[Final update before I leave: Thank-you for your prayers and well-wishes. If you will allow me to impose upon you one last time, let us resolve to pray a Hail Mary and the traditional prayer to St. Michael whenever we hear 'charity' about why someone has left a movement, or that Fr. Berg never truly had a vocation, etc. It requires only a minute of your time and it yields innumerable graces - for the victims, for the Church, for ourselves, and for friends and family in the movement.]
This will be my last blog entry until December.
A small controversy erupted in the combox yesterday after I hastily edited a couple of comments from readers, removing words that I felt had come close to the line when describing certain clergy. I can understand why this happens. We are upset with a situation in which children were potentially endangered, victims wrongfully maligned, and embarrassment brought upon Catholics in general. We should be upset. Thus I apologize to Juana and other readers for not offering an immediate explanation, and I thank Richard Chonak for taking control of the situation.
I made the edits for reasons I had intended to explain at the time in a subsequent comment. However, a minor family emergency (howling baby with a cold threatening to wake older siblings with a cold - those of you who are parents know the drill) drew me away from the computer. I forgot what I had been doing, having come down with the cold myself, and I simply resumed packing.
And there's lots to pack.
My employer has offered me, on short notice, a two-month assignment starting next week. This is on top of a weekend assignment. Internet access will be limited and irregular during this time, as I discovered during month-long assignments for May and July. (This is why I was silent on Fr. Berg's departure from the Legion, and his subsequent interview with Chiesa, until weeks after the fact.) Meaning I will miss the results of the preliminary reports from apostolic visitators.
So this is my last posting until December.
Many of us are angry and hurt with the situation. I'm a parent, I think of my own children every time a new allegation surfaces. I met some of the victims personally in 2004 and found them credible. When I returned from this meeting, I was subjected to what I felt were high-pressure phone calls (from individuals hinting certain impressions, without stating it directly, of Giselle and her marriage). So yes, I've been there. In fact I was there when John Paul II was still pope.
I also followed closely the lawsuit against ReGAIN, where the Legion forced the discussion board shut down, imposed a gag order (I am told), and reportedly attempted to subpoena the identities of the board's contributors. I need not remind you of how litigious the LC/RC has been in the past.
Of course, now that the truth is out about Maciel (with more likely to come), the movement can neither sue nor silence every critic. I suppose they can try if they really wanted to. However, this would likely consume a tremendous amount of resources at a time when the economy has forced the average person to tighten one's belt. There's also potential negative publicity which the Legion can hardly afford.
Nevertheless, this is not permission to cross certain boundaries without providing evidence. Yes, it's okay to call Maciel a pederast. On the balance of probabilities he probably was. We have testimony after testimony from his alleged victims, and the Holy See isn't in the habit of retiring older priests to a life of prayer and penance - especially not founders of large movements - without strong evidence of serious wrongdoing.
We have a moral duty as Catholics to hold the Legion accountable and seek justice for Maciel's victims. This needs to be done in charity. Not charity as Marcial Maciel defined it, but charity as Christ and the Church define it. As we hold the Legion accountable, we must remember that our goal is truth and justice - not vengeance.
If the LC/RC collapses completely or goes into schism, let it be because of the consequences of their own actions. Our actions, as Catholics, must remain consistent with the teachings of Christ. (Even if we fall short on occasion - myself included.) We must continue to preach repentance and urge our LC/RC brethren to do better. We must continue to seek justice for Maciel's victims.
So here are our goals in what I believe to be their order of priority:
1 - Truth
2 - Justice for Maciel's victims, including a public apology and restitution (insofar as restitution is possible).
3 - The welfare of our children and our families.
4 - Assistance for friends and family who have been adversely affected by the founder or the movement.
Continue to speak out for victims. Pray regularly for all Catholics affected by this scandal. God will see us through these rough times
God bless you all!. Please keep my family and me in prayer..
pete your insightful commentary will be missed
Good luck on your next assignment!
You will be missed, but I will look forward to hearing from you again around the holidays.
God bless you and your family.
God works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform.
Thanks Pete & we'll be praying for you.
Good point that if heaven forbid they go into schism it should be from their own actions, and we wouldn't want to "feed" that by being uncharitable. Not that I'm pointing fingers at any of you at all! I just can be sharp sometimes myself and it's a good reminder to myself. Over & out.
