Tag: Cult

International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) Press Release

International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) jointly with Info-Cult/Info-Secte in collaboration with the University of Montreal is holding its annual conference at the Holiday Inn Select Montreal Centre Ville Downtown in Montreal, Canada.

A 90- minute presentation regarding the Legion and Regnum Christi entitled
“By their fruits ye shall know themâ€� – perhaps: how good and bad
works can deceive – the case of the Legion of Christ will be included in the schedule.
Following is a copy of the press release issued :

Press Release

Ever since the 1978 mass murder-suicides at Jonestown in the jungles
of Guyana, when nearly 1000 people died, cults have periodically made
front-page news. Aum Shinrikyo’s release of sarin gas in the Tokyo
subway and the murder-suicides of Solar Temple members in Switzerland,
France, and Canada are two other well-known tragedies that captured
the media’s attention.

These are striking examples of cult-related harm. Many people do not
realize, however, that there are thousands of mostly small high-demand
groups, some of which psychologically and/or physically damage members
and families.

The researchers, mental health care professionals, families, former
members, and others who will be coming to Montreal for the annual
conference of the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA)
share a common concern about group-related abuse. The conference is
open to the public and will take place from July 5-7. It is organized
jointly with Info-Cult/Info-Secte in collaboration with the Université
de Montréal, The International Centre for Comparative Criminology
(ICCC) of the Université de Montréal, and l’Association québécoise
Plaidoyer-Victimes.

Lorna Goldberg, President of ICSA, says that “the goals of ICSA’s
annual conference are to help victims and families, provide training
and support for helping professionals, and bring researchers together
to improve understanding of the phenomenon.�

Attorney Carolle Tremblay, President of Info-Cult/Info-Secte, says,
“We eagerly collaborate with ICSA on bringing this important
conference to Montreal for the first time. Since researchers consider
the province of Quebec to be fertile ground for alternative groups and
movements, we hope that many educators, mental health professionals,
and others come to the conference to learn more about this intriguing
phenomenon.�

This year’s conference will offer special sessions for former group
members and families, and will feature presentations in English or
French by more than 100 speakers from 16 countries on 5 continents.

Here are titles of some of the English sessions:

    • “By their fruits ye shall know themâ€� – perhaps: how good and bad

 

    works can deceive – the case of the Legion of Christ

 

    • Constructive activism: what can I do?

 

    • Manipulation and victimization by the Exclusive Brethren:

 

    conceptual, legal, historical, and psychological issues

 

    • A practical approach for law enforcement when dealing with cultic

 

    groups

 

    • Recovering your sexual self after the cult

 

    • From perception to reality: the case of ISKCON [“Hare Krishna�] in

 

    Belgium

 

    • Spiritual manipulation in pseudo-Christian cults: a panel discussion

 

    with former members

 

    • The neurobiology of belief

 

    • Teen Mania: exploitation in a teen cult?

 

    • The popularity of Christian evangelical patriarchy in the US and the

 

    resultant vilification and abuse of women and children

 

    • Listening to the still small voice: reclaiming the self after

 

    leaving religious totalistic groups

 

    • Cult-induced ecstasies, dissociation, and psychosis

 

    • Healing the rift between ex-cult member parents and their second

 

    generation adult children (SGAs)

 

    • The case of freedom of belief vs. freedom of speech

 

    • The guru pedophile unmasked

 

    • An indirect cult experience in psychotherapy

Here are the titles of some of the French sessions:

    • La dynamique des croyances

 

    • Les sectes et nos enfants : pistes pour une liberté religieuse

 

    responsable

 

    • Discours sur le châtiment corporel des enfants chez les protestants

 

    conservateurs québécois francophones : l’influence des différences

 

    générationnelles

 

    • Victimes de crime d’honneur : entre religion, culture et tradition

 

    • L’isolement social : une situation pouvant justifier une

 

    intervention en matière de protection de l’enfance en milieu religieux

 

    fermé

 

    • Criminalisation de l’abus de faiblesse

 

    • Intégrisme religieux entre manipulation et victimisation

 

    • Comprendre l’expérience de la polygamie

The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Select Montreal Centre
Ville Downtown.

For information on how to register :

Click to access flyer_Montreal_Tourist_etc_English.pdf

or contact Info-Cult/Info-Secte at 1-514-274-2333 or at
infosecte@qc.aibn.com.

Journalists interested in arranging interviews should contact Mike
Kropveld, Executive Director of Info-Cult/Info-Secte: 1-514-274-2333;
infosecte@qc.aibn.com.

