Marcial Maciel
Encyclopedia
Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado (March 10, 1920 – January 30, 2008) was a Mexican
-born Roman Catholic priest
who founded the Legion of Christ
and the Regnum Christi
movement. He was accused of pedophilia early in his life and having fathered at least one child. Reports speculate that Maciel maintained relationships with at least two women and fathered up to six children, two of whom he allegedly abused as well. The late Pope John Paul II
supported Maciel, but soon after becoming pope, Pope Benedict XVI
removed Maciel from active ministry after an investigation started under John Paul II, ordering him to spend the rest of his days in prayer and penance. On March 25, 2010, a communiqué
on the Legion's website acknowledged as factual "reprehensible actions" by Maciel, including sexual abuse of minor seminarians.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Velasio De Paolis
his delegate to examine the Legionaries’ constitution and conduct a visitation of its lay affiliate Regnum Christi.
, Mexico and became a priest after a troubled youth.
On January 3, 1941, with the support of Francisco González Arias, Bishop of Cuernavaca
, he founded the Legion of Christ
and its lay arm Regnum Christi
in 1959. Maciel was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood
in Mexico City
on November 26, 1944.
Maciel is the grand-nephew of a Mexican saint canonized in 2007, Rafael Guízar Valencia, who also was an integral part of the founding of the Legion of Christ. There has been speculation that conduct by Maciel contributed to the death of this great uncle. According to an investigative report:
Through the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi Fr. Maciel started many schools, a network of Universities and a large number of charitable institutes. In January 2006 he stepped down as head of the Legion of Christ and tendered its leadership to long-time follower Fr. Álvaro Corcuera Martínez del Río
.
During his life, Maciel was the focus of several investigations regarding allegations of drug abuse
, (he was hospitalised for morphine addiction) and he was also investigated for sexually abusing children
. First in 1956, he was investigated for drug abuse, after which he was exonerated and returned as head of the Congregation. In 2005 Maciel stepped down as head of the order and, a few days before John Paul II died, Cardinal Ratzinger announced his intention of removing "filth" from the Church; many believed he was referring specifically to Maciel. In May 2006, Pope Benedict XVI
disciplined him, inviting him to "a reserved life of prayer and penitence"; no explanation was given to the public or to the Legionaries of Christ.
In July 2009, a Spanish daily published an interview with a woman who had a child with Maciel in 1986 and now lives in a luxury apartment in Madrid which Maciel purchased for her. A day later, Mexican media reported that an attorney, José Bonilla, will represent three of a possible total of six of Maciel's children in a civil suit to recover Maciel's estate. The lawyer claimed that there are several properties in Mexico and around the world which Maciel owned in his own name.
Marcial Maciel died in Jacksonville, Florida
, United States
, on January 30, 2008, at age 87. He had a private funeral and was buried in his birth place, Cotija, Michoacán
, in early February 2008.
on his visits to Mexico in 1979, 1990, and 1993, Maciel was also appointed by the Pope to the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Formation of Priests in Circumstances of the Present Day (1990). He was a member of the Interdicasterial Commission for a Just Distribution of Clergy (1991), the IV General Conference of Latin American Bishops
(CELAM) (1992), the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Consecrated Life and Its Role in the Church and in the World (1994), the Synod of Bishops' Special Assembly for America (1997) and (since 1994) a permanent consultant to the Congregation for the Clergy. The golden anniversary of his priestly ordination was celebrated on 26 November 1994, with 57 Legionary priests ordained on the anniversary's eve. Maciel served as Chancellor of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, which is based in Rome. Maciel collaborated extensively with the pope, either in person or through members of his organization, the Legion of Christ
. Pope John Paul II admired Maciel for strictly adhering to the magisterium and the vocations to the Legion of Christ. He received many donations from Mexico's richest. Maciel gave the Vatican money and some claim that this kept them from acting for years over allegations of sex abuse by Maciel.
Investigative jouranlist Jason Berry wrote in an April 2010 article in The National Catholic Reporter, "the charismatic" founder of the Legion of Christ "sent streams of money to Roman curia officials with a calculated end ... Maciel was buying support for his group and defence for himself, should his astounding secret life become known." Berry and his late colleague Gerald Renner wrote the 2004 book "Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II", and the related TV documentary "Vows of Silence" on Father Maciel and the Legion of Christ. According to Berry, Maciel's key supporters, who provided him with a protective shield, included Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state from 1991 to 2006; Cardinal Eduardo Martínez, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; and Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the Polish secretary of late Pope John Paul II (1978-2005).
