Legion apologist Richard Sutcliff asks the following questions in the comments to this thread: “So what are the non-negotiables for some of you ‘jousters’? What are the points about LC/RC that you will say, ‘even if the Pope says this’ my conscience still says it’s wrong and therefore I will oppose it?”
To which Jane, our resident meanie, replies:
My non-negotiable is an apology to Father Maciel’s abuse victims, who went public in 1997 to reveal Maciel as an abuser. The Legion lauched a campaign to defend Maciel, and maligned the reputations and character of the victims.
In early February of this year, individual LCs or LC employees either conceded that the abuse allegations are likely true or even apologized to the victims for failing to believe them. The Legion has yet to offer an official apology. We have heard from Father Bannon (in April?) that they are trying to locate the victims. Ah, so you admit, there ARE victims, and they are owed an apology! We heard (from LC priests in our section) that the LC is going to apologize, but “privately”, and that after receiving an apology, the victims can choose to go public with the facts of the apology, if THEY so choose. Pretty self-serving, no?
I know RCs who refuse to so much as buy a cup of coffee from Starbucks because the company supports Planned Parenthood. Yet they don’t bat an eye at seeking spiritual nourishment for themselves and their children from a congregation of priests which cannot summon the humility and courage to apologize to a group of victims who have been so clearly wronged.
Richard S, I would like to turn this around. What are your thoughts on the lack of apology?
I don’t know who all Jane speaks for, but certainly she can include me. A full and public apology to Maciel’s victims is a non-negotiable requirement to re-establishing trust. No apology, no trust. As stated repeatedly since this scandal broke, an apology to Maciel’s victims is a requirement of natural justice. The need to apologize for one’s wrongdoing is also a teaching found in every reputable Catholic children’s catechism.
Moreover, as I have opined elsewhere: No apology, no charism. Thus a public apology to Maciel’s victims is a non-negotiable requirement, in my opinion.
I personally don’t think I could ever trust the Legion again. In my opinion, an apology to the victims at this point will much too little about 7 months too late.
If the Legion were ever to have any credibility for me again, the apology would have to be not only to the victims of sexual molestation and all Maciel’s other depravities, it would also have to be for the Legion’s part in the deceit. I want an apology from Alvaro for having our children read only Maciel for spiritual nourishment for FOUR YEARS after the Legion now admits they were beginning to suspect something was up with good ole Nuestro Padre. These are CHILDREN we are talking about. To have had these children reading the works of a child molester as if it were divinely inspired, to have these children celebrating this deviant’s feast days, to have these children exposed to his photos/portraits hanging all over the place—it’s beyond offensive. It’s beyond scandalous. It’s just plain evil. You don’t play around with the souls of children like that. I am outraged.
The Legion would need to come clean about its problem with pathological deceit. It would need to acknowledge it has been twisted and malformed by the mind of the child-molesting fraud who created it in order to get away with a life of debauched abuse. ALL the currents head would have to roll. Recruiting would have to immediately stop, and all LC/RC schools either shut down or turned over to the local diocese. RC would need to be freed from LC and hopefully given direction from the Holy See as to how to deprogram from the malformation.
And finally, the Museum of the Foundation needs to be burnt to the ground.
Those are my non-negotiables.
The premise of Richard Sutcliffe’s questions is absurd. It supposes that there’s a possibility the Pope will declare in some authoritative way that the Legion is a Good Thing, with the implication that faithful Catholics must accept that judgment.
In the real world, the Pope will do one of two things:
1. Decide that the Legion is a very Bad Thing, and therefore suppress it — with or without a refoundation.
2. “Invite” the Legion to undertake a series of specific reforms, accompanying that invitation with some relatively sweet language about the Holy See’s solidarity, etc.
Neither outcome involves declaring that the Legion is a Good Thing, much less exhorting faithful Catholics to agree with such a judgment.
The Legion was founded by a deceitful, embezzling, manipulative, womanizing, pedophile. It is run by men who knew about this for some considerable period of time and may even have assisted the founder in covering up his misdeeds, all the way pushing on the world the image of the founder as a saint.
Those facts are more than enough to justify the vast majority of Catholics holding the Legion and Regnum Christi in perpetual contempt, absent repudiation of the founder and re-foundation. That was true before the Visitation, it’s true now, and it will still be true after Pope Benedict takes whatever action he deems fit.
I also think an apology is now largely beside the point. It’s already obvious that the LC leadership feels no obligation or inclination to apologize to the abuse victims. If they ever do apologize, it will only be out of desperation to avoid some draconian penalty from Rome. An insincere apology is meaningless, and that is all the current Legion of Christ is capable of offering.
To me it comes down to this: Do you consider Marcial Maciel your founder, or not? If so, you cannot be taken seriously by faithful Catholics, regardless of what else you may do. Repudiate Maciel definitively and without any nonsense about “profound gratitude” or all the “good” he supposedly did. All of his life, works, counsels, directives, writings, personal habits, customs, attitudes, etc.: into the trash bin.
