Category: Legion of Christ as Business

1- WOMEN ABUSED BY FORMER, EXITING OR ACTIVES LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST AND REGNUM CHRISTI MEMBERS Seguido de TRADUCCIÓN!

WOMEN ABUSED BY FORMER, EXITING OR ACTIVE LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST AND REGNUM CHRISTI MEMBERS! WOMEN, BEWARE OF LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST ON THE TIGHTROPE! Over the past year a number of women who have been deceived or abused physically, emotionally, sexually or spiritually by Legionary of Christ and Regnum Christi members have approached me:  they have tangled with priests, struggling priests and seminarians, and by exited or exiting members. For me, a former Legionary priest, listening to these “victims” is a sad and frustrating experience. Each case is different. I realize that the roles can be reversed when the LC/RC in question is a woman of whom men need to be wary. But I hope I can put together some ideas which may be helpful to those who choose to heed the following caveats:

 

WOMEN, BEWARE OF LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST ON THE TIGHTROPE!

Do NOT get romantically or sexually involved!

 

BY J. Paul Lennon, STL, MA Counseling, Post MA Marriage and Family Therapy

December 2023 – February 2024

Hello Mr. Lennon,

as we discussed on Facebook. I am writing because my ex-husband was a Legionary of Christ. I know he was in it from 2002 until around 2011.  I knew the seminary he was in was strict, but I didn’t know anything about the (Maciel) scandal until just before our divorce was finalized….  Our whole marriage he was emotionally abusive and financially controlling. Then one day in 2018 I found out he had a massive affair. I discovered he had lots of women hidden on Facebook. I left soon after I found a list of confessions re porn addiction, lusts, adultery, evil in his heart for me, etc.  After that my daughter started making  physical and sexual abuse allegations against him. She was 4.  I also realized he opened 4 credit cards in my name.  The child abuse consisted of burning my daughter with a hot fork and having her witness a voodoo ritual,  as well as sexual abuse according to my daughter. It was a fierce battle in court, but the abuse allegations were so bizarre that the judge did not believe my ex who is a lecturer at a college could have possibly done it. We did everything right: CPS, the police involved, therapist.  The judge just wasn’t for me. I tell you all this to let you know we went to a psychiatrist for evaluation, he asked me what I knew about my ex. I told him he was in the seminary for 9 years and got a degree in Rome. He said that’s weird because he didn’t mention that. I thought it was so odd, so I started researching it. I knew it was in Cheshire, CT. And I dove into the Legionaries of Christ. My ex always told me he met a living saint. I always thought he meant a Pope but maybe he meant Fr. Marcial Maciel, the pedophile founder.

1-   Where is the writer coming from?

Over the past year a number of women who have been deceived or abused physically, emotionally, sexually or spiritually by Legionary of Christ and Regnum Christi members have approached me:  they have tangled with priests, struggling priests and seminarians, and by exited or exiting members. For me, a former Legionary priest, listening to these “victims” is a sad and frustrating experience. Each case is different. I realize that the roles can be reversed when the LC/RC in question is a woman of whom men need to be wary. But I hope I can put together some ideas which may be helpful to those who choose to heed the following caveats:

Be careful! You don’t know what you are getting into. And for the most part the struggling Legionary or Regnum Christi member does not know what the heck is going on with him/her. On counseling one woman, asking how to understand the man she could be falling in love with, the image of a Swirling Dervish came to mind.  The guy is swirling around at such speed that it is dangerous to get within arm’s length! Please do not try to rescue him/her. In Mexico they have a saying: you go in a redeemer and come out crucified.

2-   Many, if not all, former members claim they received little or no SEX EDUCATION

Perhaps this is not a surprise when one considers the reckless sexual life of the founder, pedophile Mexican priest, Fr. Marcial Maciel. When I was a Legionary, 1961-84, Legion training, particularly in the area of sexuality,  seemed to be governed by the same principles as the dysfunctional family popularized decades ago by the ACA Movement: “Don’t talk, don’t trust, don’t feel!” An intellectualized explanation of the vow of chastity/celibacy was imparted once. Period. It was totally forbidden that members discuss any kind of problems or personal issues with their companions. They had to confide in their superiors: the superiors had no idea, or did not know how to broach the subject, except in the most tactless and awkward way. We were not supposed to have any sexual difficulties. Because we had such a lofty calling to follow and embody Christ it was unthinkable that we could struggle with our budding sexuality. “It’s a temptation of the Devil, put it out of your mind.” These were impure thoughts and impulses. Repress and sublimate.

For your amusement you may view my video[i]

A glaring example of the lack of psychosexual development knowledge, exploration and guidance is portrayed in Kevin O’Sullivan’s recent memoir, A Good Boy. Outliving the Legion of Christ[ii]

3-   The religious congregation’s approach to the fundamental issue of “vocation” is seriously flawed.

Former members joke about how recruiters, directors, “formators”, spiritual directors -the group uses a variety of names referring to those who train the seminarians and priests- embrace a simplistic philosophy: “you have a vocation until I say you don’t!”. Those of us who lived under the Maciel regime can attest to this. Later generations explain how the Territorial Directors now seem to possess this charism in the reformed Legion.

There are numerous stories of how a superior or female director will shaft a member at the blink of an eye: “Patricia, the territorial director and I have determined that you are no longer fit for the Movement. Pack your bags quietly and discreetly this evening. A taxi will be waiting to take you to the airport early tomorrow morning. Please do not share this information with the other Señoritas, as this might imperil their vocation. And by the way, Fr. X and I do firmly believe you have a vocation for marriage. Hopefully, you will find another person who shares your religious and moral principles.” The exiting member will be given a plane ticket and a couple of hundred dollars for her expenses. Little or no care is provided for the exiting member’s well-being and recovery from what is often a harrowing experience.

