Author: Pete Vere

New allegations from the Spanish-speaking world. Giselle has an unofficial translation here. In reading through, this part really stands out given all that has happened over the past eight months (emphasis mine):

[Maciel’s] three Mexican children -the oldest is 29, the middle one, Jose, is 27 and the younger one who is not over 15- have not yet been able to assimilate the multiple lives of their father. ‘He was very strict with them’ says Bonilla ‘He had many norms for them that should be followed strictly: no smoking, no drinking, no girlfriends until 20 or 21 years of age, and the most notable; no lying…’

Ironic, given that the LC/RC leadership’s failure to come forward with the truth, and the appearance of covering up for Maciel’s lies, are fueling the scandal right now.

Received this from a reader last week, which I am just getting around to now. Please note I haven’t had time to verify the Envoy quote, but I trust the reader who sent it to me:

I also opened up an Envoy today (Fr Maciel’s writings) […] and found this in Envoy II Letter 98. It is scary theology! Fr. Maciel is talking about the Blessed Mother and says:

I have placed you in her heart, asking her to give you the gift of fidelity and perseverance so that, like her, you will also become co-redeemers of humanity along with Christ. [Emphasis Pete’s]

What is hitting me is that RC making us think our role was even bigger and better than anyone and we had to take is serious and be faithful to RC till the end to play this important role for Christ. I would be a co-redeemer of humanity along with Christ

This would make an excellent topic for Mgr. Palud to address, if he weren’t so swamped with missionary work in Jamaica and his role as prior of the Mission Society of Mandeville. For those new to this blog, Mgr. Palud is the canon lawyer and missionary who oversees the Journey of a Young Priest blog. He’s blogged a number of thoughts on the Legion of Christ, having formerly been a religious and canon lawyer with Les Fils de Marie. For non-Canadian readers, the Fils de Marie was in many respects a Canadian home-grown version of the LC. Former LC and former Fils de Marie tell me the two orders were permitted to socialize freely prior to the the Fils de Marie meltdown, which was unusual for either order when it came to outsiders. The Fils de Marie worked hand-in-hand with the Armee de Marie (Army of Mary), much like LC work hand-in-hand with RC. One difference, however, is that the movement’s founder was a woman, Marie-Paul, so she could never officially be a member of the movement’s clerical branch.
The similarities between the rise and fall of each order are uncanny. Mgr. Palud will blush at reading this – perhaps even protest in my combox – but I was speaking to another canonist today, who has followed the history of both movements. This mutual acquaintance described Mgr. Palud’s actions during the Fils de Marie meltdown as “similar to Fr. Berg’s in many ways.”
The attraction to the Fils de Marie was their reputation of orthodoxy, loyalty to the Holy Father, and fervent Marian devotion. Its priests were educated in Rome at some of the most reputable pontifical universities. However, their founder began to compare herself to Mary as co-redemptrix, and she also proffered some strange theological comparisons of herself to Christ’s Real Presence. Additionally, her followers maintained during the Church’s crackdown of the movement that she was suffering like Christ on the cross.
Mgr Palud had been one of the higher-profile priests in the movement. He challenged these theological irregularities. This led to the movement devoting an entire issue of its magazine to his condemnation, misquoting him, attributing all sorts of nasty and worldly motives to his departure, questioning his orthodoxy and commitment to the movement, etc. He was accused of acting out of pride and ignoring the voice of God! For those who read French, you can find out for yourself what a nasty person Mgr. Palud is by clicking here. (This despite the Army of Mary/Fils de Marie’s incessant preaching about “love” – much like the the LC/RC speaks of charity).
So I would be interested in hearing what Mgr. Palud has to say before voicing my own opinion. He’s been there, seen that, and made the nominal role of Canonists Who Became Traitors to Their Own Movement (a bit of an inside joke among canon lawyers, given that canon lawyers within movements often side with the Church when the movement begins to melt down and/or the Holy See intervenes). In return, perhaps we can raise a few bucks to help keep his school open.

The scandal concerning Fr. Maciel and the LC/RC is now exploding on Spanish-language blogs, much like it did on American Papist and other English-language blogs last February. In glancing through the comments posted to Spanish-language blogs, I notice several references to the English-language debate, as well as similarities between the arguments put forward by LC/RC apologists in Spanish and what concerned Catholics faced during the English debates.
So here is some advice to Spanish-speaking Catholics concerned with the situation:
1 – Pray to St. Joseph, daily.
2 – The debate is about Fr. Maciel and the LC/RC. Don’t allow the debate to be side-tracked into one about Archbishop Lefebvre, Bishop Williamson or the SSPX. The latter is a separate debate.
3 – Demand an apology to victims, including alleged victims of sexual abuse, whose reputations were unjustly tarnished. There is no compromise on this point.
4 – Do not be intimidated by theologians or priests. Admitting to and apologizing for one’s wrong-doing, especially when it has harmed others, is so fundamental to Catholic teaching that most Catholic children’s catechisms clearly express this teaching.
5 – You have the right to approach your diocesan authorities with any questions or concerns.
6 – Express the truth in charity. The other person may not be ready to concede or face the truth right now, but he or she may come around later after giving the issues more thought. In expressing the truth with charity, you leave the door open to future discussion should the other person come around later.
7 – That being said, true charity is charity for souls. It can never compromise the truth. Your loyalty to the Church and to the truth come before your loyalty to any movement.
8 – For married members of RC, your vocation before God is as spouse and parent. Put your family’s spiritual well-being first.
9 – Whenever possible, ask pointed questions rather than accuse. A person who feels overwhelmed by the facts, especially when expressed in a relationship of opposition, may shut down mentally or revert to pre-conditioned defenses. This is natural when a person feels that he or she is being attacked personally. So don’t overwhelm your opponent with the facts. Rather get the other person to think about the facts by asking questions about the facts, and by allowing the other person time to think before answering. (For example, “Would a good priest not feel a deep obligation as a Catholic and as clergy to apologize to someone who had had harmed through his actions, even if he thought at the time that his actions were justified?”)
10 – For the guys, be men. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that part of manly virtue includes the moral courage to speak the truth, even when it is inconvenient, and the courage to stand up for injustice perpetuated against those weaker than oneself. You have heard Maciel’s story, and you have heard the stories of his alleged victims who were minor seminarians at the time. Who do you believe is closer to the truth in telling their story? Who was the weaker party when abuse allegedly took place? As a father, what example of Catholic manhood and manly virtue do you set for your sons and daughters if you ignore or coverup what you believe to be the truth?

When the scandal first broke concerning Fr. Maciel, I believed the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi would survive because I felt an apology to victims would be forthcoming, followed by deep reforms. Eight months, ExLC sums up the situation in the following blog entry. In particular, he notes:

Now on to the statements: from two territories in the United States, one in Germany, and now Spain.
And one glaring omission: no one has owned up to a single mistake.

Until the Legion fesses up to their part in this scandal, orthodox Catholics will find it imprudent to give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s not unlike the sacrament of confession that requires the penitent to confess his sins and show a firm purpose of amendment before the priest can offer valid absolution.