Then we can talk.
Pete, this topic brings to my mind something that I lack the background to know about very well: is there a doctrine of vicarious liability or respondeat superior in canon law or moral theology? We are all basically assuming that there is, I think, when we say that the juridicial person, the Legion of Christ, must apologize for the wrongs of its founder and head, even if those wrongs were unauthorized by the institution. I am more or less aware of the civil law concepts of vicarious liability that would yield liability in a civil proceeding for such things as sexual harassment and the like, but here we seem to be talking about moral and/or canonical requirements, I think. Can you provide us with some cites for our better understanding?
I should have added, to be more precise, could you let us know the canonical and moral theological bases for vicarious liability of a religious institution for the wrongs committed by its head when such wrongs were not done in pursuance of the ends of the institution itself, but merely for his personal gratification.
There are two different possible apologies to consider.
This part looks obvious to me: the Legion and Legion-controlled organizations slandered Maciel’s victims, so the Legion owes them an apology. If anyone doubts this, please say so.
The other part — which Woody is writing about — may need more consideration: does the Legion owe an additional apology to them for Maciel’s abuse? Did he make use of the Legion’s structures, rules, or organization as part of his manipulation and abuse? If so, then the Legion has reason to apologize for a sort of corporate complicity.
Although it would be a gesture of sincerity for the Legion to apologize to Maciel’s victims FOR Maciel, that is NOT the apology I was looking for in February (it would be pretty much meaningless at this point, so I quit looking for it quite some time ago).
Maciel was responsible for his own sins. But the Legion is responsible for their part (as an institution) in the maligning of these victims and standing by as their founder and leaders called them liars, enemies of the Church, etc. The Legion (as an institution) is also responsible for any cover-up that may have allowed Maciel to continue his life of sexual depravity and other various abuses. The Legion is responsible for the deceit of knowing he was a fraud for at least a few years and holding Maciel up as a living saint. The Legion is responsible for sending 25 priests down to the Museum of the Foundation THIS year for a two-month retreat and presumably to pray in the special “Fruits of the Foundation” room (which was noted to be a special place of prayer for all LCs. See here: http://www.webcitation.org/5jrxxufM9) and in front of the Altar of the Foundation. The Legion is responsible for forcing the reading of this predator’s works upon all the boys in the Apostolic schools, long after they now admit they knew Maciel had a mistress and daughter (at which point anybody with half a brain would have to realize other allegations made against him in the past may also have been true and that he was not the saint he made himself out to be).
These are the apologies I expected. Restitution and help for the victims of Maciel would seem to me to fall under the responsibility of the Legion, as it was as members of this organization that they were molested and otherwise abused. I think it can be easily proven that the very structure of the Legion (4th vow, screwed-up notion of charity, etc) allowed the abuse and predation to continue for 65 years. The very first time I heard about the 4th vow (long before I knew about any allegations against Maciel), it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up (literally). Any thinking adult should realize that the 4th Vow was the Pedophile’s Dream. (Even though Benedict abolished that vow a few years ago, several LC priests have admitted they are sticking to the “spirit” of that Vow).
Maciel committed his own sins and has been judged by God for them. The Legion needs to come clean about its institutional sins and make apologies for its part in this terrible tragedy.
Good point Woody, however I think the wrongs that are referred to here mostly deal with
1) The corporate effort to defend MM on behalf of the Legion, and perhaps personal apologies even from specific Legionaries who were more visible in that effort. If you read Fr. Owen Kearns’ opinion of the book Vows of Silence still on Amazon, you will get a feel for the defence they gave which presumed wrongful intent on the part of the accusers.
2) What is still not clear will be any who had knowledge of misdeeds and were not forthcoming with the Holy See to whom they would have had to make immediate declaration– (and civil authorities if act is criminal).
It would be worth some reflection to weigh the Legion’s good faith effort to defend their founder vs. what parts were done in bad faith (1997-2004). I have not seen that done, and at now I think many consider the point moot and have no desire to rehash it all.