4-   That is why those of us who care about exiting members and their prospective partners urge caution.

  • Some exiting members can be physically, mentally, psychologically and emotionally damaged.
  • Experts in the field speak of them suffering from Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many of us also suffered from Co-dependence on the order, unable to make decisions for ourselves and for our well-being.
  • Do no rush into a relationship with a former Legion of Christ or Regnum Christi member.
  • Make sure they have taken the time to heal.
  • Some may believe that a former priest, nun, consecrated man or woman is a good candidate for marriage. The religious life and solitude is not necessarily good preparation for marriage.
  • Hurried, rash or impulsive liaisons can lead to abuse, exploitation, failure and divorce.
  • “Love at first sight” and having children is OK in the movies but not recommended in real life.
  • Do your homework!
    • Keep tabs on exiting members of the priesthood and religious life. Follow their trajectory.
    • Research their recent lives, relationships and careers.
    • I can tell you from personal experience that we need time to recover our real personality, settle down, learn to be independent, and create a new career and livelihood.

5-   This order & movement has been accused of being cult-like, If so, it will possess many of the harmful features

associated with such groups; one of which is the tight control the leadership exerts over the members which limits their emotional, psychological and mental development. The new member will change their usual self and  acquire his/her “cult personality”. In some cases, the so-called “Legion formation” composed of a multitude of minute rules- may accentuate their defects and mental illnesses. Some members can exhibit repressed emotions, cruelty, obsessive compulsiveness, while others experience depression and anxiety. As the group’s goal is to strictly retain members, superiors will often refer suffering members to “professionals” who are in league with the superiors or otherwise influenced by the organization, or to its own home-made psychological institute[iii]. Thus, there is no one who truly looks out for the members’ well-being and emotional health. Often, members are controlled through ill-advised psychotropic medication.

I have spent thirty years trying to prove that the institution known as Legion of Christ/Regnum Christi is cult-like[iv]. I am not sure how successful I have been. Many believe that because the organization is approved by the Catholic Hierarchy it cannot be cult-like. I will not belabor the point.  But if I and other cult experts such as Steven Hassan, Janja Lalich, Brian Ross and Gillie Jenkinson[v], who have treated ex-LCs and ex-RCs, are correct, we can save you a lot of grief. See me being interviewed by the then International Cultic Studies Association director, Michael Langone[vi]. And save your family, friends and counselors much time, effort and expense. And grief.

 

[i] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fB3PiIi0wg&t=27s

[ii]  A Good Boy: Outliving the Legion of Christ: O’Sullivan, Kevin: 9780645487909: Amazon.com: Books

[iii] To avoid revealing the ill effects of  the Legion’s repressive methods on the members, superiors will avoid sending them to bona fide and independent therapists. The Legion, like a cult, prefers to “wash all its dirty linen at home” and so attempts to train its own,  homemade, psychotherapists. The order has gone to great lengths to create its “Psychological Institute” to treat troubled LC and RC members:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_the_Psychological_Sciences

[iv] See http://www.regainnetwork.org, ReGAIN Facebook, Catholic Orders and Movements Accused of being Cult-like: https://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Orders-Movements-Accused-Cult-like/dp/B084QL33YZ

[v] Several Spanish psychotherapists such as Carmen Almendros, Miguel Perlado and others are also familiar with the predicament and have treated Legionaries of Christ exiting seminarians and priests and Regnum Christi male and female “consecrated” members. English cult expert and psychotherapist Gillie Jenkinson at Hope Valley has also been contacted by troubled former members.

[vi]  https://religiousgroupsawarenessinternational.network/2020/12/19/dr-michael-langone-director-of-international-cultic-studies-association-interviews-paul-lennon-re-his-legion-of-christ-involvement/

1- ¡MUJERES ABUSADAS POR MIEMBROS DE LOS LEGIONARIOS DE CRISTO Y DEL REGNUM CHRISTI QUE HAN SIDO MIEMBROS SALIENTES O ACTIVOS!

 

MUJERES, CUIDADO CON LOS LEGIONARIOS DE CRISTO EN LA CUERDA FLOJA

¡NO te involucres romántica o sexualmente!

 

POR J. Paul Lennon, STL, MA Consejería, Post MA Terapia Matrimonial y Familiar

Diciembre 2023 – Febrero 2024

Hola Sr. Lennon,

como comentamos en Facebook. Escribo porque mi ex marido era legionario de Cristo. Sé que estuvo en ella desde 2002 hasta alrededor de 2011.  Sabía que el seminario en el que estaba era estricto, pero no supe nada del  escándalo (Maciel) hasta justo antes de que finalizara nuestro divorcio.  Durante todo nuestro matrimonio, él fue emocionalmente abusivo y financieramente controlador. Entonces, un día de 2018 me enteré de que tenía una gran aventura. Descubrí que tenía muchas mujeres escondidas en Facebook. Me fui poco después de encontrar una lista de confesiones sobre la adicción a la pornografía, la lujuria, el adulterio, la maldad en su corazón por mí, etc.  Después de eso, mi hija comenzó a hacer acusaciones de abuso físico y sexual contra él. Tenía 4 años.  También me di cuenta de que abrió 4 tarjetas de crédito a mi nombre.  El abuso infantil consistió en quemar a mi hija con un tenedor caliente y hacerla presenciar un ritual vudú, así como el abuso sexual según mi hija. Fue una batalla feroz en la corte, pero las acusaciones de abuso eran tan extrañas que el juez no creía que mi ex, que es profesor en una universidad, pudiera haberlo hecho. Hicimos todo bien: CPS, la policía involucrada, el terapeuta.  El juez no me ayudó. Te cuento todo esto para que sepas que fuimos a un psiquiatra para que me evaluara, me preguntó qué sabía de mi ex. Le dije que estuvo en el seminario durante 9 años y que se graduó en Roma. Dijo: es raro porque no me lo mencionó. Pensé que era muy extraño, así que comencé a investigarlo. Sabía que estaba en Cheshire, Connecticut. Y me sumergí en los Legionarios de Cristo. Mi ex siempre me decía que había conocido a un santo viviente. Siempre pensé que se refería a un Papa, pero tal vez se refería al padre Marcial Maciel, el fundador pedófilo.