What, Richard, a simple God bless and some well wishes were too much for your LC-type charity? LOL
While Pete has been a valuable contributor to the LC/RC discussion, he's not vital to it (sorry, Pete!). The conversation will continue. This festering rot within the Church continues to move closer to the surface.
It never fails to amaze how personally the LC/RC take any negativity expressed about the Legion. My, how well did Maciel inculcate that persecution complex into his machine!
Well, I will wish you well once more, Pete, and I'll wish you well, too, Richard.
A blog that censors people is not worthy of my time and attention. Thank you and goodbye.
Great blog Pete. Your insightful comments have been much appreciated. You and your family will be in my prayers.
Pete - Your insights have helped many of us so much. Thanks and looking forward to your return. Think you said it best when you said:
"If the LC/RC collapses completely or goes into schism, let it be because of the consequences of their own actions. Our actions, as Catholics, must remain consistent with the teachings of Christ. (Even if we fall short on occasion - myself included.) We must continue to preach repentance and urge our LC/RC brethren to do better. We must continue to seek justice for Maciel's victims."
If each of us keeps searching and praying and acting in accord with the teachings of Christ in this - all will be well.
God Bless!
Good Luck! I've enjoyed your insight into this (and learned alot about canon law, too!) I guess I'll have to pick up a copy of "Suprised by Canon Law" while you're away!
(And I hope the kids with colds recover before the move! Why do they always get sick just when you're already swamped??)
Anon 7:52, with all due respect, it's Pete's blog and he can do whatever the heck he wants with it. Censorship only applies to the government anyway, if I'm not mistaken. If he "censors" something, it's only to protect the integrity of the blog and its contributors and the sensibilities of its readers. I would suggest you start your own blog if you don't like the content here.
Pete, in all honesty, I'm glad to see you go for a while. These blogs are becoming a sort of addiction for me and now I can get some more work done. At least until December. God bless you and your family. Be assured of my prayers.
Pete - Your blog is a joy for many of us trying to make sense of the rc/lc thing. Always informative, cogent, and well-reasoned. Wish you the best of luck on your upcoming assignment. I hope, with you limited internet availability, that you will be able to check in every now and then with some commentary.
Pete - Thank you for the intelligent and balanced commentary! Be assured of my prayers for you and your family.
Vaya con Dios, Pete.
And while we're at it, why don't y'all swing down here to Houston after your gig and catch up with all of us folks here. I guarantee the weather will be better than Canada at that point.
Come to think of it, a lot of my Minnesota clients seem to need to have meetings in Texas in December or January...
By Richard Sutcliff on September 25, 2009 6:24 AM
God works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform.
Yes indeed Richard, yes indeed.
I agree wholeheartedly with Frank and as a former RC member who was searching for the truth spoken with objectivity and eloguence, I have been extremely grateful to have found your commentary. You will be greatly missed but you can count on the prayers now of so many!
I agree wholeheartedly with Frank but want to add that as a former RC member who was searching in pain, for the truth, I was extremely grateful to find a place where the truth was spoken with objectivity and eloguence. You will be greatly missed but will have the prayers of many!
Pete,
Your voice will be missed more than any other on this issue. Please do not fail to return to the fray in December!
Pete, hopefully good news regarding LC/RC will be awaiting for you in December, and we´ll be ready to share and discuss them with you. Meanwhile, let´s pray for the LC/RC victims so they can reach peace and can forgive every wound, because as discussed before, nothing promising is coming from LC/RC members attitude. I wish I was wrong! See you!
Pete, this may come across as "mean", but here goes. We reject your request for a temporary sabbatical from blogging here. Move shmoove, job schmob.
I have to ask you: what would Father Euteneuer do? He would respond like a marine! He'd get up one hour earlier! He'd stay up one hour later! He'd perform the necessary reconnaissance to find an internet cafe if necessary!
This is war. All hands on deck. We expect a new blog posting by 0600 hours.
Dismissed!
Pete, this is very hard to take since I have referred so many disillusioned RC members to your site. It has been such a consolation to have someone such as yourself, voluntarily take up our cause. I know it is a cause of the Church ultimately, but your empathy is very real to me and others.
I wish you well and hope that December is a worst case scenario. I pray the three Hail Marys everyday, one for those still in, one for those out and one for the Holy See. I also pray the St. Michael prayer everyday as well as the prayer to St. Joseph.
Thank you and God bless you!