Presentation by Father of 3GF Consecrated at International Cultic Studies Association Conference

By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them – Perhaps: How Good And Bad Works Can Deceive – The Case of The Legion of Christ

 

By Peter, father of a Regnum Christi consecrated member

 

Introduction

I feel the need to speak bluntly and openly and freely share as I would speak to a friend.
I have worked together with Paul Lennon for the past two years as co editor of Regainnetwork.org, 1 a website for people adversely affected by the Legion or Regnum Christi. My personal struggle associated with these groups is like an ongoing nightmare of grief, false hopes, aggravation, frustration and anger.

The evil structure and methodology that my daughter was drawn into remains a legitimate part of my own Catholic Church and that has been doubly painful for me. The Vatican website 2 identifies the founder in so many words as a charismatic con man without genuine religious sentiment. Overwhelming evidence indicates Fr. Marcial Maciel’s prime objective for founding his two groups was to satisfy his lust for power, money and perverted sexual urges. He got away with this by using deceit, influence peddling, gifts and cash payments to obtain protection from certain members of the Vatican hierarchy. His two groups, the Legion and Regnum Christi are highly profitable businesses that make excessive profits from being a Catholic religious order of priests and a religious movement.

In 1992, at 26 years of age, our daughter Rose (not her real name) was at a crossroads. She had a master’s degree in theology, was devout in her faith and had a calling to religious life. She had a good job. Her employer saw great potential in her and offered to sponsor her for a senior management training program. She attended mass regularly each week and was ready and willing to devote her entire life to serve God through the Catholic Church that she loved. Rose was recruited into Regnum Christi. She discovered a community of other young devout, idealistic women who lived as contemplative religious sisters in a secretive isolated community.

They seemed happy and loving and she felt she had found an ideal place to serve God. She was a good person then and remains so not because of her involvement in Regnum Christi (where deceit is endemic) but in spite of it. Although the Legion theology is authentic Catholicism, the structure and methodology of the two groups are destructive to its own members. In spite of an outer appearance of genuine piety, the underlying purpose for their activities is similar to that of other typical cult groups. I won’t focus on all their typical cult characteristics or mind control techniques, which have already been documented in ICSA articles, 3 on ReGAIN and elsewhere.

They prey on young, attractive, idealistic Catholic women, using aggressive recruiting tactics. They redirect peoples’ genuine desire to serve the Kingdom of God to surrendering themselves to serve the kingdom of Maciel. Rose idolized her founder as a living saint, referring to him reverently as Nuestro Padre (our father). Her excessive devotion to him made me feel uncomfortable. As I learned about his depravities, it revolted me to hear her speak about him as her role model.

Rose had mentioned a five year formation program. We were shocked when only five months later she announced that she had already made her commitment. I believe she was deceived and manipulated into making a decision to hand over all decision making powers, her human rights, all her money and her sexuality. At a consecration ceremony she made solemn promises including poverty, chastity and obedience. At the time, we thought it was very strange and it was hurtful that we had not been advised about this in advance or given an opportunity to attend. Later, we learned that at her ceremony she had also made other secretive promises that forbade her from ever criticizing any superior, especially the founder and to never seek a higher office. She was unaware of the many associated obligations that would be gradually revealed once she was already inside the spider’s web.

Because Regnum Christi is a lay movement, not a religious order, their consecrated women have none of the protections that canon law requires for religious sisters. She remains a lay person with no contract. I see her situation as a form of slavery.

Consecrated State Married to Jesus Or Just Living Together

I was disgusted to learn years later that the Regnum Christi form of consecration which had meant so much to our daughter had not been fully recognized by the Church. 4 To put it bluntly, this arrangement was a cruel deception by the founder to get people to obtain free labour and to avoid having any responsibility for his followers when they were no longer cost effective.

Good Fruits Come From the Devout People Not the Founder, Structure or Methodology

Regnum Christi takes credit for the goodness of their members and for the good works they carry out. Considering the extensive resources available to them and the good intentions of the members and the valid prayer life they have there are bound to be some good fruits and nobody questions that. The question I have is whether or not there are any good motives built into the structure of the Legion. The Legion activities such as schools, seminaries and children’s
programs utilize scarce resources that could have produced genuine good fruits had they been available to groups with authentic spiritual intentions.

Each Legion activity operates primarily as a profit center and that is their primary motivation. (The founder was devoid of genuine religious sentiment). Tuition fees are very high and costs are minimized. High pressure advertising campaigns based on illusory good fruits keep donations rolling in. A major part of the reform process has been an effort to demonstrate that in spite of any of their founder’s evil intentions, the organizations he founded have a unique religious purpose (charism) that came from God. After more than 70 years of existence the Legion has difficulty defining clearly what their charism is. Fr. Maciel was seen as the ideal Legionary. When he fell from grace, he left no saintly example for his followers to emulate.