 

1-   ¿Por qué el autor escribe sobre un tema tan escabroso?

 

Durante este último año, varias mujeres que han sido engañadas o abusadas física, emocional, sexual o espiritualmente por miembros de la Legión de Cristo y del Regnum Christi se han acercado a mí: se han enredado con sacerdotes y seminaristas problemáticos, y por miembros que han salido o están saliendo. Para mí, ex sacerdote legionario, escuchar a estas “víctimas” es una experiencia triste y frustrante. Cada caso es diferente. Me doy cuenta de que los papeles pueden invertirse cuando la LC/RC en cuestión es una mujer de la que los hombres deben desconfiar. Pero espero poder reunir algunas ideas que puedan ser útiles para aquellos que elijan prestar atención a las siguientes advertencias:

¡Ten cuidado! No sabes en lo que te estás metiendo. Y en su mayor parte, el miembro del Legionario o del Regnum Christi que lucha no sabe qué diablos está pasando con él/ella. Al aconsejar a una mujer, preguntándole cómo entender al hombre del que podría estar enamorándose, me vino a la mente la imagen de un derviche arremolinado.  ¡El tipo se arremolina a tal velocidad que es peligroso acercarse al brazo de distancia! Por favor, no intentes rescatarlo. En México tienen un dicho: entras como redentor y sales crucificado.

2-   Muchos, si no todos, los exmiembros afirman que recibieron poca o ninguna EDUCACIÓN SEXUAL

 

Tal vez esto no sea una sorpresa si se tiene en cuenta la desenfrenada vida sexual del fundador, el sacerdote mexicano pedófilo, el padre Marcial Maciel. Cuando yo era legionario, de 1961 a 1984, el entrenamiento de la Legión, particularmente en el área de la sexualidad, parecía estar regido por los mismos principios que la familia disfuncional popularizada hace décadas por el Movimiento ACA: “¡No hables, no confíes, no sientas!” Una vez se impartió una explicación intelectualizada del voto de castidad/celibato. Periodo. Estaba totalmente prohibido que los miembros discutieran cualquier tipo de problema o cuestiones personales con sus compañeros. Tenían que confiar en sus superiores: los superiores no tenían ni idea, o no sabían cómo abordar el tema, excepto de la manera más indiscreta y torpe. Se suponía que no debíamos tener ninguna dificultad sexual. Debido a que teníamos un llamado tan elevado a seguir y encarnar a Cristo, era impensable que pudiéramos luchar con nuestra sexualidad en ciernes. “Es una tentación del diablo, sácala de tu mente”. Eran pensamientos e impulsos impuros. Reprimir y sublimar.

Para su diversión, puede ver mi video[i]

Un ejemplo flagrante de la falta de conocimiento, exploración y orientación sobre el desarrollo psicosexual se retrata en las recientes memorias de Kevin O’Sullivan, A Good Boy. Sobrevivir a la Legión de Cristo[ii]

 

 

3-   El enfoque de la congregación religiosa sobre el tema fundamental de la “vocación” es seriamente defectuoso.

 

Los antiguos miembros bromean sobre cómo los reclutadores, los directores, los “formadores”, los directores espirituales -el grupo usa una variedad de nombres para referirse a los que forman a los seminaristas y sacerdotes- abrazan una filosofía simplista: “¡tienes una vocación hasta que yo diga que no la tienes!”. Quienes vivimos bajo el régimen de Maciel podemos dar fe de ello. Las generaciones posteriores explican cómo los Directores Territoriales parecen poseer ahora este carisma en la Legión reformada.

Hay numerosas historias de cómo un superior o una directora machaca a un miembro en un abrir y cerrar de ojos: “Patricia, la directora territorial y yo hemos determinado que ya no eres apta para el Movimiento. Haz las maletas de forma tranquila y discreta esta noche. Un taxi te estará esperando para llevarte al aeropuerto mañana por la mañana temprano. Por favor, no comparta esta información con las otras Señoritas, ya que esto podría poner en peligro su vocación. Y, por cierto, el P. X y yo creemos firmemente que usted tiene vocación para el matrimonio. Con suerte, encontrarás a otra persona que comparta tus principios religiosos y morales”. El miembro saliente recibirá un boleto de avión y un par de cientos de dólares para sus gastos. Se brinda poca o ninguna atención para el bienestar del miembro saliente y la recuperación de lo que a menudo es una experiencia desgarradora.

4-   Es por eso que aquellos de nosotros que nos preocupamos por los miembros que se van y sus posibles socios instamos a la precaución.

