons, God chose Fr Maciel as an instrument to found the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi, and we thank God for the good he did. At the same time, we accept and regret that, given the gravity of his faults, we cannot take his person as a model of Christian or priestly life.
Christ condemns the sin but seeks to save the sinner. We take him as our model, convinced of the meaning and beauty of forgiveness, and we entrust our founder to God’s merciful love.
3. The apostolic visitation
We wish to express our gratitude to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, not only for renewing “his solidarity and prayers in these delicate moments” (cf. Letter of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, SDB, to Fr Alvaro Corcuera, March 10, 2009), but also for offering us the Apostolic Visitation as a means to help us “overcome the present difficulties” (ibid.). Thus we hope to take the necessary steps to reinforce our foundations, formation and daily life as Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi members.
We thank the five apostolic visitators, Bishop Guiseppe Versaldi, Archbishop Ricardo Blázquez, Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap., Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati, SDB, and Bishop Ricardo Watty, MSSP, for all the work they have done with such dedication and fatherly concern.
We will embrace with filial obedience whatever indications and recommendations the Holy Father gives us as a result of the apostolic visitation, and we are committed to putting them into practice.
4. Looking toward the future
In the time since January 2005 when we held our last General Chapter and Fr Alvaro Corcuera, LC, was elected as our general director, we have striven to guide the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi in fidelity to all we have received from God and has been approved by the Church. Humbly and gratefully we acknowledge the blessings and fruits that the Lord has granted us up to now, and we accept our responsibility to deepen our understanding of our history, charism, and spirituality.
We face the future with hope, knowing that our one support is God. We trust totally in him and in his all-powerful love which, as St Paul says, “makes all things work for the good of those who love him” (Rom. 8:28). We know that as we follow this path we will be aided by the Holy Spirit and the Church’s motherly guidance.
Our purpose as individuals and as an institution is to love Christ, live his Gospel, and extend throughout the world his Kingdom of peace and love. We know that if we are to do this we must constantly renew ourselves as individuals and as a community, in fidelity to the tradition of consecrated life, the better to serve the Church and society. The past months have helped us to reflect on our identity and mission, and they have also moved us to review various aspects of our institutional life, humbly and in all simplicity.
We are resolved, among other things, to:
- Continue seeking reconciliation and reaching out to those who have suffered,
- Honor the truth about our history,
- Continue offering safety, especially for minors, in our institutions and activities, both in environments and in procedures,
- Grow in a spirit of unselfish service to the Church and people,
- Cooperate better with all the bishops and with other institutions in the Church,
- Improve our communication,
- Continue our oversight to insure that our administrative controls and procedures are implemented on all levels, and to continue demanding proper accountability,
- Redouble our dedication to the mission of offering Christ’s Gospel to as many people as possible,
- And above all, seek holiness with renewed effort, guided by the Church.
Conclusion
We cannot end this communiqué without thanking the thousands of Legionaries, consecrated men and women and all Regnum Christi members who have given and continue to give their lives to God in the service of the Church and society with absolute generosity, and all those who work in our centers and works of apostolate. Thanks to you and your work, we can say that today Christ is more known and loved in the world. We also express our gratitude toward every person that has always been there to support us with their faith, prayers and suffering united to Christ’s.
Signed today, March 25, the solemnity of the Annunciation of Our Lord. Through the intercession of his Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, may the Lord grant us the grace to enter ever more deeply into the mystery of the Love of God made man, and to live and share it with renewed fervor.
Fr Álvaro Corcuera, LC, general director
Fr Luis Garza, LC, vicar general
Fr Francisco Mateos, LC, general counselor
Fr Michael Ryan, LC, general counselor
Fr Joseph Burtka, LC, general counselor
Fr Evaristo Sada, LC, general secretary
Fr José Cárdenas, LC, territorial director for Chile and Argentina
Fr José Manuel Otaolaurruchi, LC, territorial director for Venezuela and Colombia
Fr Manuel Aromir, LC, territorial director for Brazil
Fr Rodolfo Mayagoitia, LC, territorial director for Mexico and Central America
Fr Leonardo Nuñez, LC, territorial director for Monterrey
Fr Scott Reilly, LC, territorial director for Atlanta
Fr Julio Martí, LC, territorial director for New York
Fr Jesús María Delgado, LC, territorial director for Spain
Fr Jacobo Muñoz, LC, territorial director for France and Ireland
Fr Sylvester Heereman, territorial director for Germany and Central Europe
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The movement’s apology is accepted by me and I hope you continue all the good work you have done and continue to do for the Kingdom. God certainly does have a wonderful way of pulling good from all things when done for Him and His Glory. God Bless all the wonderful people involved in the movement.