Good Fruits Don’t Cancel Out Bad Fruits

Some Legion supporters suggest that the good fruits of the Legion outweigh the bad fruits. This position is not theologically sound. I feel distressed when anyone suggests that any bad fruits such as sexual emotional and spiritual abuse are acceptable, especially within a religious group, regardless of how many good works they can show.

Bad Fruits – Does The Founder Have A Monopoly on These?

I continue to wait for the leaders to show a sincere desire to break from the founder’s deceitful, harmful structure and methodology. The current leaders were selected and trained by the founder. A long term well known Regnum Christi ex member commented recently about the fruits as ruined families, disappointed youths and betrayals of the faith. 5

Former Legionary priest, Fr. Thomas Berg in his June, 2012 article on First Things 6 stated that the Legion leaders: continue to embrace and foster a culture of cover-up and lack of transparency. His and other articles confirm my conclusions to date.

Bad Fruits That Have Affected Me and My Family Members

I will mention but a few of the Legionary bad fruits that have affected my family.

1. Consecrated Women’s Predicament

Hundreds of consecrated women, including some of their key members have left in the last three years. 7 There have been reports from some of them about their suffering, including chronic physical illness, depression and insecurity. Naturally I am concerned that this might apply to Rose. It has made me realize how difficult an adjustment it would be to leave the group and find another place in life and to make readjustments. It would be traumatic for most of them, including our daughter. Considering her controlled environment, does she have a fair opportunity to make such an important discernment? It is agonizing to think about this. The consecrated women who leave have absolutely no money of their own and (unlike the Legionary priests) they lose their consecrated state immediately. Would there be a stigma of being an ex cult member for those who leave? I am sure there would be.

2. Alienation from Family Members / Partly Filled Glasses

At the 2008 ICSA conference, I learned that as long as one of your family members remains in a cult, you have to deal with this realistically, once you rule out an exit intervention as we did. That left two uncomfortable alternatives. We could decide to have no relationship with Rose or we could retain a partial relationship with her.

We opted for the partly filled glass, realizing everything would be strictly on Regnum Christi’s aggravating terms. For example, she would come home each year for only two days at our expense, sometimes exhausted from the three or more hour jet lag. We were limited to one phone call per month at prearranged times and she always had to ask permission from her superior before she could speak to us.

Like most parents, I don’t want an empty glass and am not satisfied with a partly filled glass relationship with our only daughter.

. 3. Disgrace for The Church and Loss of Respect for the Hierarchy

Father Richard Gill, a prominent ex Legionary priest stated in an article: 8 It is no exaggeration to say that Marcial Maciel was by far the most despicable character in the twentieth century Catholic Church, inflicting more damage on her reputation and evangelizing mission than any other single Church leader.

I had waited and prayed for years that the Church would acknowledge all the truth and take appropriate action. I took what actions I could, believing that if only the Church knew they would do the right thing. Our Catholic friends became uncomfortable if we shared anything about cults in the Church. I spoke to as many priests and members of the hierarchy as I could. One senior local official suggested that the Legion wasn’t bad, they were simply old fashioned. Other officials did not seem to be open with us.

I spent months composing a letter to the Vatican, not really expecting a response. To my surprise, three months later I received a letter from a cardinal. He simply acknowledged my letter and said that competent authorities were looking into it. I later discovered that he was one of the Legionary founder’s closest supporters. I made another attempt, writing to other members of the hierarchy without sending him a copy but they referred my letter to him. His second response sent a chill through me.

As I became aware of Fr. Maciel’s powerful Vatican allies 9 and that he had successfully used influence peddling and cash payments to encourage their support I felt sick to my stomach and discouraged. I lost a lot of the respect that I had always held for the shepherds of the Church.

When the Vatican finally decided to implement a reform process I was overjoyed and could not wait to see what action they would take. Two years later, there have only been some cosmetic changes. The old guard Legionary leaders remain in place and except for some token efforts; they have shown no change in attitude. The aggressive recruiting, ordinations and consecrations of new members continue. The presence of the Vatican commissioner unfortunately lends credibility to the destructive structure. I think this makes the Vatican look incompetent and there is even some appearance of complicity. To date their record in dealing with the Legion and its founder has been abysmal.

On a worldwide scale, the Legion and Regnum Christi have become a monumental embarrassment for the Catholic Church and for (the memory of) Pope John Paul II. New scandals involving deceit of the current leaders 10 continue to unfold and the leaders keep coming up with weak sounding explanations.