  • Algunos miembros salientes pueden padecer de daños físicos, mentales, psicológicos y emocionales.
  • Los expertos en la materia hablan de que sufren de Trastorno de Estrés Postraumático Complejo. Muchos de nosotros también sufrimos de codependencia de la orden, incapaces de tomar decisiones por nosotros mismos y por nuestro bienestar.
  • No te apresures a entablar una relación con un ex miembro de la Legión de Cristo o del Regnum Christi.
  • Asegúrese de que se hayan tomado el tiempo para sanar.
  • Algunos pueden creer que un ex sacerdote, monja, hombre o mujer consagrado es un buen candidato para el matrimonio. La vida religiosa y la soledad no son necesariamente una buena preparación para el matrimonio.
  • Las relaciones apresuradas, precipitadas o impulsivas pueden conducir al abuso, la explotación, el fracaso y el divorcio.
  • “Amor a primera vista” y tener hijos está bien en las películas, pero no se recomienda en la vida real.
  • ¡Haz tu tarea!
    • Esté atento a los miembros salientes del sacerdocio y de la vida religiosa. Sigue su trayectoria.
    • Investiga sus vidas, relaciones y carreras recientes.
    • Puedo decirte por experiencia personal que necesitamos tiempo para recuperar nuestra verdadera personalidad, establecernos, aprender a ser independientes y crear una nueva carrera y medio de vida.

 

5-   Este orden y movimiento ha sido acusado de ser un culto, si es así, poseerá muchas de las características dañinas

 

uno de los cuales es  el férreo control que el liderazgo ejerce sobre los miembros, lo que limita su desarrollo emocional, psicológico y mental. El nuevo miembro cambiará su yo habitual y adquirirá su “personalidad de culto”. En algunos casos, la llamada “formación de la Legión”, compuesta por una multitud de reglas minuciosas, puede acentuar sus defectos y enfermedades mentales. Algunos miembros pueden exhibir emociones reprimidas, crueldad, obsesividad compulsiva, mientras que otros experimentan depresión y ansiedad. Como el objetivo del grupo es retener estrictamente a los miembros, los superiores a menudo remiten a los miembros que sufren a “profesionales” que están aliados con los superiores o que están influenciados por la organización, o a su propio instituto psicológico casero[iii]. Por lo tanto, no hay nadie que realmente vele por el bienestar y la salud emocional de los miembros. A menudo, los miembros son controlados a través de medicamentos psicotrópicos mal aconsejados.

He pasado treinta años tratando de demostrar que la institución conocida como Legión de Cristo/Regnum Christi es una secta[iv]. No estoy seguro de qué tan exitoso he sido. Muchos creen que debido a que la organización está aprobada por la Jerarquía Católica no puede ser como una secta. No me extenderé en este punto.  Pero si yo y otros expertos en sectas como Steven Hassan, Janja Lalich, Brian Ross y Gillie Jenkinson, [v]que han tratado a ex-LCs y ex-RCs, estamos en lo cierto, podemos ahorrarte un montón de dolor. Véanme siendo entrevistado por el entonces director de la Asociación Internacional de Estudios Cultuales, Michael Langone[vi]. Y ahorre a su familia, amigos y consejeros mucho tiempo, esfuerzo y gastos. Y el dolor.

 

 

[i] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fB3PiIi0wg&t=27s

[ii]  Un buen chico: Sobrevivir a la Legión de Cristo: O’Sullivan, Kevin: 9780645487909: Amazon.com: Libros

[iii] Para evitar revelar los efectos nocivos de los métodos represivos de la Legión en los miembros, los superiores evitarán enviarlos a terapeutas independientes y de buena fe. La Legión, como una secta, prefiere “lavar toda su ropa sucia en casa” y por eso intenta formar a sus propios psicoterapeutas caseros. La orden ha hecho todo lo posible para crear su “Instituto Psicológico” para tratar a los miembros problemáticos de LC y RC:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_the_Psychological_Sciences

[iv] Ver http://www.regainnetwork.org, ReGAIN Facebook, Órdenes y Movimientos Católicos Acusados de ser Sectarios: https://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Orders-Movements-Accused-Cult-like/dp/B084QL33YZ

[v] Varios psicoterapeutas españoles, como Carmen Almendros, Miguel Perlado y otros, también están familiarizados con la situación y han tratado a seminaristas y sacerdotes salientes de los Legionarios de Cristo y miembros “consagrados” del Regnum Christi, hombres y mujeres. La experta en sectas y psicoterapeuta inglesa Gillie Jenkinson de Hope Valley también ha sido contactada por ex miembros con problemas.

[vi]  https://religiousgroupsawarenessinternational.network/2020/12/19/dr-michael-langone-director-of-international-cultic-studies-association-interviews-paul-lennon-re-his-legion-of-christ-involvement/

Legion of Christ/Regnum Christi Not Family, Not Missionary, Not Healing

THE LEGION OF CHRIST NOT A FAMILY,  NOT MISSIONARY AND NOT HEALING! The Legion of Christ, Legionaries of Christ-morphed into Regnum Christi Federation to distance themselves from their pedophile and psychopath founder- is not a family. It is a sect-like, coercive persuasion group, sometimes described as cult-like. Look up in cult-watchers associations: International Cultic Studies Association, Steven Hassan’s Freedom of Mind, Rick Alan Ross’ The Cult Education Institute, etc. where there this organization is tagged as harmful.

THE LEGION OF CHRIST NOT A FAMILY,  NOT MISSIONARY AND NOT HEALING

26 January 2023

Paul Lennon, LC 1961-1984, MA Counseling, Cult-expert 1984 to present

  • The Legion of Christ, Legionaries of Christ-morphed into Regnum Christi Federation to distance themselves from their pedophile and psychopath founder- is not a family. It is a sect-like, coercive persuasion group, sometimes described as cult-like. Look up in cult-watchers associations: International Cultic Studies Association, Steven Hassan’s Freedom of Mind, Rick Alan Ross’s The Cult Education Institute, etc. where there this organization is tagged as harmful.

