Previously published article in 2021 reviewed by J. Paul Lennon, November 22, 2024
Dear Reporter:
- The Press sometimes refers to Legionnaires of Christ, perhaps in an allusion to the French Foreign Legion, or American Legion, and maybe because it sounds better to U.S. ears.
- I believe the official name is Legion of Christ and Legionaries of Christ. The order/group, founded by Mexican Catholic seminarian Marcial Maciel in Mexico City in 1941 at the age of 21, sprouted a lay movement in the 1960s called Regnum Christi -along the lines of the Opus Dei movement-. Together they morphed into Regnum Christi Federation a few years ago.
- Recruited at the age of 17 in Dublin in 1961, I could be considered an Irish co-founder of the order; “cofounder” being a coveted title at the time. I became bilingual and bi cultural Spanish during my 23 years in the Legion, training in Spain and Rome and ministering in the USA and Mexico. I exited in 1984 after an altercation with then superior general Fr. Maciel: I have the honor of being one of the few members who ever dared to confront the untouchable founder in front of other members.
- During decades Maciel seduced all and sundry, garnering the admiration of popes, especially Pope JP II. His pedophilia, philandering and ruthless fundraising were finally acknowledged by Church Hierarchy and Legion around 2005 -by which time Maciel was 85! One can only imagine the decades of deceit, silence, avoidance, minimization and coverup!
- ReGAIN sprung from the concern of parents, friends and former members in the late 1980s seeking to help active, exiting and former members to recover from their traumatic experience.
- ReGAIN launched a webpage and a discussion forum in the 1990s. For our troubles the Legion of Christ sued us in civil court in 2007 and made us take down the discussion forum.
- The webpage you are reading survived, continuing to publish extensively about the Legion of Christ/Regnum Christi Federation and other controversial Catholic and Christian groups since the 1990s. On this webpage you will find an abundance of info/critique of LC/RC, perhaps the largest in the English language. Presently there are other blogs in Spanish and French that carry out the same mission: Facebook’s Legioleaks (Spanish language with over 5,000 members, and separate English), La Verdad os hará Libres, and l’énvers du décor …
- U.S. Catholic investigative reporters, Jason Berry and Gerald Renner, were instrumental in bringing the story of Maciel, the sexual abuse of his seminarians, the secretive nature of the order, and the founder’s love of money and luxury to world attention beyond Mexico and Spanish speaking countries in the Hartford Courant in 1997; later publishing their critique of Maciel and the Legion in Vows of Silence (2004).
- Be aware the Legion was founded by Mexican priest, Fr. Marcial Maciel, and most of the literature about it is in the Spanish language. Fr. Maciel saw the Irish as the Legion’s gateway into the USA and other English-speaking countries. Although the Legion would like to cast itself as an international organization – it is present in many countries- there has always been a strong Mexican element: most major superiors are Mexicans, followed by Spaniards, Irish, U.S. and Canadians, with an occasional German or Italian thrown in for good PR. Unfortunately, Legion and Regnum Christi leadership has consistently been tainted by the leaven of founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel, arch abuser, conman, manipulator of conservative Catholics and popes, and a bare-faced liar.
- ReGAIN, in principle, avoids criticizing “The Church” (as in Vatican and Pope) as we believe that the Catholic Church actually consists in the union of all baptized Catholics, irrespective of their rank (see II Vatican Council’s dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium, chapter 2, The People of God.) We thus distinguish between the Catholic Church and the Catholic Hierarchy (LG chapter 3). In general, we also avoid criticizing “the pope”, as if he were solely responsible for every sin that any one of the 1.378 billion members (in 2021) of the Catholic Church commits.
- On the other hand, we hold pope, hierarchy, clergy and religious (monks, brothers, nuns) and ordinary Catholics responsible for their actions and omissions, especially when it comes to grievous offenses against children and the vulnerable.
- The Vatican has led a “visitation” – euphemism for “intervention”- of Maciel and his order on two occasions: 1956-59 and 2010-2015(?). Several knowledgeable Catholic writers agree with Lennon that these interventions failed. That is a long and tortuous story. Suffice it to say that the last intervention headed by Apostolic Delegate, Mons. De Paolis failed mostly because instead of investigating Legion superiors he “cozied up to” them, befriended them and left them in their positions rather than cleaning house with Fr. Maciel’s collaborators and accomplices.
- Together with many other Catholics, Christians, believers, and people of good will, we complain about the way the Catholic Hierarchy has failed to punish Fr. Maciel, and to investigate and censure several cult-like or coercive religious orders and movements approved by and operating freely within its boundaries. (Catholic Orders and Movements Accused of being Cult-Like, Amazon).