I keep in mind three points which seem to have made the process of acceptance atypical for them:
a)They were all still oblidged by vow to send all criticism of the founder only to the Holy See- such a vow I imagine is overridden if a higher moral norm kicks in- eg. obedience can never oblidge one to do something immoral. So they lived in a world where the founder was well-armored.
b) Fr. Thomas Williams on EWTN explained that these accusations first felt merely like attacks on the Legion itself given the form in which they were launched in Hartford. There was probably some justification to that given former members of all times were brought into the mix- Paul Lennon etc..(who had no claims of sexual abuse to make) rather the need to bring about a top to bottom critique of the congregation as a whole, even if the original accusers say they had no grievances against the Legion per se. To have gone for an all out attack in the press on the Legion itself while pushing for remedy regarding the specific case of the sexually abusive founder may have been too much to digest at once.
c) Additionally Fr. Owen’s review notes the inability for the accusers to offer primary evidence of certain strong claims- above all dealing with the first Apostolic Visitation (ie. that sex abuse allegations were made then to the Visitators in 50’s etc..) . Copies of letters and reports were claimed to exist and cited from the first visitators and were never produced- ie. made public. Whether that was ever done by Jason Berry/ Gerald Renner I do not know. Certainly if they were given the Legion gets much fewer points in their favor for delaying an apology.
d) Most experts agree that the Vatican statement of 2006 was just ambiguous enough that it kept the Legion from having to come to full terms with the 2004 review of the original case of 1997.
Ofcourse as the full truth hopefully matures in the order, each stage will present newer and deeper crises which coincide with apologies being made ever more explicit to the original accusers.
I won’t be mean and suggest that we will never hear from Richard S again.
It has been my experience that LC apologists tend to skedaddle when faced with a direct question, such as “what are your thoughts on the lack of apology?”, as quoted above.
Giving Richard the benefit of the doubt, I expect that, when he gets home from work, he will stop by Catholic Light and share his insights into this question.
(how’s that for “nice”?)
Dear Janie the Meanie,
Were I to become for a moment Richard the Wrathful, I might point out how odd it is that someone who is able to read into my postings and detect a “Legion-supporter”, is nevertheless incapable of reading the plain English of the following phrase. “As priests, our hearts go out to all those who have been harmed or scandalized by [Maciel’s] actions. To all we extend a special apology on behalf of the Legion and our General Director, Father Alvaro Corcuera.”
But I will not be Richard the Wrathful. I understand that you may have reasons for not accepting that apology from the US territorial directors or not deeming it sufficient. The apology was extended, it falls to each of us to decide whether or not to accept it.
“As for me and my house”, I have accepted the Legion’s apology. Perhaps more than some of Pete’s readers, definitely less than others, I too could, if I so desired, consider myself a victim of Maciel’s wiles. Nevertheless I forgive him and I accept the Legion’s apology and consider it sufficient to make up for the wrong that has been done me. If others do not feel that this apology is sufficient, that is their decision and I respect it.
Richard, I wish I could accept that as an apology to the victims, were it not for the fact that the letter you refer to is addressed “To Regnum Christi Members and Friends”, a group to which I am most certain Maciel’s victims do not belong.
You know full well there has been no real apology from the Legion. A real apology would say who they are apologizing to and what they are apologizing for. It would not be buried in a letter to the Regnum Christi members reporting on the state of improvements to their methods.
I am sorry if you have suffered in any way due to Maciel’s wiles; but I bet you haven’t suffered as much or waited as long as Maciel’s victims for someone to bind your wounds.
I expect more from priests, and in my opinion, you should too.
I hope you understand, Richard, if I continue to hold a real apology as a “non-negotiable”.
But it’s not just about you, Richard.
It’s about a much larger system of deceit and abuse.
If your son had been sexually molested by Maciel, and the Legion had denounced him a liar and enemy of the Church and had continued with a system that allowed the very real possibility that similar abuses could happen to others AND had possibly participated in a cover-up of such abuses, would you consider something such as “We’re sorry for anybody who have been harmed or scandalized for Maciel’s behavior” to be anywhere near sufficient? Perhaps you would. I would not. That apology in no ways acknowledges the Legion’s responsibility in the matter.
We should all feel outrage at injustices heaped upon others, even more so when done by an order of Catholic priests which refuses to acknowledge any institutional responsibility in the matter.
Just today, I have read several articles in which Legion fans have declared this Visitation a sign of the “closeness” the Vatican feels for them. There is no recognition of serious corruption/twistedness within the order.
It’s not just about us and whether we personally had our feelings hurt somewhere along the line. It’s about the Church as a whole, and the horrors perpetrated upon her by this order, all in the name of “growing the Kingdom”.
If even ONE child has been molested due to the very structure of this organization, that should be enough to outrage each and every Catholic.
Umm, yes, the Vatican IS conducting the AV because they want to be “close to” the LC…but it’s a “cavity search/digging through your sock drawer/ DNA sample” kind of “closeness”.
I respectfully disagree, Janie. The letter was addressed to RC members and friends, but the apology was addressed to “all those who have been hurt or scandalized.” Not “All of you friends”. It was enough for me. Many people completely uninvolved with the Legion in my diocese have seen that apology and have accepted it at face value. If it is not enough for you, so be it.
Really, we need to look on this along the lines of what Pope John Paul II called the “purification of memory”: an open and non-defensive acceptance and acknowledgement of the truth about past events; pardoning others, when we have been wronged, and apologizing to God and to man for the faults we have committed personally. The leaders of communities can apologize on behalf of the communities they represent, where they are implicated.