 

  • Nor is it Catholic and Orthodox in the full sense of the word. Despite Vatican approval -secured by conman Maciel-and two failed Vatican interventions, several US Catholic bishops have forbidden the Legion/Regnum from operating within diocesan boundaries: on the grounds that they are separatists, dividing parishes and families, poaching vocations to the religious life and priesthood, manipulating minors, children and teens, (ECYD), into spiritual direction and confession with unqualified priests (LC) and lay members (RC).

 

  • Not a family in the ordinary sense of the word: one of the most serious accusations against this organization is that it separates members from their families and sometimes separated spouses. One of the rules of the order is that if a member is in a foreign country s/he can visit his family once every five years. Many members have been estranged from their families for much longer.

 

  • Not and never was missionary in the common acceptance of the term: The Legion of Christ has only ever had one mission project: in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The bulk of its members, clerical and lay, are otherwise employed: universities and schools for the upper classes in upscale neighborhoods in the USA, Mexico, Chile, Spain plus fundraising, recruiting and attending on its priests, seminarians and lay members. What percentage of Legionary priest, religious and lay member work on the Quintana Roo – did I say Cancún/Mayan Riviera- Mission? Why do Legionary priests consider this assignment as less desirable?

 

 

  • The Legion of Christ’s specific apostolate is the recruitment and formation of leaders (business, economy, professions, politics, etc.) to transform society from the top down. See Legion of Christ Constitutions. As such it would be similar to the Jesuits and Dominicans, the opposite to the Franciscans, and the same as the Opus Dei. Take your choice: the Spanish way (Opus) or the Mexican way (Legion/Regnum Christi). A copy of the Constitutions of the Legionaries of Christ is not available for free in English. You have to buy the book. A Spanish language version is. Quoting and translating from the official Spanish:

“4. 3.º  They exercise their pastoral ministry in the areas of proclaiming the faith, education, evangelizing the family, culture and the media, leading juvenile groups, clergy training, and the promotion of justice, charity and solidarity with the neediest; as well the spiritual attention and formation of Regnum Christi members.”[i]

  • Not Healing:

The spiritual, psychological, and financial compensation of Father Maciel and other Legionaries’ abuse has long been a sore point for the Legion, a scandal to the Catholic community and of concern to popes and the Roman Curia. The American media has played a major role in keeping the Legionaries feet to the fire ever since two Catholic reporters brought the abuse to the public’s attention in February 1997. If this had not happened and if the victims had not lodged a formal complaint with the Vatican in 1998, it is the writer’s opinion that these abuses of obscure Mexican seminarians in a Mexican religious order would have gone unnoticed to the international community.  One might suspect that the scandal revealed by American and Mexican media and the formal ecclesiastical complaint lodged by the victims with the help of a Vatican lawyer had much to do with the eventual major Vatican “visitations -euphemism for investigations- of founder Father Marcial Maciel by Monsignor Charles Scicluna in May 2005[ii],  and his religious order by Monsignor Velasio de Paolis in March 2009[iii].

[i] “ejerzan su ministerio pastoral principalmente en los campos del anuncio de la fe, la educación, la evangelización de la familia, de la cultura y de los medios de comunicación social, la animación de grupos juveniles, la formación del clero y la promoción de la justicia, la caridad y la solidaridad con los más necesitados; así como en la atención espiritual y formación de los miembros del Regnum Christi.”

https://legionariosdecristo.org/es/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/CLC2014_final-web.pdf

 

Vatican City, Nov 1, 2014 / 04:21 am

After four years of drafts and adjustments, the troubled Legion of Christ has announced that its new constitutions have been approved by Pope Francis.

The Pope’s approval of the final draft of the new constitutions brings the first phase of renewal and purification to a close after it was discovered that Legion founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel, had been living a double life.

The new constitutions were drafted during the congregation’s Extraordinary General Chapter meetings, which began on Jan. 9 and was mandated by Benedict XVI in the wake of the revelation of Fr. Maciel’s scandalous activities.

 

(…)

These represent the sixth edition that have been approved for the Legion by ecclesiastical authorities. Previous editions were approved in 1948, 1965, 1970, 1983 and 1994.

While the previous statutes consisted of 878 paragraphs, the new ones consist of 247 paragraphs.

The first part of the new statutes is dedicated to the charism and patrons saints of Legionaries of Christ, while the second part describes the four vows every Legionary must profess.

In addition, the Constitutions lay out the steps for formation, the characteristics of suitable candidates to be Legionaries of Christ, the religious profession, the studies, the ordination and the management and administration of the order.

A key difference between the old and the new constitutions are that the old ones included many clauses regarding the application of the norms, while the new constitution focuses more on essential principles.

The initial draft of the statutes were given to an ad hoc commission established by the Congregation for Consecrated Life, whose results were presented by Cardinal Braz de Aviz to the government of the Legion on July 3.

It was also on that occasion that the appointment of Fr. Gianfranco Ghirlanda S.J. as Pontifical advisor for the Legionaries of Christ was made public.

An expert in Canon Law, Fr. Ghirlanda has been among the consultants of the Legionaries of Christ since the very beginning of their renewal process.

Following the suggestion of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the constitutions include references to the documents of the Second Vatican Council as well as other official documents on consecrated life.