The New York times - based on someone who talked to a bishop who heard it from Ratzinger - accused Cardinal Ratzinger of having personally stalled investigations into Maciel.
Maciel wrote extensively on the formation of priests and other matters pertaining to Church governance. In founding the religious order, his main purpose for the Legion of Christ
was for the organization to form and motivate enterprising lay members of the Catholic Church to take an active part in the Church's mission. In particular, this initiative focused on the members of the Church Movement Regnum Christi
, for example, through spiritual direction
. Regnum Christi was founded by Maciel.
Maciel, aged 84, was succeeded by Fr. Álvaro Corcuera Martínez del Río
, LC, as General Director of the Legion at the Legion's Third General Chapter in January 2005. Shortly thereafter, after a sex-abuse investigation had been re-opened by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
, the Vatican requested that Maciel withdraw from his ministry in lieu of further investigation and prosecution. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith asked Maciel to live a "a reserved life of penitence and prayer, relinquishing any form of public ministry.” A canonical trial was ruled out because of his advanced age and poor health.
In Feb 2009 news broke that Maciel had indeed led a double life and Fr. Álvaro Corcuera Martínez del Río
, LC, the General Director took it upon himself to visit each of the Legionary Territories and publicly apologize for Maciel's behaviour. Additionally it has been publicly acknowledged by the Legion that Maciel had in fact fathered a daughter. As a result of all these recent acknowledgements Pope Benedict XVI has personally intervened and a formal Vatican visitation of all Legionary houses has been initiated.
of my days), which subsequently was widely read among members of the Legion. Over the years, the book had been partially translated into English for the use of the English speaking members. It was a memoir of experiences of persecution. On December 11, 2009, the Lima, Peru, based Agencia Católica de Informaciones (ACI, Catholic News Agency) reported, without using the word "plagiarism", that the directors of the Legion has circulated an internal memorandum revealing that the book copied "80 percent in style and content" the posthumously published memoir of a Spanish politician, Luis Lucia Lucia, who died in 1943. The book was written in 1941 (while its author was held as a political prisoner of the Franco
regime) and published in 1956 in Valencia, Spain.
said that the pope would name a delegate to the Legion to review the Legionaries of Christ following revelations that the order's founder sexually abused numerous underage seminarians and fathered at least three children with two women. In a statement, the Vatican denounced Maciel for creating a "system of power" that enabled him to lead an "immoral" double life "devoid of scruples and authentic religious sentiment." The Vatican issued the statement after Pope Benedict XVI
met with five bishops who investigated the Legion to determine its future. The Vatican statement was remarkable in its tough denunciation of Maciel's crimes and deception.
The "very serious and objectively immoral acts" of Maciel, which were "confirmed by incontrovertible testimonies" represent "true crimes and manifest a life without scruples or authentic religious sentiment," the Vatican said. The Vatican also stated that the Legion created a "mechanism of defense" around Maciel to shield him from accusations and suppress damaging witnesses from reporting abuse. "It made him untouchable," the Vatican said. The statement decried "the lamentable disgracing and expulsion of those who doubted" Maciel's virtue. The Vatican statement did not address whether the Legion's current leadership will face any sanctions. Actions taken by the current Legion leadership will be scrutinized; but no specific sanctions were mentioned, amid suspicion that at least some of the current leaders must have been aware of Maciel's sins. The Vatican acknowledged the "hardships" faced by Maciel's accusers through the years when they were ostracized or ridiculed, and commended their "courage and perseverance to demand the truth."
