When news of Maciel’s daughter first went public back in February, many LC/RC defenders likened the situation to a family discovering their father had kept a second family on the side. I can both understand and appreciate this analogy. In fact, it was the first thing that came to mind as I read the following email from a reader (rewritten slightly to disguise the correspondent’s writing style):
I asked my RC director if the General Director had contacted the original eight victims. She said she didn’t know, but asked me why I assumed Fr. Alvaro was speaking about the original eight accusers. She said there are victims still in the LC who are coming forward, and that Fr. Alvaro, because he is General Director, will take care of victims within the LC family first and those on the outside later. This is just like a father would take care of those kids in his family first if there was an issue, my director said. This did not sit well with me. What are your thoughts on this?
Let’s suppose you’re the mother in the analogy used by the Legion back in February. Let’s suppose you just discovered that your deceased husband had abused your children and made your family do without while supporting a mistress in the next town, that he had lied to you when some of your children approached you to complain about the abuse, and that he had deceived you into disowning them and turning them away from your doorsteps.
Would you only look after the children who remained in your household? Or would you, as a mother, seek out your estranged children – those who ran away or who you threw out of the house – because they had tried to make you aware of the abuse and you didn’t want to believe them? And would you threaten any child in your household who sought out his or her estranged brothers and sisters, in order to apologize and repair the fraternal relationship?
One’s children remain one’s children, even when they find themselves estranged from their family.
Something that still astonishes me is how little of this endless wailing about the LC/RC disaster leads to serious, deep Catholic thought. It seems much too much to ask from their pathetic outfit to have read people like Jacques Maritain, right? (Do you think Alvarito & co. would even recognise that name?) And even Giselle seems to resent any reproach re. their dismal INTELLECTUAL formation… Anyway, food for thought:
Occupé d’intégrer et non d’excuser les péchés du « personnel» de l’Église, Maritain propose l’idée d’un transfert du Christ à l’Église de cet office de pénitence dont le Juste s’était chargé aux jours de la Pâques: l’Église Sainte reçoit de la sainteté du Seigneur le devoir solidaire de réparer les fautes de ses membres. Dans cette unité de l’agir ecclésial, Maritain a cru reconnaître la qualité pleine de «Personne» attribuable à l’Épouse.
I understand where you are coming from, Juana, but the time for deep theological reflection will come after this scandal is resolved.
Given that Maciel’s victims are still waiting for an apology from Legion supporters who harmed their good name, my five-year-old daughter’s catechism, written by Pope St. Pius X’s confidante Cardinal Peter Gasparri, provides more than sufficient Catholic guidance on the matter.
In the chapter on the Eighth Commandment – Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor – the catechism teaches:
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74 – What does God forbid by the Eighth Commandment?
By the Eighth Commandment God forbids us:
1 – to lie
2 – to swear falsely
3 – to harm the good name of another person
75 – In what ways do we injure another person by words?
We injure another person by words especially:
1 – by calumny and detraction
2 – by insults and rash judgments
3 – by betraying secrets
76 – When does a person commit the sin of calumny?
A person commits the sin of calumny when he injures another person’s reputation by lies.
80 – What must we do if we have harmed another person by our words?
If we have harmed another person by our words, we must repair the damage we have done.
***
One does not require a doctorate in sacred theology specializing in systematics to understand the Catholic course of action is to apologize to the victims. It’s Grade 1 catechism.
I totally agree with you.
Nevertheless, the endless questions about “charism” and so forth we have read in these threads during the last few months seem to relate to theological iquiries.
MY Cathechism was Tridentine (Ripalda), and also perfectly able to deal with those questions hounding these poor souls…
QED: ignorance as fostered by this “legion” is a very apt tool for evil.
Re Juana Ines: “It seems much too much to ask from their pathetic outfit to have read people like Jacques Maritain, right? (Do you think Alvarito & co. would even recognise that name?) And even Giselle seems to resent any reproach re. their dismal INTELLECTUAL formation.. ”
If it helps. At least until the 1990’s most LCs got their degrees at the Gregorian and/or Angelicum in both Philosophy and Theology. Many have licentiate degrees and ofcourse doctorates for all professors. Almost all who work within their HQ in Rome have licentiate degree and maybe a good number of doctoral degrees. A handful were gold medal winners at the Greg. They always have had conferences of a high end nature in their own center- among the regular conferencees: then Cardinal Ratzinger. Therefore I do not really believe Giselle’s comment is very well informed, just anecdotal, especially when Archbiship Chaput himself received two former LC priests into his diocese to teach in his seminary, one is the vice-rector and runs the studies program.
The issue however of charism is well noted-with you there- we just need someone to do the research on that one…
Pete: I do think you should see the issue of charism and apology as linked deeply to one another. I imagine in the mind of the LCs that every effort to come to full terms with the malicious nature of the founders acts is putting another nail in their coffin as an order, only its right now an emotional connection that is bringing this forth in such a malformed manner. The full acceptance and implications is still what is in the making. If they can dump in totem MM, break all ties historically, spiritually and theologically, I bet the apologies will come gushing forth. Right now the two are linked. Every step away from the founder will be a step closer to the apologies many seek I would wager, but it is also a step closer to their own dissolution. Is that not what you see happening..? It must be a very hard process, very hard..
Hi Pete –
I sent in the question and just to clarify – I was told that it makes most sense that Fr A takes care of the family under his roof first. I think it is a matter of priority and possibly patience with the hope that the LC will keep good on their word. I just guess that the way I see it is the estranged family whose good names were taken away should be top priority. Other victims were not slandered the way these men were by our founder and others in the LC plus they may have still been under the roof if they were not abused. 7 months to me seems like a long time to make this most important piece of this scandal right especially when the LC has said they are quietly contacting victims.
“And even Giselle seems to resent any reproach re. their dismal INTELLECTUAL formation.”
Dearest Juana: as long as this is a post related to families and their characteristics, I didn’t defend the intellectual tradition of the LC/RC, I took issue with your approach, which I’ll boil down to: “How could you have been so stupid to join such a shallow group?”
Whether or not the Legion is shallow (I agree with you completely that it is), that is not a motherly way to reach out to the children still absorbed in that expression of their faith. As a mother of many (and some kids who have strayed from the faith) I’d often like to knock heads — but that isn’t helpful in the least. I listen to their problems, wait for any indications that they would like advice, and tread very gently. Some day, they’ll realise the bulk of their problems have to do with their vices, but then isn’t that a lesson we’re all learning?
Life is long, and there will be many years for these people to kick themselves for some of their blind spots. Consider the mother who writes in regularly and is in cult therapy, bewailing what she did to her kids. Does she need to hear how stupid she was to join?