The Congregation also asked that clear references to Sacred Scripture and the Code of Canon Law be included.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/30845/pope-francis-approves-new-constitutions-for-legionaries-of-christ

 

[ii] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vatican-abuse-mexico-idUSKBN20R05Z

 

[iii] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-scandal-investigation-idUSTRE52U5XX20090331

Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church: The Unspeakable Scandals of the Legionaries of Christ

Upon discovering the Pandora Papers on October 3, the most passionate about the news of the Catholic Church were surprised to come across the name of the Legionaries of Christ. This holy family, involved in a vast financial package, is involved in one of the biggest scandals in the field. For several decades, multiple accusations of pedophile sexual assault have been brought against members of the Legion of Christ, made up of about 900 priests and present in Europe, America and Asia

Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church: The Unspeakable Scandals of the Legionaries of Christ

Vanity Fair   

October 6, 2021
Quoted in the Pandora Papers, the congregation of the Legion of Christ has been immersed in dark affairs for several decades. At the heart of one of the biggest scandals of the Catholic Church: Marcial Maciel, its founder, whose actions have been repeatedly pointed out.

BY MÉLANIE HENNEBIQUE

A founder in turmoil

Their actions were covered up for a long time before the scandal really broke out in the 2000s, more precisely after the death of the founder of the congregation, Marcial Maciel, in 2008. The Mexican priest resigned in 2006 after several accusations of sexual assault committed between 1956 and 1997. The man had been implicated in 1948 and briefly suspended the time of the opening of an investigation, stopped by the death of Pius XII. After regaining his functions thanks to the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, all the allegations against him in Mexico were automatically relegated to the rank of slander.

Marcial Maciel.

Many years later, in 1998, eight members of the Legion of Christ denounced his actions in the 1950s and 1960s on victims between the ages of 11 and 16. After a vast investigation by Benedict XVI, the Holy See ordered in 2006 the withdrawal of Marcial Maciel who was asked to “lead a withdrawn existence in prayer and penance.” This existence turned out to be full of secrets, some details of which were revealed shortly after his death in 2008. The New York Times then explained in its columns how the founder of the Legion of Christ had led a double life in which he had several identities, managed an immense fortune in all opacity and raised his own daughter. “Poverty, obedience, chastity”. The vows pronounced by each Legionary of Christ before committing themselves apparently had no place in the life led by Marcial Maciel.

At least 175 minors abused

These revelations were truly publicly acknowledged in 2010. An investigation by the Legion of Christ concluded that Marcial Maciel had indeed committed “acts of sexual abuse of minor seminarians” and said he regretted not having believed the people who had testified before. The same year, the congregation underwent a profound overhaul as part of its trusteeship by the Vatican, determined to take the subject head on. Apart from Father Maciel, other priests have been incriminated in this case, such as the French episcopal vicar Pierre Dufour, sentenced to 15 years in prison for “rape and sexual assault” – who had admitted his actions on at least a dozen young adults for several years – and Henri Le Bras for acts committed in the late 1990s.

Le pape François a déclaré en 2019 qu’il comptait faire de la lutte contre les agressions sexuelles dans l’Église catholique l’une de ses priorités.

 VATICAN POOL – CORBIS

In 2019, a new report reported at least 175 minors who were sexually assaulted by priests of the same congregation from 1941 to 2019, at least 60 of whom were attributed to Marcial Maciel. If these acts are recognized, their instigators are still present in the ranks of the Legion of Christ. At least in part. We learned then, still in the same report, that 18 of the 33 religious accused of pedophilia were still in office, but had nevertheless been excluded from tasks related to minors. More importantly, half of the perpetrators were themselves victims of the same abuses. “In this sense, it is emblematic that 111 minors abused in the Congregation were victims of Father Maciel, one of his victims or a victim of his victims,” the report reads. That same year, Pope Francis made the fight against sexual assault in the Catholic Church one of his priorities.

The extent of the suffering inflicted by these clerics is revealed at the rate of the publication of new reports. The last one, dating from March 2021, revealed new figures and the identity of 27 priests. Among them, “two have died without trial, sixteen have been sanctioned, eight are currently in canonical trial and one has received a dispensation from the ministry without trial.”

More broadly, the Ciase (Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church) delivered a report on October 5 led by Jean-Marc Sauvé, former vice-president of the Council of State. His conclusion is alarming: in 70 years, there are 216,000 victims of sexual abuse by clerics and 3,000 predator priests.

(Video) Origen, Desarrollo y Naturaleza de Legión de Cristo/Regnum Christi

El fundador de la Legion de Cristo, un empresario y embaucador. De ahi el carisma de la Legion es el ENGANYO. Maciel, guru, crea una secta intra eclesial que existe gracias a la negligencia del Vaticano.

The Crimes of Uncle Ted and Father Thomas (Williams, Legionary of Christ)

 

THE TEXT REPRODUCED BELOW IS AN EXCERPT FROM ANN BARNHARDT’S BLOG:

BARNHARDT     Judica me, Deus, et discerne causam meam de gente non-sancta.

Here is the link: https://www.barnhardt.biz/2018/07/29/cut-the-crap-in-the-antichurch-boy-raping-prelates-are-a-valuable-commodity-to-be-leveraged/

 

ReGAIN wants to make it clear that this commentary is solely Ann Barnhardt’s opinion. ReGAIN will not second  condemnation of Pope Francis, for that would be a wrong interpretation. Nor can we make a public expose of these “fronts” that Pope Francis -and Pope Benedict before him- opposes by preaching a poor church and small faith communities.

ReGAIN also points out to our readers that its primary focus is not so much with individual members of the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi Movement as with the modus operandi of this institution which it considers to be “a business that looks like a religious order”: the enterprise possessing several features of an intra-ecclesial Catholic cult. This does not exonerate individual members from their misbehaviors, crimes and misdemeanors but does place these in the context and environment we are alluding to: an atmosphere where -among other immoral principles bequeathed by the founder- the end (promoting the Legion of Christ) often justifies the means.

Finally, ReGAIN believes that the anger expressed in this article demonstrates the disappointment and righteous indignation of many Catholics who feel betrayed by their pastors and do not yet see a purifying light at the end of the tunnel.

