(RNS) The Archdiocese of Miami has banned the Legionaries of Christ, a conservative Catholic movement, saying it broke a promise to restrict its ministry to members and was “involved” in several schools without approval.
In an Oct. 29 letter to Miami priests, Monsignor Michael Souckar, the archdiocese’s chancellor, said individual priests belonging to the Legionaries had been granted permission to work “but their ministry was restricted to their own members.”
“Because the Legionaries of Christ have not abided by these restrictions, Archbishop (John) Favalora has barred them from any ministry in the Archdiocese of Miami,” Souckar said.
Favalora also banned members of Regnum Christi, the Legion’s lay movement, from working in any archdiocesan entity, including parishes and schools, Souckar said.
Asked for further explanation, archdiocesan spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta said: “The Archdiocese of Miami has policies and procedures for groups and individuals wishing to make presentations; at all times, these must be followed.”
The Legionaries of Christ (or Legion of Christ), which enjoyed Vatican favor under Pope John Paul II, claims to have as members 800 priests and more than 2,500 seminarians in 21 countries, including the United States. Its lay movement, Regnum Christi, claims 70,000 members in 45 countries.
In March, the Legionaries announced that it was the subject of a Vatican investigation, after revelations emerged that its late founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, had fathered at least one illegitimate child.
Legion spokesman Jim Fair said Miami’s announcement “pretty much fell out of the blue.”
“I can tell you that we’re surprised and obviously disappointed, but we will obey whatever directives the archbishop has,” Fair said.
Last year, the Archdiocese of Baltimore raised concerns about the Legionaries and placed restrictions on the group, including not allowing them to act as spiritual directors to men under age 18. Fair said dioceses in Ohio and Minnesota have also placed restrictions on the group.
In 1997, nine former Legionaries accused Maciel of sexually abusing them decades earlier, when they were studying to become priests under his authority. The allegations, which Maciel denied, set off a Vatican investigation. In 2006, with Benedict’s approval, Maciel was asked to limit himself to a “life reserved to prayer and penitence, renouncing all public ministry.”
By Daniel Burke
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 October 30, 2009 at 11:21 pm
I find it to be a shame that everytime a group comes along and it appears to be a good, upstanding moral group that does tons of good, at least initially that there always seems to be a person in a position of great power and influence that turns out to be corrupted by total power and those in the group are afraid to out this person because they are afraid that no one will believe them. I don’t know but these days when I see someone that is just too good to be true I always wonder just how long it will be until the truth comes out. Am I cynical? You better believe I am, for good reason. The truth of the matter is this. Most of these groups ARE good and most of the people ARE good but there always seems to be at least that ONE bad apple in the bunch. Just like the sexual predators in the priesthood that have hopefully been rooted out now. I feel the church has done a tremendously good job as of late dealing with these predators but it will take quite sometime before they can live all of the damage down.
posted October 31, 2009 at 1:55 am
Part of the problem is that a lot of people presume someone who seems to be religious will be “good” and give them more trust (e.g. with children) then they have earned.
There’s surely a lot this article isn’t telling us. But I’m glad the Miami Archdiocese has taken these steps to presumably protect the young people.
posted October 31, 2009 at 12:00 pm
nnmns that problem is not only in religion it is universal.
posted October 31, 2009 at 3:07 pm
It’s not just religious people who hurt children certainly, but some people automatically assume someone seeming religious is safe, when of course no such assumption should be made about anyone, religious or not.
posted October 31, 2009 at 9:50 pm
People need to beware it’s not religion it is thee person and if they did not have the mask of religion it would be some other mask.
posted November 1, 2009 at 8:51 pm
But religion gives them a very useful mask. As I said before, some people implicitly trust religious-seeming people more than they would perhaps any other group.
That’s a mistake.
posted November 1, 2009 at 10:42 pm
nnmns the same can be said about a influential atheist.
posted November 2, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Atheists have no similar ‘mask’ of trust, ck. With some religious-seeming folk, that trust is assumed when, as nnmns points out, it shouldn’t be.
posted November 2, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Husband and you as an atheist expect me to trust you? It’s one thing to have an argument and another to just be combative.
posted November 2, 2009 at 11:16 pm
No, cknuck, I don’t expect you to trust me any more than I would trust you.
posted November 11, 2009 at 8:11 pm
The Legionaries are a movement with great success. They have amazing formation courses for lay people, the highest rate of new priests being ordained, and the greatest dedication of consecrated and lay people to the movement.
The founder was a victim of deception by the enemy. Similarly, many good families have fallen victim to the enemy, that doesn’t mean that the institution of marriage should be abolished.
The amazing priests and the wonderful people involved in this great movement will continue because their leader is Jesus and we know who wins this battle.
posted November 11, 2009 at 8:11 pm
The Legionaries are a movement with great success. They have amazing formation courses for lay people, the highest rate of new priests being ordained, and the greatest dedication of consecrated and lay people to the movement.
The founder was a victim of deception by the enemy. Similarly, many good families have fallen victim to the enemy, that doesn’t mean that the institution of marriage should be abolished.
The amazing priests and the wonderful people involved in this great movement will continue because their leader is Jesus and we know who wins this battle.