This document, approved by Cardinal Ratzinger in 1999, may be helpful:
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000307_memory-reconc-itc_en.html
(I apologize for my English, it is not good)
To Richard Sutcliff:
I hope you could understand Spanish, because a high-profile RC member, Lucrecia Rego has just stated in her blog that the phrase “all those who have been hurt or scandalized” are not Maciel´s victims, but legionaries and consacrateds who (I translate) “have not taken these news in a correct way).
You can visit her blog and have her last comment translated (Sept, 20th) –> http://lacomunidad.elpais.com/lplanas/2009/8/21/hablemos-lealtad.
Unfortunately, as someone said before, this letter is sent to RC members and they are NOT CLEAR when they speak about “the ones who suffer from this scandals”.
That´s why it is hard to take this as an honest apology. They are just cowards, and have much ($$$) at risk.
Concerning the alleged apology to Maciel’s victims referenced by Richard Sutcliff, I have already commented here:
http://catholiclight.stblogs.org/archives/2009/09/is-molesting-se.html
The discrepancy between the U.S. version and the Spanish version, which fails to mention victims of Maciel’s pederasty and gives the appearance he was invited to retire in 2006 because of having fathered a child, raises several questions about its sincerity.
Thank God for the Lucrecias of the RC!
They will not allow the LC/RC get away with trying to look like they are trying to distance themselves from Maciel. The Lucrecias must make those who are devising the response protocol want to tear their hair out! I’m a bit surprised she hasn’t been yanked off stage due to her overriding enthusiasm for Nuestro Padre and her need to let the world know the apology has nothing to do with those terrible enemies of the Church who have been maligning the dear old saint all these years.
Lucrecia IS the product of LC/RC, and I regard her sort of like the Museum of the Foundation webpage: proof that the Legion is once again up to its eyeballs in pathological lies. It IS about Maciel, the Legion cannot let go of him and has no intention of either acknowledging the sexual abuse in any specific way or trying to make restitution to the victims, and Lucrecia is obviously the product of a very cult-like system of complete fraud.
Thank you, Lucrecia&Co. Keep it coming! I hope somebody is recording her blog entries for posterity’s sake. She is all the proof we need that the Legion is twisted at the core. I hope she keeps vocally pointing out that the Legion’s apology has nothing to do with Maciel’s abuse of people; it’s all about apologizing to RC/LC members who may not have been able to respond to this news in the “correct way”. I’m sure it’s due to their human weakness. Damn human weakness that allows the serenity to be disturbed! Obviously THOSE LC/RC members were not integrated into MM’s Legionary Think very well at all. Luckily Lucrecia is, so she can show them the way a good RC member SHOULD react.
This confirms my suspicions that no apology is or will ever be sufficient for the majority of the Legion’s critics. Lucrecia who? It is as though Joe Wilson were to have called Rahm Emanuel to apologize for his outburst and Obama were to have poutingly responded, “well, Glenn Beck wrote on a Republican blog that your apology isn’t real, therefore I do not accept it.” Get real, people.
If nothing else, this should make you realize that for the Legion’s sake, they need to be dissolved (as they currently are, anyway), because the critics will NOT be silenced anymore, and the disgrace of the Legion’s founder and the cover-up and complicity of the order in allowing his abuse and deceit to continue for 65 years unchecked will always follow any seminarian who joins this order. Moreover, it’s a terrible scandal to those outside the Church. Who in the world wants to join a Church that allows an order of priests founded by a child molester and a fraud to continue receiving the support of the Church at large? I know if I weren’t Catholic, that alone would be enough to make me never want to become one. Something about being able to tell a tree by its fruits and all that.
I expected a real apology back in February, because I really honestly believed at that time that the Legion had some integrity. I thought it was going to the Legion’s moment to shine, to prove that despite their founder’s depravity, there was much good there.
But their reaction over the months jolted me into reality and uncovered my eyes forever. I’m sure there are plenty of others like me, naively hopeful for the Legion’s future back in February, but completely disillusioned and forever distrustful of the Legion now that I have seen their disgraceful response. Consequently I began to research the order much more thoroughly and have begun to understand its true nature.
The truth is out, and it can never be shoved back into the Legion box in which is was held captive for so long.
Many of us now consider it our duty to convey the truth about this cult-like structure of deceit and abuse to all other Catholics we know. I tell the story–especially to other parents who may have children involved–and encourage people to do their own research online. It’s our duty as Catholic parents to be aware of the nature of organizations such as this, which have infested Holy Mother Church with deceit, pederasty, and fraud.
Thank you, God, for the internet, and for finally allowing the darkness to be exposed to the light.