I am grateful they apologized, but I still have serious doubts about whether a movement founded by such a severe imposter is capable of having the roots of grace and sanctity needed to complete such work. I certainly don’t have all the answers; just expressing some serious reservations about the influence of such a man on that particular group. May God give them all the grace to know the best way to handle it.
I pray for the Legion but the disease is too deep and too pervasive; I believe it would be best for the Legion to be disbanded and placed under the authority of the Holy See; seminarians need to be given a healthy formation and strong, long lasting counseling. They may not even be aware of what has come down from Maciel into their psyches. It is said that the leaders of the Legion have no intention of stepping down and that they are doing massive amounts of fund raising, even while the investigation was taking place. This does not sound like a ‘contrite’ response. They have also been actively recruiting young men for their seminaries; this, too, does not sound contrite - or healthy. I believe that many in the Legion are good,healthy and holy men. But the disease from Maciel is deep and not all in the Legion have renounced Maciel. And how is it possible that the leading authorities in the Legion had no clue about what Maciel was doing. There are questions about how many like Maciel are still in the Legion authority complex. This has even tainted our beloved late Pope John Paul who did not see through the evil protecting Maciel. It took our beloved Pope Benedict to see through to the truth of the filth that was hidden for so long…let us pray, yes. But let us hope that the present authorities in the Legion will have the humility to step aside so that the group may be healed and made whole and healthy again.
Pope John Paul II’s failure to take action in the case of Father Marcial Maciel Degollado is one of the reasons why I respectfully oppose efforts to beatify John Paul II. I hope that prominent Catholics, having come to the same conclusion, will appeal to the Vatican to halt those efforts.
I think that the three past comments have some value to them, but I don’t want to go as far as the last two have done and say that our past Holy Father actually knew what we do know today. Say that he should have investigated. Yes, but it on the other hand, when one does see so many good fruits and holy priests coming from the congregation, I’m sorry to say, but any reasonable person might suspect that accusations are motivated at least in part by envy or discontent. However, back to the present argument. Watching people come out and claim that they are in a position to judge when in fact they do not have even a fraction of the information that is coming out of a real investigation, one soon realizes that it is just as reprehensible as stating a case on the basis of hearsay. It isn’t valid. It is simply opinion. What we do know is that the Legion has apologized. What we do know is that they are already open to do what the Holy Father decides best.
And do pray.
After having read “Vows of Silence” as well as Jason Berry’s latest expose on Fr. Maciel (and I use Fr. loosely) and the LC/RC on ncronline.org, I don’t see any option for the Holy Father but to totally dissolve the order and the movement. Folks, as a practicing Catholic loyal to the Magisterium, I was shocked by what I read. The fact that it took 50 years to punish this man is in itself scandalous. Most of those within the order and movement have truly been brainwashed—that is not my opinion, but that of former members and priests. Finally, was Maciel’s ordination to the priesthood even valid? After being asked to leave two seiminaries for “unkown reasons” he was later ordained by a bishop who was a family relative. I pray for the victims. I pray for the Holy Father to make the only decision he can make—total dissolution of this order and its movement.