 

(Back to the Barnhardt article)

“In the wake of the #CatholicMeToo phenomenon which is still holding traction and moving along nicely, pretty much everyone is naively asking the question:

How could they not know that McCarrick was so evil? How could this man have possibly been elevated and advanced up the hierarchical chain the way he was? How could such an evil person acquire so much power?

The answer in one sentence:

The fact that McCarrick was an open homosexual[i] predator was considered a FEATURE, not a bug, and the higher he ascended, and the more powerful he became, the more valuable he became to those around him who sought to LEVERAGE CORRUPTION AND CRIMINALITY for their own gain, and the more intensely those around him covered for his crimes against young men and boys.

Folks, we’ve all got to wise up here if there is any hope of prosecuting this war against the infiltrators and forces of evil.  When out Lord says, Be wise as serpents…, He isn’t just whistling Dixie.  The near-unanimous failure of people to grasp these dynamics is frustrating.  You can’t win a war when every general is a doe-eyed Pollyanna constantly looking around and asking, “Why are those angry-looking men pointing guns at us?”

Look, Diabolical Narcissist Psychopaths attract other DN psychopaths.  These demoniacal creatures flock together.  If you are asking questions such as, “What did Donald Wuerl know about McCarrick, and when did he know it?”, I can tell you the answer right now.  He knew damn-near everything and knew it from the beginning.  The same goes for Kevin Farrell.  And not just other prelates, but clerics and laypeople that are employed by or otherwise make their livings off the Institutional Church as well.  The rot is deep. One might even say hopelessly deep, barring supernatural intervention.

I think the best way to explain this is with a specific case, and that specific case is the former number three and public face of the Legionaries of Christ, Fr. Thomas Williams.  The other reason why this specific example is particularly helpful, is because there are people claiming that people on the so-called “right” are only going after the McCarricks and Wuerls because they are on the so-called “left”.  Well, Fr. Thomas Williams and the Legion of Christ are the perfect examples of criminal psychopaths running their racket in the Institutional Church, wrapping themselves in the mantle of “conservatism”.  So, let’s kill two birds with one stone here, and show how this cancer infects every corner of the Church – from hard left to soft left to neo-conservative to conservative to Trad – the whole spectrum.

Fr. Thomas Williams, who is now laicized, was the pretty-boy face of the truly evil racketeering organization, the Legion of Christ, for many years – pretty much from the late 1990s until 2012.  Fr. Thomas Williams lived for YEARS with the satanic founder of the Legion of Christ, Marcial Maciel, who was a drug-addled, bisexual incestuous child rapist.  That’s right, not only did Maciel sexually assault and rape Legion seminarians right and left, Maciel also RAPED HIS OWN SONS.  And Fr. Thomas Williams LIVED WITH HIM. For YEARS.

This is very, very similar to now-Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who was also top-ranking Legionary until he left in 1984 to climb the career ladder to the Cardinalate as a diocesan priest and SHARED AN APARTMENT FOR YEARS with his mentor and patron, “Auntie Blanche” McCarrick, who was likewise an open sex criminal, assaulting and raping seminarians and boys, as everyone knew.  Farrell, like Williams, is an inveterate and facile liar – a hallmark of Diabolical Narcissist psychopaths, and simply adopted the strategy of “deny, deny, deny, deny.” It doesn’t matter how open the secret is.  The universal strategy is DENY, DENY, DENY.  The Clintons perfected this in the 1990s, specifically in the Lewinsky scandal.  DN psychopaths all over the world watched and learned from the Clintons’ tutelage.

Back to Fr. Williams.  You can read a very brief summary of the Fr. Thomas Williams scandal in THIS PIECE which Frank Walker at Canon212.com broke last summer on his blog, http:/www.StumblingBlock.org   .  Just a couple of high points with additions and details that have been shared with me over the years about these truly deplorable people: Fr. Williams, flying high as the number three of the $30+ BILLION-dollar Legion of Christ criminal racketeering organization, was recruited by Neo-con Catholic darling and John Paul II advisor Mary Ann Glendon to recruit Glendon’s Machiavellian apostate daughter, Elizabeth Lev, into the Legion.  Glendon and Williams were both teaching at the Legion’s University in Rome.  Williams, it should be noted, was no less than the DEAN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MORAL THEOLOGY.  Glendon’s daughter, Lev, was a hyper-promiscuous art history major who had just relocated to Rome.  Glendon knew that her notoriously sexually aggressive and amoral daughter would, despite her apostasy, be more than happy to enter “spiritual direction” with Fr. Williams with an eye towards a sexual affair with this “sexy” priest.

Sure enough, Lev conceived two children by Fr. Williams in the early 2000s.  The first was miscarried, but the second was born with a very severe case of Down Syndrome.  Lev, by now in her late 30s, was clearly trying to get pregnant by Fr. Williams as a means of getting her claws into the $30+ Billion Legion of Christ, leveraging her womb into a multi-million-dollar blackmail/child support package.  It worked.  Fr. Williams put Lev on the payroll of Zenit, the Legion of Christ’s news publishing business, and Lev was thrown all manner of work as a tour guide for Legion of Christ’s millionaire recruiting junkets, and quickly became one of the most powerful people in the massive money-making machine that is the Vatican Museums – which the Legion of Christ and Opus Dei essentially run.