Richard,
Lucrecia is a highly-placed RC leader in Mexico. She publicly came out in support of Maciel after the scandal first broke, calling herself “Maciel’s other daughter” and has gone on to question the veracity of the accusations (even those which LC superiors acknowledged) and to castigate RC members who dare to believe them. She should be an embarrassment to the movement.
As had been said before, a real apology must say who they are apologizing to, and what they are apologizing for. A generic apology to everyone who has been hurt is not an apology at all.
The letter was addressed to RC members and friends, but the apology was addressed to “all those who have been hurt or scandalized.”
Ok Richard, I’ll bite.
Can you tell me who this is addressed to? Is it the women who had the children? The children? The boys that were molested? The Regain site owners? The Legion Priests who continued to study Maciel’s writings when their superiors already knew of his sins? The owners of the ExLC forum that was shut down? Paul and Libby Sellors? My child who was harassed about deciding against the apostolic school? Donors who had no idea that their money was funding illicit acts?
I’m serious. Do you feel this admits wrongdoings for all of the above acts and apologizes to all of them? If not, who is it apologizing to?
Thanks for letting me know because I am pretty confused by it.
Fr. Alvaro again referred to Maciel in his August letter as “Nuestro Padre” – twice.
Apologies are not the issue here, even though it’s obvious now that the Legion is only capable of C-Y-A efforts and will never sincerely apologize for the lies and calumnies it has perpetuated for decades.
All that really matters is the fact that these people regard Marcial Maciel as their spiritual father-founder. As long as they do, they will be abhorrent to faithful Catholics.
And if they repudiate him as their founder, they are left with nothing at all.
The Church has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the founder to religious congregations:
“Therefore let their founders’ spirit and special aims they set before them as well as their sound traditions-all of which make up the patrimony of each institute-be faithfully held in honor”, Vatican II (“http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651028_perfectae-caritatis_en.html)
“Pope Benedict XVI spoke to the members of the executive committee of the International Union of Superiors General, telling them that “when communities have chosen to return to the origins and live in a way more in keeping with the spirit of the founder,” they see positive signs of renewal.” http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=11825
“Religious life, being a gift of the Holy Spirit for each religious and the Church, depends especially on fidelity to its origins, fidelity to the founder and to the particular charism. Fidelity to this charism is essential, because God blesses faithfulness, while he ‘resists the proud.’” (Cardinal Rode here: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=14539)
So either they cling to the spirit of Maciel, or they face the fact that they have nothing at all at the core……no founder, no charism, nothing to reform back to. What’s a religious congregation without a founder? But what is a religious congregation WITH a depraved founder? How can the Church ask the Legionaries to return to the spirit of a child molester and abuser? To live in a way more in keeping with the spirit of a liar and a pederast?
This order makes a mockery of the long history of Church emphasis on the importance of founders.
Richard Sutcliff:
If, having read both English and Spanish criticism of various RC apologies, you still believe sincerely that these apologies suffice, then it is neither my place nor my intention to dissuade you. Of course I’m assuming that you and other LC/RC supporters are willing to accept the consequences of your position.
But it’s your movement’s future. So it’s your choice how far you wish to go with an apology.
Readers may be horrified by what I’m saying, however, I would rather LC/RC apologists state their position truthfully than feel coerced into stating something they don’t believe. I can think of much worse for Maciel’s victims than no apology or a weak apology. Namely, an insincere apology.
Clever and effective tactics embedded in the organization seem to include: dishonesty without with or with out overt lying, manipulation in social settings, in spiritual confidences, in the media and orchestration of people and events while utilizing the treasures of the Church, psychology, PR , the human person’s deep desire to serve God, as well as fallen human nature …
How can such violations of human dignity if so embedded in the Legion and its Movement ever be admitted and remedied? It becomes almost impossible to recognize for several reasons.
1. The evil means are subtle, insidious and discreet and mingled with the greatest treasures in the world : the Catholic faith, and virtue.
Can you imagine priests being formed in such a system? Many seemed to have lost the ability to be forthright – or to have a spirit of honesty.
I don’t think any individual is to blame. As one Regnum Christi mother once said with a smile: “I am just a cog in the wheel” Her sanctity she believed was protected by following the directives given to her by the chain of command even if didn’t make sense or seemed uncharitable.
You are victims of a utilitarian system which violates human dignity and is too complicated to fathom. I have seen the LC/Regnum Christi system build people up and also tear people down relentlessly. Even if you are only the cog in the wheel, you now bear responsibilty in some degree for souls crushed and lost if it comes to that.
This is not the methodolgy of Jesus who sacrificied Himself for even the weak and wounded.
But take courage! Each person is a child of God who can find hope in Jesus and His Church. This may be a better way to think than to think that the Legion and Reg. Chr Movement are the hope of the Church.
Point of examination : Do I put my hope in Jesus or the Legion. Do I have enough faith to follow Jesus?