@ Indy677
I guess that means that John Paul II was wrong when he told Regnum Christi members in a papal audience in Rome that “if you are what you should be, you will set the world ablaze”. I guess that means that Cardinal Ratzinger messed up when he sent Lefebvrist priests to live with the Legionaries to show them that yes, it was possible to be faithful to the Pope and still live their priestly vocation in an authentically Catholic way. Read A.J.’s comment again: when you see so many good fruits and holy priests coming out from the Legion, any reasonable person has to admit that that is extremely strong evidence for the integrity and holiness of the institution, and holiness in the ranks of the Legion is exactly what I saw and what attracted me so much to join the Legion. I would sincerely suggest getting to know a little more about the Legionaries and Regnum Christi, more than just the sad events concerning the man whom God mysteriously yet providentially chose to raise up this work for the Church, together with all his failings and sins. Trust me—you’ll be pleasantly surprised. The Legion of Christ is a work of God, not of Fr. Maciel. How else can you explain the amazing fact that the Legion and Regnum Christi have survived all these years and had so much apostolic growth and success, despite the grave disorientations of its founder, which were present from the very beginning? I am confident that the Legion will emerge from this trial stronger than ever, and better equipped for its one and only mission: the service of the Church for the salvation of souls. As far as the brainwashing issue goes, I have been a seminarian for nearly eight years now, and have never seen brainwashing sessions on the daily schedule…maybe that comes later in the formation process.:) No, but seriously, my humble suggestion for everyone is to make sure you have adequate information about any situation before coming out and making judgments, whether positive or negative. And please pray for us Legionaries. Pray for the Holy Father and the visitators, that God will grant them the prudence and wisdom to guide the Legion along the path of God’s will for us. To the Glory of God through the Kingdom of Christ.
And yet the Legion is ACTIVELY AND AGGRESSIVELY recruiting for young men and FOR MONEY!!! I heard they may not be disbanded…Cardinal Rode is apparently against that…those who RULED the legion alongside Maciel surely knew what was going on…what are they going to do with all the money they’re collecting??? And why recruit young men when they don’t know what their future is going to be…this whole situation is messy, especially in light of ongoing sex abuse scandals in the Church…we’ll see what happens…they should be ordered to stop seeking money and men…but would they obey?
@ Sam
Please tell me if you think there would be any reason why the Legion would not obey. No, Sam, the Legionaries will continue as always to obey whatever the Holy Father requests or suggests for us to do, just as we sent priests to work in Holland upon request of John Paul II, despite the fact that there was nothing in it for us, just as we gave our newly built seminary here in Rome to the Vatican to be a pontifical seminary upon request of the Pope. The Legion and Regnum Christi have been and will always be at the service of the Church—why else would we invest so much that in some sense has nothing in it for us? Cardinal Rode is not the only one in the Vatican who is against the Legion being disbanded, because he is not the only one who sees and recognizes that the Legion is a work of God, and the very great potential it has to do truly great things for the Church and the salvation of souls. The Legion continues to look for financial support and vocations because we still believe in the mission God has entrusted to us. And it´s not as if our benefactors and the young men who are entering our seminaries aren´t aware of the situation; apparently they, too, still believe in our mission, and want to be a part of it.
It has been reported that Cardinal Rode is one of those who received a lot of money from the Legion…has the Legion always obeyed Rome? Isn’t it implicit that one is to follow the rule of celibacy…??? Has that been obeyed? Isn’t it implicit that one may not have sex with boys even if one is a homosexual? Was this obeyed? I would think that it would also be implicit for the leaders of the Legion, those in the close, inner, intimate circle with Maciel, to inform Rome of what Maciel and others close to him and with him, were doing…I would think it would be implicit not to give huge amounts of money to those in high offices at the Vatican in order to have ‘friends’ in high places…this can be denied, of course, but there is so much evil permeating the very structure founded by Maciel that the only common sense thing to do is to disband the whole thing, burn the structure in order to cleanse it, and start over from the bottom up. When money was offered by the Legion to the then Cardinal Ratzinger, he firmly refused it…would that all had done as he had done…yes, I also believe that there are many good Priests in the Legion…I have met them and their holiness is strong…they will do fine wherever they are sent. Anyway, God alone knows what is best…let’s leave it to Him.