Fr. Williams, desirous to maintain his plum position at Maciel’s right hand, denied that he was the father, (phrase edited out by ReGAIN staff).  Lev called the conception “a one-night stand”, which given her extreme sexual promiscuity was enough to cast doubt in the Rome Anglo social circle.  Lev’s flamboyantly gay “best friend”, (who also had a penchant for sex with priests and seminarians – hey, friends have got to have shared interests, right?) was enjoined to publicly and theatrically “propose marriage” to Lev (which was, after a sufficient period of suspense, theatrically rejected), stood as godfather while Fr. Williams baptized the child, and then Fr. Williams and Lev essentially made the homosexual godfather the child’s caregiver, while both Fr. Williams and Lev aggressively pursued their respective careers in Rome – being sure to grease the gay godfather’s palms, which continues to this day. Remember this when Thomas Williams claims that he left the priesthood to care for his son.  This is a man that happily stood by and watched while his son – suffering from mental retardation so severe that he is unable to speak and thus ever report abuse of any kind – was put in the care of a homosexual man.

Now to the Unpleasant part.  In ARSH 2005, Fr. Williams finally admitted after years of lying to the General Director of the Legion of Christ, and Williams’ immediate superior, Fr. Alvaro Corcuera (now deceased) that yes, the rumors were true, and he was, in fact, the father of Liz Lev’s youngest child.  Fr. Corcuera ordered Williams to immediately start withdrawing from public ministry.

Not only did Fr. Williams disobey these orders, Williams turned around and increased his presence and appearances on American broadcast television, essentially being the “face of the Catholic Church” and “Vatican Analyst” for both NBC and CBS news.  Williams had also started a racket in book publishing.  The business model was simple: have Legion of Christ slaves ghostwrite mass-market books on Catholic “morality” and “spirituality”, have glamour shot photos taken of the somatic narcissist Fr. Williams, slap Williams’ name and picture of the cover, and market the books to the kind of middle-aged American women who buy books by celebrity priests based upon how “sexy” and “dreamy” the priest is.  Williams was pushing his brand and pushing it hard – after being ordered to withdraw from public ministry. All the while, he continued to carry on his sexual affair with Liz Lev OPENLY – frequently co-hosting parties at Lev’s million-dollar apartment overlooking the Vatican, serving as the bartender.  Lev and Williams were often seen having romantic dinners in Rome, with Williams in civilian clothes, most notably at the infamous Roman restaurant Pergola. As if that weren’t enough, Williams was openly having sexual relationships with students at the Legion’s Rome University where Williams was, in case you have forgotten, the dean of the department of MORAL THEOLOGY. Classy.

And here’s the point, and the million-dollar question:

WHAT DID FR. THOMAS WILLIAMS KNOW ABOUT MARCIAL MACIEL AND HIS SEX CRIMES, AND WHEN DID HE KNOW IT?

Given how brazenly and aggressively Williams disobeyed direct orders and carried on after being told in 2005 to withdraw from public ministry, how can it not be thought possible that Fr. Williams knew about Maciel’s crimes, and the crimes of other top-level Legionaries, and LEVERAGED THAT KNOWLEDGE IN ORDER TO PROTECT HIMSELF AND MAINTAIN HIS OWN LIFE OF SEX AND MINOR CELEBRITY?

Why did Fr. Thomas Williams and his baby-mama’s mother, Mary Ann Glendon, spend years working together character assassinating anyone who tried to blow the whistle on Marcial Maciel?  But I think the big tell came in January of ARSH 2014, when Williams, having just married Lev (who wore a snow white dress, naturally) in New York City a few weeks before, published an “interview” with the unctuous Robert Moynihan in which he claimed that he was unable to process how it could be possible (cue the violins…) that Marcial Maciel, a man that Williams “knew so well” could be anything other than the living saint the Legion racketeering cult claimed that he was.

Oh, COME ON.  Maciel was carrying on a double life just exactly like Williams was carrying on a double life.  Maciel’s double life was “possible” in exactly the same way Williams’ double life was “possible”.

I strongly, strongly suspect that Fr. Thomas Williams knew damn good and well what Maciel was, and what the other top-tier Legion toadies were – carrying on sexual affairs with both males and females, and how Legion seminarians were being sodomitically abused, and instead of screaming bloody murder and blowing the whistle and trying to PROTECT INNOCENT YOUNGSTERS as any morally sane person would, Fr. Williams proverbially rubbed his hands together, licked his chops, and considered his ability to blackmail the shit out of everyone around him and over him in the Legion as positively ideal.

Sit in stillness with that and consider what a complete monstrosity a human being would have to be to think and operate that way.

If you want to see something that will turn your stomach, watch this clip of Fr. Thomas Williams appearing on CBS news in ARSH 2009 hawking one of his ghostwritten glamour-shot “moral theology” books for lonely middle-aged women.  The best part is when Williams says that to be a trusting person makes you a better person, and that trustworthy people are themselves more trusting.  That’s rich coming from a dead-eyed psychopath liar whose entire life revolved around abusing trust.  I also find it informative that Harry Smith’s question is, “What is the reward in trusting God?” and Williams never makes any mention whatsoever to the one and only real answer to that question – eternal life.  Yeah, that’s telling.

And this is the point.  It isn’t just the boy-raping homosexual monsters like McCarrick that are the problem.  Cleaning them out, while certainly a step in the right direction, won’t even come close to solving the problem, because you will still have an army of Diabolical Narcissist psychopaths who actively want these monsters around and in power, so they can LEVERAGE THEIR CRIMES INTO THEIR OWN CAREER ADVANCEMENT, SECURITY AND POWER.  If you can blackmail the shit out of the “boss”, then when you tuck yourself into bed at night, you can lull yourself to sleep with the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with the knowledge that YOU are really the boss.

Thus, the bigger the crime, and the higher the office, the more valuable the commodity men like McCarrick and Maciel become.”

[i] ReGAIN editor has replaced the original text’s  use of “sodomite” with “homosexual

 

 

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