Dear Pete,
Thank you for your response. Here is my position.
I believe the apology was sincere and was indeed meant for “all who have been hurt or scandalized by Maciel’s actions”. I struggle to think of a more all-encompassing phrase. Yet an apology, even if extended collectively, can only be accepted individually. I have stated that I accept the apology for things which have been done to me. It is up to each person, to all of you who have received this apology, to decide whether or not you individually will accept it. Those who cannot accept it could seek a more individual apology, perhaps by writing Fr Scott Reilly or Fr Alvaro a personal letter.
Since you have addressed me personally, Pete, I would like to take this opportunity to bring up three aspects that I find troubling in your analyses. The first is partisanship. I work in politics, so you will forgive me for viewing everything through that prism. The following example will not apply directly, but is instructive nonetheless. Take the Joe Wilson affair. A congressman insults the president. All are shocked. All agree that this was a breach of decorum. The congressman apologizes to the person he insulted. The president forgives him. End of story? For the majority of Americans who care not a whit for Beltway intrigue, yes. But here enters partisanship. The Democrats draw out the saga because it is an opportunity to a) humiliate the Republicans and b) to score political points by associating opposition to President Obama with racism, since Representative Wilson is from the first state to secede from the Union. Does anyone really think that the Democrats were sincerely acting merely for the sake of civility in wanting Representative Wilson to apologize? Of course not. That is politics.
(Cont’d) In like manner, your blog has clearly aligned itself with those who are not sincere in wanting the Legion to apologize for the sake of justice – they have done so already – but who wish for nothing more than to see the Legion disbanded. That is your decision and I do not begrudge you that, but it has deprived you, in the eyes of many diocesan and non-Regnum Christi affiliates with whom I have spoken, of an above-the-fray reputation which I believe you formerly possessed.
The second is stereotyping. It seems from your posts as though the every thought, word, and deed of any Regnum Christi member, former Legionary, or current affiliate of any RC-inspired apostolate is treated as indicative of the entire organization. Not only is this never the case in any other walk of life, it also speaks yet again to a hostility toward the Legion that is best described as partisanship bordering on enmity. One need think only of the relish with which Arab militants seized on the Abu Ghraib affair as proof positive that all Americans were evil, or at the furious attempts of Democrats to make Rush Limbaugh’s every utterance the de facto position of the Republican party.
The third is sourcing. As a good friend of mine once said, “Have you ever noticed how easily we believe bad things about other people, but when we hear good things, we almost want to say, ‘Prove it!’” It seems as though you are very willing to publish and believe anything bad about the Legionaries, yet subject anything that might make them look at all good to the most rigorous scrutiny. Take your attitude toward the letter of the Territorial Directors. Since when have you subjected any article from a random blog in Mexico to such combing perusal? This is yet again an example of partisanship. American political circles are currently abuzz with juicy tidbits from the book of the latest defector from the Bush team, Matt Latimer. Democrats, of course, are willing to believe every word that comes out of the man’s mouth. Republicans are more likely to take comfort in the withering smackdown Latimer received from William McGurn in today’s online Wall Street Journal. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. If your sourcing is to be trusted, it would do well to seek out that middle ground.
I mean no offense to you by these candid remarks. I just thought you should know how your blog is seen by someone who is no supporter of the Legion, yet who appreciates candor, fairness and clear judgment in matters relating to the Church. I believe you have the ability to do that. Unfortunately, you are not living up to that ability at this time.
Richard,
Candor and fairness is what RC owes to abused victims!
In México we say: “SEGÚN EL SAPO ES LA PEDRADA” (“according to the toad size is the stone shot”), and the offense is severe, not only to those kids whose lives were damaged or even ruined, but also it was severe to all deceived catholics (RC and not-RC members). It is a cruel situation coming from an institution that has been extremely conservative in their forms (kicking out from their schools teachers and families that get divorced, or live as “sinners”, and this is just an example).
They were implacable to those “enemies of the Church” that dared “invent” and “create” stories about F. Maciel! and -according to recent news from Bishop Blazquez- KNOWING IT WAS ALL TRUE! or at least believeable!
The apologies are not according to the size of the wound done to so many people, and remedy is necessary. How can they start remeding if they don´t even recognize “the size of the toad”? The apologies might be sincere (who knows…), but not heartful enough.
I respectfully but strongly disagree with you Richard. It is not about me, or you; it is about being congruent, LC owes everyone that because they TEACH and PREACH fidelity to the Church (…is their attitude sincerely faithful to the Church?); they TEACH and PREACH Charity!!!! (…if they know there are harmed souls… is it Charity to remain naive and discrete?).
I truly think they are making wrong “political measurements”. They believe they have much more to lose if they openly ACCEPT mistakes and omissions and APOLOGIZE; they do not realize they have much more to lose with their current decisions: apologists, souls and certainly HEAVEN!