I think that that last line is key. It is more than natural that such scandal from a founder makes one question the validity of the work. But at the same time I think we have to avoid the pitfall of approaching this from a merely human perspective. If it is part of God’s plan to have brought about a work that will bring souls to holiness through a very flawed instrument, who are we to insist that it be disbanded and the structure burned? I think for any sincere Catholic, what we truly want is God’s will to be done, for however strong our opinions may be. So let us keep faith in the Holy Spirit’s action guiding our Church leaders to show us God’s plan for the Legion and adhere to it with wholehearted trust when the Church speaks. Let us pray for them to make the decision that GOD wants and continue seeking to BUILD and not destroy our Church, encouraging one another in holiness with our charity and the effort for holiness in our own lives.
Yes, let us trust the Holy Spirit to guide the whole situation…we cannot, of course, be sure that God willed to bring about the foundation of the Legion…Maciel was thrown out of a few places before his own uncle, who was a Bishop, ordained him. So it SEEMS that it was Maciel who wanted this at any cost. All is not yet known of the far reaching, global effects of Maciel’s manipulations but we do know that God can bring good out of evil and He will bring good out of this situation also… let us pray for the Legion and even as they go through a period of cleansing and purification, let us pray ourselves to be cleansed and purified and seek the will of God in all things, at all times and in all ways.
We believe that God can bring good even when very bad things happen He knows the weakness and sinfulness of the human beings. He knows the power of satan and his work through humans to spoil the name of the Pope and the Church. There will always be failures by the clergy and the other believers. We are not able to understand the mystery of evil when the fence itself eats the crop
@ A Legionary seminarian in Rome,
I am sincerely grateful to you for giving over your life to the vocation of the priesthood. What a wonderful calling, and I applaud you in following the Spirit’s guidance to answer it.
I have to agree with the poster, Sam, on many points. There is adequate information about what many would call “brainwashing” within the Legion. Of course they don’t call it that. Cutting a person off from one’s friends and family; monitoring movements and letters; stifling not only freedom of thought, but freedom of conscience… those are brainwashing tactics that have been fairly well documented in several Legion-run facilities. Add in the fact that many of those folks who these tactics were used on were then victimized in the most brutal of ways, and the picture gets pretty ugly. I hope for your sake that perhaps your seminary does not have those elements. To my mind, though there is enough evidence to suggest that the Legion as a whole is inundated with tactics that cross the border from “spiritual formation” to “brainwashing.” I will leave it up to those in power to decide what is best, but the evidence is not in the Legion’s favor as you make it out to be.
I also might add that being Pope does not prevent one from making mistakes. I think that it is possible that John Paul II and then Cardinal Ratzinger were wrong when they did and said those things. I’m not saying they were, just saying that being Pope does not preclude that kind of mistake. Those kinds of things are not infallible.
May God bless all of the Legionaries of Christ, especially the seminarians. Thank you for being faithful to the Gospel!
ALL the Legionaries of Christ…were faithful to the Gospel? Does the Gospel tell Priests to molest and steal and bribe and lie and cover up?...thank those who WERE faithful to Christ, not ALL…Sam
These seem to me to be the important questions to which satisfactory answers must be given if the order is to ‘move on’: Does the order share some of the characteristics of a cult? Given the founder’s apparent corrupt use of money, where did the money come from and how was it raised? Given the scandal, will young men continue to join, or will it slowly decline and die out, and if so how fair is that to those that hang in there? Finally, given that the charism of the order seems so centred on the personality of the founder, can the order really buck the truth highlighted by Jesus in the Gospel that the rotten tree normally does not produce good fruit?
I lived as a consecrated woman in Regnum Christi for 3.5 years before discerning my vocation to the married life. Aside from, and maybe in spite of, the confirmed offenses of Fr. Maciel my experience of Regnum Christi was one of joy, holiness, and Christ-centeredness. The consecrated women that I lived with were dedicated to Christ and the Gospel, valiant in their pursuit of God’s will, fully committed to the living of the evangelical counsels. It is saddening to me that the failings of the founder are marring the admirable testimony of so many holy Legionnaires and consecrated men and women around the world. I am heartened to see how closely the magisterium is walking this road of renewal with the Legion and Movement. Knowing Legionnaires and consecrated women, they will be placing all of their abundant energy and dedication into pursuing the new directions that God, through his Church, lays out for them. They go with my best wishes and prayers.
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