Former Legionary priest Jack Keogh (aka Monk) has a new post up in which he touts the Charter for Compassion. Says Monk while discussing the principles of compassion defined in the Charter:
I invite my readers to adopt the charter as your own, to make a lifelong commitment to live with compassion. I think the principle is especially relevant when discussing the life and times of Fr. Marcial Maciel and the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ.
This request was preceded two days ago by a post Monk titled: Did Fr. Marcial Maciel’s “son” ask for $26,000,000?
Notice Monk’s use of the reverential prefix ‘Fr.’ despite all we now know about Maciel. Notice also how Monk’s headline zones in on the amount of money requested by Maciel’s alleged victim, without mentioning (in the title) the context in which this compensation was requested. And notice how Monk includes “scare quotes” around the word son. This is followed by more scare quotes in the blog’s third paragraph, where Monk states:
The congregation published a letter written by Fr. Carlos Skertchly to Carlos Raul Gonzalez Lara on January 12, 2010, in which he says that Raul demanded up to 26 million in compensation in order for him no to reveal “the truth”.
So it’s my turn to be confused here. Is all Monk’s talk about “compassion” merely cow patties?
I am also confused by this post:
http://www.monkwhostolethecow.com/2010/03/and-its-not-fr-maciel-nor-legionaries.html
We are again doing the RC = Church by comparing Maciel’s fraudulent double life to that of a corrupt Pope as an example of how God writes straight with crooked lines?
Thank God the Church goes on even if there is a corrupt Pope. I cannot imagine living in those times but I pray I would cling to the Eucharist as my rock. I am part of the Catholic Church founded by Jesus Christ over 2000 years ago and have watched and will continue to watch corruption. I do not condone it and actually condemn it but I will not lose my faith because of it.
Monk – is this comparison supposed to make me feel better and (despite the corruption of Maciel and this 15th century Pope) believe in the truth of the methodology of LC/RC like I do the dogma of the Eucharist and the teachings of Christ revealed thru his Church?
My Charter for Compassion says “speak the truth in love” and the deal is there is no comparison.
Also remember that while there have been corrupt Popes, there has never been a Pope who has sexually abused his own son. Also, there has never been such a corrupt founder of a religious order. Any way you look at it, Maciel will only be remembered in history as the most despicable founder in the 2,000 history of the Church.
Anyone who is a member of this order needs to realize the situation they are in and join us all in shutting this thing down. They don’t need compassion, they need a bucket of cold water poured on top of them to help them wake up and see reality as it is.
Pete – the title of your blog is “Catholic Light.” I could ask do you wish to spend your energy and that of your readers on “light” or “heat?”
I don’t “tout” the Charter for Compassion. I believe in the principle and continue to see it’s relevance to the MM and LC “debate.” Maybe “compassion” doesn’t get a lot of air time in Canon Law but I’ll stick with compassion any day as a more human and charitable response than the endless bickering, bitterness and parsing of “scare quotes” and contexts. I’ll grant you that I have not read all your material and perhaps I am judging you too harshly. That said you seem to be relentlessly obsessed with shutting the LC/RC down. There are good people in those organizations. Until the Vatican speaks they deserve our compassion – and support.
I don’t know for sure if “Raul” is MM’s son or not. That’s why I put it in quotes. He allegedly asked for $26 MM, was not given it and now has “gone public.” That leaves me space for reasonable doubt. If he and his family’s claims prove to be true, he’ll have all my support. Meanwhile I don’t choose to jump on every tidbit of unsubstantiated news to pile on the LC – I don’t think that’s what compassion or charity is about. Nor do I indulge in speculation about the “final impenitence” of MM. That, I believe is truly beyond the pale and unbecoming of someone whose opinion seems to carry some weight for so many on this and “related” blogs. So, I’m all for constructive debate about cows, monks and fables. I’ll leave the “cow patties” to you.
Anon out of RC and also ano:
The history of the Popes is not meant to make anyone feel better! And (Ano) the essence of history is that neither you or I can predict the outcome of its judgments. I’m in no way defending “the truth” or the “methods” of the LC/RC. All I’m saying is that MM is not necessarily the “worst” person ever in the Church – maybe he is – but my point is that one has to put these personalities, movements and sins in perspective. The AV is underway. I am willing to wait and see what they have to say. Meanwhile – what would Jesus do? Show some compassion? Cast the first stone? Throw a bucket of cold water?