As a result of this comunique, on Jul 9, 2010, Archbishop (now Cardinal) Velasio De Paolis
was named as the papal delegate to the Legion.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
-born Roman Catholic priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
who founded the Legion of Christ
Legion of Christ
The Legion of Christ is a Roman Catholic congregation of pontifical right, made up of priests and seminarians studying for the priesthood. It was founded in Mexico in 1941, by Fr. Marcial Maciel, who directed the congregation as its General Superior until January 2005...
and the Regnum Christi
Regnum Christi
Regnum Christi is an international Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movement associated with the Legion of Christ, founded by Fr. Marcial Maciel. Regnum Christi is dedicated to promoting the Catholic faith. Their motto is "Love Christ, Serve People, Build the Church."-History:The first draft of the...
movement. He was accused of pedophilia early in his life and having fathered at least one child. Reports speculate that Maciel maintained relationships with at least two women and fathered up to six children, two of whom he allegedly abused as well. The late Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
supported Maciel, but soon after becoming pope, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
removed Maciel from active ministry after an investigation started under John Paul II, ordering him to spend the rest of his days in prayer and penance. On March 25, 2010, a communiqué
Communique
A communiqué is a brief report or statement released by a public agency.Communiqué may also refer to:* Communiqué , a rock band* Communiqué , 1979* Communiqué , 1987...
on the Legion's website acknowledged as factual "reprehensible actions" by Maciel, including sexual abuse of minor seminarians.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Velasio De Paolis
Velasio de Paolis
Velasio de Paolis, CS JCD STL is an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was president emeritus of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See and is Pontifical Delegate for the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ.-Early life:De Paolis was born in Sonnino, and became a...
his delegate to examine the Legionaries’ constitution and conduct a visitation of its lay affiliate Regnum Christi.
Biography
Maciel was born in Cotija, MichoacánCotija, Michoacán
Cotija is a municipality located in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The municipality has an area of 504.05 square kilometres , and is bordered to the north by Jiquilpan and Villamar, to the east by Tocumbo, and to south by the state of Jalisco. The municipality had a population of 18,207...
, Mexico and became a priest after a troubled youth.
Maciel was expelled from two seminaries for reasons that have never been explained. He became a priest only when one of his uncles ordained him after private studies.
On January 3, 1941, with the support of Francisco González Arias, Bishop of Cuernavaca
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cuernavaca
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cuernavaca is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of México. Its seat is in the Cuernavaca Cathedral.-Ordinaries:*Fortino Hipólito Vera y Talonia...
, he founded the Legion of Christ
Legion of Christ
The Legion of Christ is a Roman Catholic congregation of pontifical right, made up of priests and seminarians studying for the priesthood. It was founded in Mexico in 1941, by Fr. Marcial Maciel, who directed the congregation as its General Superior until January 2005...
and its lay arm Regnum Christi
Regnum Christi
Regnum Christi is an international Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movement associated with the Legion of Christ, founded by Fr. Marcial Maciel. Regnum Christi is dedicated to promoting the Catholic faith. Their motto is "Love Christ, Serve People, Build the Church."-History:The first draft of the...
in 1959. Maciel was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
on November 26, 1944.
Maciel is the grand-nephew of a Mexican saint canonized in 2007, Rafael Guízar Valencia, who also was an integral part of the founding of the Legion of Christ. There has been speculation that conduct by Maciel contributed to the death of this great uncle. According to an investigative report:
The day before Bishop Guizar died, he had been heard shouting angrily at Marcial Maciel. He was giving his eighteen-year-old nephew a dressing down after two women had come to the bishop's house to complain about Maciel, who was their neighbor. Father Orozco, who was among the original group of boys to found the Legion of Christ in 1941, said he heard the women had complained about the "noise" Maciel was making with children he had brought into his home to teach religion. He said that the seminary officials blamed Maciel for his uncle's heart attack.
Through the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi Fr. Maciel started many schools, a network of Universities and a large number of charitable institutes. In January 2006 he stepped down as head of the Legion of Christ and tendered its leadership to long-time follower Fr. Álvaro Corcuera Martínez del Río
Alvaro Corcuera Martinez del Rio
Father Álvaro Corcuera Martínez del Río is a Mexican Roman Catholic priest. He has been the Director General of the Catholic Order of the Legionaries of Christ since January 2005.-Biography:...
.
During his life, Maciel was the focus of several investigations regarding allegations of drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
, (he was hospitalised for morphine addiction) and he was also investigated for sexually abusing children
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
. First in 1956, he was investigated for drug abuse, after which he was exonerated and returned as head of the Congregation. In 2005 Maciel stepped down as head of the order and, a few days before John Paul II died, Cardinal Ratzinger announced his intention of removing "filth" from the Church; many believed he was referring specifically to Maciel. In May 2006, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
disciplined him, inviting him to "a reserved life of prayer and penitence"; no explanation was given to the public or to the Legionaries of Christ.
