Is There More Trouble Ahead for the Legionaries of Christ?
April 2, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
According to this Mexican news source, yes. “We have testimonies that there have been other Legionaries who followed Maciel’s example,” said Jose Barba, the legal representative of eight former Legionaries who started court proceedings against Maciel in 1998. “The ramifications of the problem exist throughout the Legionaries of Christ,” he added.
Only time will tell if there is any truth to this new accusation. And believe me, I sincerely hope and pray that there isn’t. But time will tell. In any case, this scandal is not merely a wound to the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi Movement — I am inclned to think that it will eventually prove to be a mortal wound, though I have spoken to some LC priests and RC laypeople who strongly disagree — it is a severe wound to the Body of Christ, the Catholic Church as a whole. And as members of the Catholic Church, we should all be praying that this “gangrene,” as José Barba calls it, is eradicated, however far it may (or may not) have spread across this group. There simply cannot be a “business as usual” approach to this mess.
Ever since the Fr. Maciel fraud scandal became widely known a few months ago, I’ve kept an eye on the Spanish-language press in Spain and Mexico to see how this story developed. It is definitely getting more on-going investigative coverage there than here in the U.S. If anything substantive on this new development turns up, I’ll bring it to your attention.
“Mexican Catholic sex abuse probe could uncover more victims”
By Miguel Angel Gutierrez
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) — Pope Benedict’s probe into an influential Roman Catholic priestly order could uncover more cases of sexual abuse similar to those committed by its founder, a victims’ group in Mexico said on Wednesday.
Pope Benedict ordered the investigation into the Legion of Christ last month following a string of scandals tied to its founder, Father Marcial Maciel, a Mexican, who died last year at the age of 87.
“We have testimonies that there have been other Legionaries who followed Maciel’s example,” said Jose Barba, the legal representative of eight former Legionaries who started court proceedings against Maciel in 1998. “The ramifications of the problem exist throughout the Legionaries of Christ,” he added.
Barba, who says he was abused by Maciel when he was in the order as a teenager training to be a priest, said he expected the investigation would take months.
“What they have to investigate is to what extent the evil, the gangrene was spread through the Legionaries of Christ and didn’t end just because Father Maciel died,” Barba said. (continue reading)
“If anything substantive on this new development turns up, I’ll bring it to your attention.” So here you bring it to our attention without claiming anything substantive!
Really, I don’t see how either justice or charity are served by speculating. Maybe he was worshiping Baphomet! But there is a serious investigation underway right now, and even if it takes a few months, that’s not an unreasonable time time wait.