Compassion = suffering with. Accompanying one on his journey in this world to his ultimate end. This is what some are trying to do for these people caught up in the LC. Only by seeing the truth of their malady, facing it, and responding properly as a Christian will they be able as individuals to progress in their journey to God. Patronizing and playing along with their poor us/heroic us complex/propaganda is not compassion, but enabling.
How is it that the LC/ Regnum Christi turns everything around to itself? They have been playing poor me/poor us all along, while at the same time attacking those who don’t play along. They must always be the star of the show -the suffering servant and the conquering hero. And no one had better contradict the party line. They can trample, slander and attack others at the same time while using suave words.
We can have compassion for people – the LC as men – yes. We do not have to have compassion on an organization which is spiritually, mentally and emotionally oppressing them and others. I agree that a bucket of cold water to wake up is what they need. I pray for such a conversion. It would be great to have these priests back in the Church whole heartedly. The same for individuals caught up in the Movement. They have been trained by the founder to equate the Movement as a more important than anything – or anyone, including themselves. The Movement is elavated to trump the dignity of any person. This may be why Monk and others are so confused regarding the Movement and the fundementals: human dignity, the Church, and Christ.
Monk,
For those of us who have been following this tragedy, the horror of the truth is quite disconcerting. We may react in a way that seems uncharitable but look at what we are discussing. We are discussing a man who sexually abused young boys, seduced teen-aged girls when he was in his 50’s, and now, possibly sexually abused his own sons. That’s not taking into account the fact that he has spent millions of dollars to support his perversions using money that people gave in good faith to support men training for the priesthood.
I have no animus toward Maciel at all, especially if what we have heard about his past is true. That does not stop me, however, from firmly believing that all of this needs to stop NOW. We cannot take the chance that an unknown number of Legion-trained men may at this moment be sexually abusing more boys. If I don’t accuse Aaron Loughery of lying, then there is a lot of this going on. It is not compassion to allow these men to continue on with these sins. They need to be stopped and the best way to stop them is to close all of the schools and seminaries and put the men into a detox program for a number of years. This has been going on for over 60 years. It needs to end!
Even John Paul II did not ask for his assassin’s release from prison and who knows what his background was. The assassin may have had a horrible childhood. The Pope, however, allowed him to serve his time in prison while at the same time forgiving him. The same applies in this case. We can forgive the Legion and have great sympathy for the horrible example they were given by their founder, but at the same time, we cannot allow this evil to continue on for another generation. Too much has been revealed to not take drastic action in my opinion.
It is sounding like the secular authorities are going to step in if the Church doesn’t do something which will make the Church look once again like she is condoning and protecting those who are harming children. We should show more concern for our children than any secular organization. And stopping sexual abuse is at the top of the list, as far as I am concerned.
It seems like Monk is alternately dragging the Church through the mud and trying to incite others to do the same, and chastising those who do not follow the LC party line. He uses the party line of calling those who discuss LC as endlessly bitter and bickering. The effect of LC/ Regnum Christi formation is consistent isn’t it? It is puzzling that is so long lasting.
@ Monk, I am sorry for you. I do have compassion for you and hope for your healing. May Lent be a time for conversion for all of us.
“There are good people in those organizations. Until the Vatican speaks they deserve our compassion – and support.”
The best way to show compassion and support for these good people IS to shut it all down. Let them go home, let them seek psychological help, let them become reacquainted with their real families, let them learn to be free, fully human again. Then let them truly discern. They have ALL been spiritually and psychologically abused. The best, most compassionate thing to do is set them free and give them the help they need.
SHUT IT DOWN!
Because He loves her, Christ told the woman caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more”.
Monk,
I do think Christ would pour a bucket of cold water over their heads — maybe not literally, but he would probably admonish them with strong words like he did various times to the apostles when they were way off the mark. LC/RC needs to wake up and see reality for what it is. No more seeing themselves the victim and suffering for the Church. Get in touch with the reality that their founder was a fraud, and by extension the congregation and movement he founded.