In July 2009, a Spanish daily published an interview with a woman who had a child with Maciel in 1986 and now lives in a luxury apartment in Madrid which Maciel purchased for her. A day later, Mexican media reported that an attorney, José Bonilla, will represent three of a possible total of six of Maciel's children in a civil suit to recover Maciel's estate. The lawyer claimed that there are several properties in Mexico and around the world which Maciel owned in his own name.
Marcial Maciel died in Jacksonville, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, on January 30, 2008, at age 87. He had a private funeral and was buried in his birth place, Cotija, Michoacán
Cotija, Michoacán
Cotija is a municipality located in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The municipality has an area of 504.05 square kilometres , and is bordered to the north by Jiquilpan and Villamar, to the east by Tocumbo, and to south by the state of Jalisco. The municipality had a population of 18,207...
, in early February 2008.
History with Vatican
Called to accompany Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
on his visits to Mexico in 1979, 1990, and 1993, Maciel was also appointed by the Pope to the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Formation of Priests in Circumstances of the Present Day (1990). He was a member of the Interdicasterial Commission for a Just Distribution of Clergy (1991), the IV General Conference of Latin American Bishops
Conference of Latin American Bishops
The Conference of Latin American Bishops was a bishops conference held in 1968 in Medellín, Colombia. In this conference the bishops agreed that the church should take "a preferential option for the poor." The bishops decided to form Christian "base communities" in which they would teach the poor...
(CELAM) (1992), the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Consecrated Life and Its Role in the Church and in the World (1994), the Synod of Bishops' Special Assembly for America (1997) and (since 1994) a permanent consultant to the Congregation for the Clergy. The golden anniversary of his priestly ordination was celebrated on 26 November 1994, with 57 Legionary priests ordained on the anniversary's eve. Maciel served as Chancellor of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, which is based in Rome. Maciel collaborated extensively with the pope, either in person or through members of his organization, the Legion of Christ
Legion of Christ
The Legion of Christ is a Roman Catholic congregation of pontifical right, made up of priests and seminarians studying for the priesthood. It was founded in Mexico in 1941, by Fr. Marcial Maciel, who directed the congregation as its General Superior until January 2005...
. Pope John Paul II admired Maciel for strictly adhering to the magisterium and the vocations to the Legion of Christ. He received many donations from Mexico's richest. Maciel gave the Vatican money and some claim that this kept them from acting for years over allegations of sex abuse by Maciel.
Investigative jouranlist Jason Berry wrote in an April 2010 article in The National Catholic Reporter, "the charismatic" founder of the Legion of Christ "sent streams of money to Roman curia officials with a calculated end ... Maciel was buying support for his group and defence for himself, should his astounding secret life become known." Berry and his late colleague Gerald Renner wrote the 2004 book "Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II", and the related TV documentary "Vows of Silence" on Father Maciel and the Legion of Christ. According to Berry, Maciel's key supporters, who provided him with a protective shield, included Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state from 1991 to 2006; Cardinal Eduardo Martínez, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; and Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the Polish secretary of late Pope John Paul II (1978-2005).
The New York times - based on someone who talked to a bishop who heard it from Ratzinger - accused Cardinal Ratzinger of having personally stalled investigations into Maciel.
Maciel wrote extensively on the formation of priests and other matters pertaining to Church governance. In founding the religious order, his main purpose for the Legion of Christ
Legion of Christ
The Legion of Christ is a Roman Catholic congregation of pontifical right, made up of priests and seminarians studying for the priesthood. It was founded in Mexico in 1941, by Fr. Marcial Maciel, who directed the congregation as its General Superior until January 2005...
was for the organization to form and motivate enterprising lay members of the Catholic Church to take an active part in the Church's mission. In particular, this initiative focused on the members of the Church Movement Regnum Christi
Regnum Christi
Regnum Christi is an international Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movement associated with the Legion of Christ, founded by Fr. Marcial Maciel. Regnum Christi is dedicated to promoting the Catholic faith. Their motto is "Love Christ, Serve People, Build the Church."-History:The first draft of the...
, for example, through spiritual direction
Spiritual direction
Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their own personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of his or her encounters of the divine, or how he or she is experiencing...
. Regnum Christi was founded by Maciel.
