(RNS) American leaders of a conservative Catholic movement have apologized for their founder’s sexual misbehavior and ordered followers to cease honoring his memory with portraits or “inappropriate” references in official literature.
Regional leaders of Regnum Christi, the lay movement affiliated with the religious order the Legion of Christ, made the statements in a letter addressed to members.
The letter dealt with fallout from recent revelations that the Legion’s founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, who died in 2008, had fathered at least one illegitimate child, and from longstanding claims that Maciel had molested boys and young men under his authority.
“As priests, our hearts go out to all those who have been harmed or scandalized by (Maciel’s) actions,” wrote the Rev. Scott Reilly of Atlanta and the Rev. Julio Marti of New York. “To all we extend a special apology on behalf of the Legion …”
Reilly and Marti added that Regnum Christi is currently being accredited by a New York-based “risk management organization” to ensure adequate protection for minors under its care, and that portraits of Maciel have been removed from its centers.
Their letter, dated Sept. 1, was posted on the Web site of the Legion-affiliated Zenit news agency, which reported that a similar letter had been sent to Regnum Christi members in Germany.
The Legion (also known as the Legionaries of Christ) claims to have 800 priests and more than 2,500 seminarians in 21 countries, including the United States. Regnum Christi claims 70,000 lay members in 45 countries.
In 1997, nine former Legionaries accused Maciel of sexually abusing them decades earlier, when they were studying to become priests under his authority.
In 2006, the Vatican told Maciel to limit himself to a “life reserved to prayer and penitence, renouncing all public ministry.”
Reilly and Marti acknowledged that Maciel “had a relationship with a woman and fathered a child.” The letter did not exclude the possibility of “other relationships and other children.”
The Legion is currently the subject of a Vatican investigation triggered by the revelations about Maciel.
By Francis X. Rocca
Copyright 2009 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
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posted September 8, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Actually this is factually incorrect. They did not order anyone to be cautious of the founder or cease honoring him. They merely stated that they have removed pictures of the founder from their residences and Seminaries. The priests continue to use a prayerbook which contains writings of the founder intermixed with other writings AND they continue to push the ‘good’ the founder has done.
posted September 8, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Holding true to many other RCC priests I guess….molesting children, etc. Seems those in “power” in the RCC had a whole lot of stuff going on in all it’s ranks. How does the RCC honestly think they are the only true church? Their priests and other religious seem to have had lots of pleasure using the children of the faithful! This is just another case coming to light. Where is Benny’s outrage?
posted September 8, 2009 at 9:29 pm
Wouldn’t it be nice if the Legion of Christ would stop expressing their regret in letters addressed to their faithful followers in Regnum Christi, and get down to the business of “expressing regret” to those who were actually victims of Father Maciel’s abuse, who came forward in 1997 to reveal the truth of their abuses as young teens while in Maciel’s care, only to be branded as liars by the Legion?
It would be nice to have these stories reported more accurately – the victims have never received an apology. From priests.
posted September 8, 2009 at 10:40 pm
AUW, it’s good to see that the Priests understand there was good accomplished by the founder in his life, too. We read about people we don’t know, and circumstances we have no real knowledge of and make assumptions that may be mostly unfounded. The Priests who were with him are the only ones who really knew him.
posted September 9, 2009 at 1:38 am
Unfortunately these kinds of jobs will attract sick people who put on a whole masquerade as true believers just to get to vulnerable innocents. From Disneyland to boys and girl’s clubs to the church some people get these jobs for sick reasons of their own. This is not the norm despite what some people with prejudices may try to project about the situation.
posted September 9, 2009 at 5:20 am
Agreed it’s not the norm. But there’s a reason they go for such positions; people tend to put way too much faith in “men of God”.
posted September 9, 2009 at 10:52 am
It is in every religion! For 20 years I observed the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization. In every single congregation throughout the world there is a minimum of 1 illegitimate child procreated by an elder/stepfather who terrorizes his victims into silence. Murder, incest, bigotry, drugs…they do it all in the name of religious sanctions. And that’s only one family’s experience. My little sister has DNA proof but Modesto, CA authorities took his side.
posted September 9, 2009 at 9:06 pm
YN, yes, there are many religions who have those men (and women) who take adbvantage of their “authority” to hurt children. Even a belief in their God doesn’t stop them. The problem isn’t confined to the RCC, for sure.
posted September 10, 2009 at 12:42 am
Interesting. Unlike the English and German versions of the letter, the Spanish version makes no mention of the accusations Maciel molested seminarians.