I honestly didn’t follow the Wilson/Obama story very closely, so I looked up the apology and found this:
“Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, jumped into the limelight by shouting “You lie!” at Obama during the president’s appearance before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night. He immediately called the White House to apologize for the breakdown in decorum that angered leaders of his own party and made Obama supporters furious.
”
Wilson apology 1)to the person he offended, and 2) for the specific offensive behavior.
Had he made a public statement of “I’m sorry for anybody who may have been offended by my outburst”, I’m quite sure he would have been held up for ridicule.
The Legion has never contacted or apologized specifically to the original 8 victims of Maciel’s molestation and their subsequent libel and maligning of same victims.
A general apology “for anybody who may have been hurt by this” is not an apology at all.
And I don’t know how to get it through to you that this isn’t about my hurt feelings or your hurt feelings. It’s about something MUCH bigger than you or I. It’s about institutional accountability and character. The fact that this non-apology took seven months in the making ought to tell you something right there.
Even my youngest children can recognize a meaningful apology vs. one that is meaningless. If you can’t, Richard, I don’t know what else to say. It is what it is.
If you detect hostility, it’s because Catholics SHOULD be hostile to evil, and many of us have come to realize over the past seven months the extent to which this organization is filled with corruption, cover-up, systematic abuse, and fraud. We should all be hostile to that type of behavior.
The Legionaries will continue to have the contempt of Catholics as long as they continue the half-truths, the spin, and the vague euphemistic language that is so characteristic of them. I would personally have much more respect for them if they could express gratitude to the victims of Maciel who tried to sound the alarm for all those years. If they had any integrity whatsoever, they would be hailing those victims as the heroes in this story. Because those who have tried to reveal this hoax of a religious order for what it is all these years (all while being maligned and libeled by the Legion) ARE the real heroes of this story. What irony it would be if some of them eventually were canonized for their efforts in outing the truth all those years!
Instead, the Legion hems and haws, makes some vague non-apologies to anybody who “may have been hurt”, and continues to insult the original accusers by not retracting any of the calumny they perpetrated on them over the years.
The longer the LC acts this way, the greater the hostility and contempt. We should all be outraged by injustice—and not just if it happens to be perpetrated on ourselves. We are all the body of Christ, and if even one of our members has been abused and damaged by the structure of an organization that calls itself Catholic and operates under the charism of “Charity”, we should all stand up and seek justice for that person.
You say, “The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. If your sourcing is to be trusted, it would do well to seek out that middle ground.” Truth is not defined by middle ground, Richard. Truth is truth. And the Legion has clearly demonstrated it has not been truthful over the years. If the Legion wants to regain any credibility whatsoever, they will need to swallow the enormous pride, make a heartfelt apology, come clean about the complicity, cover-up, and corruption within the order, and express gratitude to those who have been trying to reveal that corruption for decades.
By the way, I personally have nothing to gain–and much to lose- by the dissolution of this order. Our paycheck is signed by the Legion. When the Legion goes away, so does our paycheck. But I realized months ago that truth and justice are more important than our personal financial security and that this debacle is about much more than any individual. This is a cult-like organization that has caused irrevocable damage to many, many people over the past 65 years and is causing terrible scandal to our church. It needs to be rooted out once and for all.
It is really very, very simple: the cornerstone is corrupt!
Try building a cathedral on a corrupt cornerstone. At first glance it may still be beautiful, but the closer you look the more you detect corrections here and there, support here and there, glossing over here and there…… and eventually it will fall.
Jesus is the cornerstone, and many will stumble over Him. But He remains the cornerstone, not the pederast Maciel.
Mercy!
Like Anonymous above, I am dependent on the Legion for my paycheck. The good that I perceive is the many members – I hope and pray – who have not been seriously infected by Maciel’s thought and methodology, and who will be able to move on to wholeness with the serious reform, or dissolution, of the organization.
“your blog has clearly aligned itself with those who are not sincere in wanting the Legion to apologize for the sake of justice – they have done so already – but who wish for nothing more than to see the Legion disbanded. That is your decision and I do not begrudge you that, but it has deprived you, in the eyes of many diocesan and non-Regnum Christi affiliates with whom I have spoken, of an above-the-fray reputation which I believe you formerly possessed.”
Thanks for the chuckle, Richard. Who exactly are these “many” non-Regnum Christi affiliates who support the Legion and consider Pete Vere unfair and biased?
The difference between 2009 and past years is that since February virtually no one outside Regnum Christi has spoken up in the Legion’s defense. Longtime former supporters ranging from George Weigel to Germain Grisez to Fr. Raymond D’Souza have all come forward to denounce the Legion and its lies, and most of them have called publicly for a total refoundation (i.e., dissolution and creation of something entirely new).