Maciel, aged 84, was succeeded by Fr. Álvaro Corcuera Martínez del Río
Alvaro Corcuera Martinez del Rio
Father Álvaro Corcuera Martínez del Río is a Mexican Roman Catholic priest. He has been the Director General of the Catholic Order of the Legionaries of Christ since January 2005.-Biography:...
, LC, as General Director of the Legion at the Legion's Third General Chapter in January 2005. Shortly thereafter, after a sex-abuse investigation had been re-opened by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
, the Vatican requested that Maciel withdraw from his ministry in lieu of further investigation and prosecution. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith asked Maciel to live a "a reserved life of penitence and prayer, relinquishing any form of public ministry.” A canonical trial was ruled out because of his advanced age and poor health.
In Feb 2009 news broke that Maciel had indeed led a double life and Fr. Álvaro Corcuera Martínez del Río
Alvaro Corcuera Martinez del Rio
Father Álvaro Corcuera Martínez del Río is a Mexican Roman Catholic priest. He has been the Director General of the Catholic Order of the Legionaries of Christ since January 2005.-Biography:...
, LC, the General Director took it upon himself to visit each of the Legionary Territories and publicly apologize for Maciel's behaviour. Additionally it has been publicly acknowledged by the Legion that Maciel had in fact fathered a daughter. As a result of all these recent acknowledgements Pope Benedict XVI has personally intervened and a formal Vatican visitation of all Legionary houses has been initiated.
Plagiarism
In 1959, Maciel published a book, El salterio de mis días (The psalterPsalter
A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were...
of my days), which subsequently was widely read among members of the Legion. Over the years, the book had been partially translated into English for the use of the English speaking members. It was a memoir of experiences of persecution. On December 11, 2009, the Lima, Peru, based Agencia Católica de Informaciones (ACI, Catholic News Agency) reported, without using the word "plagiarism", that the directors of the Legion has circulated an internal memorandum revealing that the book copied "80 percent in style and content" the posthumously published memoir of a Spanish politician, Luis Lucia Lucia, who died in 1943. The book was written in 1941 (while its author was held as a political prisoner of the Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
regime) and published in 1956 in Valencia, Spain.
Formal denunciation by the Vatican
On May 1, 2010 the VaticanHoly See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
said that the pope would name a delegate to the Legion to review the Legionaries of Christ following revelations that the order's founder sexually abused numerous underage seminarians and fathered at least three children with two women. In a statement, the Vatican denounced Maciel for creating a "system of power" that enabled him to lead an "immoral" double life "devoid of scruples and authentic religious sentiment." The Vatican issued the statement after Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
met with five bishops who investigated the Legion to determine its future. The Vatican statement was remarkable in its tough denunciation of Maciel's crimes and deception.
The "very serious and objectively immoral acts" of Maciel, which were "confirmed by incontrovertible testimonies" represent "true crimes and manifest a life without scruples or authentic religious sentiment," the Vatican said. The Vatican also stated that the Legion created a "mechanism of defense" around Maciel to shield him from accusations and suppress damaging witnesses from reporting abuse. "It made him untouchable," the Vatican said. The statement decried "the lamentable disgracing and expulsion of those who doubted" Maciel's virtue. The Vatican statement did not address whether the Legion's current leadership will face any sanctions. Actions taken by the current Legion leadership will be scrutinized; but no specific sanctions were mentioned, amid suspicion that at least some of the current leaders must have been aware of Maciel's sins. The Vatican acknowledged the "hardships" faced by Maciel's accusers through the years when they were ostracized or ridiculed, and commended their "courage and perseverance to demand the truth."
As a result of this comunique, on Jul 9, 2010, Archbishop (now Cardinal) Velasio De Paolis
Velasio de Paolis
Velasio de Paolis, CS JCD STL is an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was president emeritus of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See and is Pontifical Delegate for the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ.-Early life:De Paolis was born in Sonnino, and became a...
was named as the papal delegate to the Legion.
External links
- Important audios about Marcial Maciel scandal on MVS RADIO WITH CARMEN ARISTEGUI - SPANISH: Mi padre abusó de nosotros: Hijos de Maciel
- Legionaries founder Maciel fathered children, internal investigation reveals
- christ.com/ Legionaries of Christ
- National Catholic Reporter article
- Regnum Christi
- Marcial Maciel, historia de un criminal
- "El salterio de mis horas" Luis Lucia Lucia