- ReGAIN has consistently defended and supported all those abused in any way by Legion founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel, Legion and Regnum Christi superiors/directors and regular members.
- Together with many other Catholics and Christians we are becoming more aware of other forms of abuse beyond sexual and physical abuse, such as moral, psychological, spiritual and conscience abuse which have been rampant in churches and religious groups. So, our work must continue.
- Please read us, comment, question, feel free to disagree. You do not belong to a coercive controlling group… like we did!
APPENDIX: incomplete list of books about Maciel, Legion, Regnum in English, Spanish, and French, up to 2018.
Aristegui, C. (2010). Marcial Maciel, Historia de un Criminal. Mexico City: Grijalbo.
Athié, A., Barba, J., González, F.M, (2012). La Voluntad de no saber: lo que sí se conocía sobre Maciel en los archivos del Vaticano desde 1944. Mexico City: Grijalbo.
Barranco, B., coordinador (2021). Depredadores Sagrados: Pederastia clerical en México. Mexico City: Grijalbo.
Berry, J. & Renner, G. (2004). Vows of Silence. New York: Free Press;
—– (2006). El Legionario de Cristo. Mexico City: Random House Mondadori.
—– (2011). Render unto Rome, The Secret Life of Money in the Catholic Church. New York: Crown Publishers. See Fr. Maciel, Lord of Prosperity, pp.156-196
Erdely, J., Escalante, P., González, F., Guerrero-Chiprés, S., Mascareñas, C. & Masferrer, E. (2004). El Círculo del Poder y la Espiral del Silencio [The Circle of Power and the Spiral of Silence], La Historia Oculta del Padre Marcial Maciel y Los Legionarios de Cristo. Mexico City: Grijalbo.
Espinosa, A. (2003). El Legionario [The Legionary]. Mexico City: Grijalbo.
—– (2014, 2nd Edit.). El Ilusionista, Marcial Maciel (The Illusionist, Marcial Maciel). Charleston, SC: Createspace
González, F. (2006). Marcial Maciel. Los Legionarios de Cristo: testimonios y documentos inéditos [Marcial Maciel, The Legion of Christ: New testimonies and documents]. Mexico: Tusquets Editores,
González Parga, F. (2012). Yo acuso al Padre Maciel y a la Legión de Cristo. Charleston, SC: Createspace. (Maciel victim; early Legionary).
Keogh, J. (2010. Driving Straight on Crooked Lines, How and Irishman found his heart and nearly lost his mind. Iveagh Lodge Press. (A well-written testimony by one of the first Irish-born LC members).
Léger, X & Nicolas, B (2013). Moi, ancien légionnaire du Christ, 7 ans dans une secte au cœur de l’Église. Paris: Flammarion. (Testimony of French LC)
Lennon, John P. (2012, 2nd Edit). Fr. Marcial Maciel Pedophile, Psychopath and Legion of Christ Founder, From Fr. Richard John Neuhaus to Pope Benedict XVI. Charleston, SC: Createspace.
Martínez de Velasco, J. (2002). Los Legionarios de Cristo, el nuevo ejército del Papa [The Legionaries of the Christ, the Pope’s New Army]. Madrid: La Esfera de los libros.
—– (2004). Los Documentos Secretos de los Legionarios de Cristo [The Secret Documents of the Legion of Christ]. Barcelona: Ediciones B.
Sada, E. (2018) Blackbird – A Memoir; The Story of a Woman Who Submitted to Marcial Maciel, Became Free, and Found Happiness Again. Amazon Digital Services. (Former prominent recruiter of Regnum Christi ‘consecrated’ women.)
Ramírez Mota Velasco (2013). El Reino de Marcial Maciel, La Vida Oculta de la Legión y el Regnum Christi. Mexico City: Temas de Hoy. (Former prominent local superior of RC women)
Ruiz-Marcos, José Manuel. (2006). La orden maldita. La historia oculta de los Legionarios de Cristo [The Accursed Order, the Secret History of the Legion of Christ]. Mexico City: Editorial Planeta.
Torres, A. (2002). La Prodigiosa Aventura de la Legión de Cristo [The Marvelous Adventure of the Legion of Christ]. Madrid: La Esfera de los libros.
—– (2004). No nos dejes caer en la Tentación, Escándalos, dinero y guerras de poder en la Iglesia española [Lead us not into Temptation]. Madrid: La Esfera de los libros.