There really aren’t two sides to this thing anymore. Anyone who isn’t drinking the Regnum Christi koolaid (which includes a lot of RC members) either hasn’t followed the scandal or holds the current Legion in contempt.
Candid question: Do you believe a religious order can thrive with a lifelong liar and sexual predator as its founder-father?
Richard (Sutcliff) wrote: “Here is my position. I believe the apology was sincere and was indeed meant for ‘all who have been hurt or scandalized by Maciel’s actions’. I struggle to think of a more all-encompassing phrase.”
Obviously you’re the authority on your position and what you believe, so I won’t argue that this is your position and what you believe.
Similarly, I know best what I believe. In this case, given the specificity of the allegations LC/RC apologists hurled publicly against Maciel’s alleged victims, I believe more specificity is required in an apology than “all-encompassing phrase”.
Especially when the Spanish version of the apology makes no direct mention of former seminarians who accused Maciel of pederasty, and gives the impression that the founder was asked to retire after fathering a child.
Additionally, the LC/RC often interprets things in a way much different than the rest of the Church. For example, with the exception of two canonists affiliated with the LC/RC, every canon lawyer I spoke with in 2006 understood why the Holy See invited Maciel to retire. That there was likely serious evidence of his guilt, and that this was not a reward for having lived a holy life.
In contrast, the Legion expressed a much different interpretation. I know because I came under fire from Legion apologists, including one of the canonists mentioned in the previous paragraph, who accused me of harboring all sorts of nasty agendas against the Legion.
My response at the time? Let’s agree to disagree, and we will see how it plays out in the future. The opinion of a single lay red-neck canonist from a rural diocese in Canada’s hinterland isn’t going to make much of a difference in the overall history of the Church. And if history proves me wrong, I have no problem apologizing.
A similar situation is in play here. Because of the specificity with which Maciel’s movement accused his victims in the past, and given the discrepancies between the American letter and the Spanish letter, and given the movement’s unique interpretation (I believe it’s called “spin” in your profession of political communications) of past events involving the founder’s wrongdoing, I cannot blame Catholics in the pew for wanting to verify before they trust.
However, the LC/RC is not my movement. (And I’ll leave the Joe Wilson analogy to American readers to discuss. Not being American, I haven’t followed this controversy like I would if Her Majesty the Queen had been insulted.) Nor is the movement particularly active in my diocese or any apostolate with which I’m involved. In fact, the LC/RC has very little presence in most areas of ministry with which I’m involved. So it’s not my future at stake, except for my credibility as a blog commentator.
That being said, I have repeatedly quoted canon law and the CCC where it states parents are the primary educators of their children. You may or may not have children. If you do, then you’re their primary educators, and it’s choice to make decisions concerning your children based upon your acceptance of the apology as sincere.
But as far as the wider controversy is concerned, I’m content to be proven wrong as this plays out in the court of public opinion. If you’re convinced this apology is sincere and sufficient, then let it stand for the public record.
Maybe I’ll earn the title as resident meanie with Jane by this post, I don’t know. But I will be blunt.
Richart Sutcliff–if you think in any way, shape, or form that Peter Vere is harsh or unfair, you need to wake up and join the real world.
Peter Vere is admirably and relentlessly kind, fair, and restrained in his analysis. I know many a diocesan priest who would not temper their opinions and observations in such a manner.
And, for what it’s worth, most of the non-RC people I know, priests and lay people alike, have written the RC and LC off completely. They wouldn’t bother to follow the issue closely, or read blogs, much less contribute online, because they just don’t care. It’s a much smaller number of people who I know that even care to discuss the issue at all.
I think instead of viewing those who post online as hostile, you might want to consider that they are the few in the Church who actually still care. We might have criticism to give, but we have not written you off (yet).
I calls it like I sees it.
Is there FORGIVNESS in our hearts in this matter. How much does God ask us to Forgive. Only God can turn something evil into Good and for the good if his Kingdom. There are fruits of the Movement and they have to be recognized as the Fruits of Christ and his love of humanity.
Sexual sin and all sin in this nature is not accepatable. And may of us have encountered that in our own lives.I need to share, if not for the strenght and support of the movement my family would not be together. My husband had an affair and I was left with 2 children and expecting a thrid– devistaed as can be imagined where do I direct my life. But God in his infinte wisdom had given me the support of worderful Catholic Regnum Christ women just prior to my knowledge of this affair. It was through RC groups Famllia and ladies retreats and encounters that helped me in the steps to forgiving my husband seeking what God wanted in my life and softening my heart to my husband. After a long journey of separation and his continued involvment with this other woman 7 years later we were reunitied and the childrens home restored as it was ment to be. That is how only God can turn something ugly into something beautiful.
Lets be hopeful for that in the Legion of Christ.
With Christ all things are possible. There are many good servants of Christ in the LC and RC movement who are only wanting to bring lost souls to Christ.