4. Effects of Mind Control

Recently, a group of former students from pre-candidacy high schools run by consecrated Regnum Christi women started a blog Click Here 11 to share their negative experiences. They have stated: Many of us suffered real mental, emotional and spiritual damage in our years at (name withheld) Academy. We share our stories here to warn parents of the very real dangers of handing your daughters over to this flawed institution. As of June, 2012 at least fifteen different women have shared their heart wrenching stories of suffering from guilt and fear and trying to live according to militaristic rules.
Some mention what it was like for them to not be allowed to have particular friends. 12One of them said this resulted in feelings of immense loneliness. She said that they were not allowed to tell each other about their doubts, sufferings, physical, spiritual and emotional well being.

They were to share nothing except with their spiritual directors, who had ultimate control over them.

?

Conclusion

It disturbs me when I hear versions of the Legion refrain:
Fr. Maciel was bad but we are good. 13
In spite of some good works by their individual members, I believe that the Legion’s structure and methodology exist primarily to serve themselves.

I am concerned about the people like Rose who have been taken advantage of and harmed within a recognized but destructive Church movement after dedicating everything they have in life, believing sincerely that they were serving God in a special way. I am appalled that Catholic groups are able to manipulate devout people into becoming fully dependent but the groups are then able to dispose of them without obligation or notice. I feel outraged that the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is enabling the kingdom of Maciel to continue business as usual without acknowledging the damage done to members and without taking responsible action to provide urgent support and assistance to those who remain trapped.

The young women on 49weeks blog have offered support on their website for those Legionary priests and consecrated Regnum Christi members who want to leave but have difficulty supporting themselves or finding work or understanding their situation or who perhaps feel the need for prayer support.

Why did the Catholic Church not recognize this need and use either Legion resources or their own to provide support, guidance, recovery and financial assistance where urgently needed?
Perhaps they and the Legion leaders could learn from the example of these young women, whose offer is an inspiring example of genuine Christian community in action.

Note:

During the week of the ICSA Conference, 77 of the former Legionary high school students sent a letter 14 to the Vatican denouncing the manipulation, deception and disrespect they claim to have suffered from their counselors at the Rhode Island school. The young women are urging the Vatican to shut down the school. Their voices unite with many of us who feel that the Legion and Regnum Christi should be shut down by the Church.

Disclaimer

The above reflects accurately my own opinions based on research over 20 years of being a father of a long term Regnum Christi member and two years of being a ReGAIN website co editor. Because of extreme secrecy it is difficult to obtain verifiable information in the usual ways. It took years to confirm information from anonymous sources.

  1. http://www.regainnetwork.org/
  1. http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_comunicato-legionari-cristo-2010_en.htm
  1. http://dialogueireland.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/reflections-on-the-legion-of-christ-2003-2006-michael-d-langone-ph-d/
  1. http://www.life-after-rc.com/2010/03/regnum-christi-and-the-legion-of-christ-are-basically-one-thing.html
  1. http://www.life-after-rc.com/2012/06/counting-the-cost/comments/page/3/#comments
  1. http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2012/06/the-legionrsquos-scandal-of-stalled-reform
  1. http://exlegionariescom.blogspot.ca/2012/04/340-consecrated-leave-regnum-christi-in.html
  1. http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1346646?eng=y
  1. http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/money-paved-way-maciels-influence-vatican
  1. http://www.regainnetwork.org/article.php?a=47246212
  1. http://49weeks.blogspot.ca/search?updated-max=2012-05-31T08:53:00-07:00&max-results=7
  1. http://49weeks.blogspot.ca/2012_06_01_archive.html
  1. http://cassandrajonesing.blogspot.ca/2009/04/legionary-visitation-material-not-just.html
  1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/ap-exclusive-vatican-urged-to-close-legion-school-where-teens-suffered-anorexia-depression/2012/07/09/gJQANpL0XW_story.html

 

A Cult Conference Presentation Regarding the Legionaries of Christ Religious Order

When Faith is Corrupted Into a Coercive Ideology – The Driving Forces At Work In a Religious Community With Cultic Behaviors

 

By Xavier Leger

 

The Driving Forces At Work In a Religious Community With Cultic Behaviors

A Presentation Regarding the Legion of Christ Religious Order at the International Cultic Studies Association’s Annual Conference in Barcelona, July 8, 2011,

By Xavier L?ger

The following presentation was one of several included in Session 2 of the recent International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) Conference entitled:

Are there Cultic Aberrations in the Catholic Church?

 

Introduction

A Cult Conference Presentation Regarding the Legionaries of Christ Religious Order

When Faith is Corrupted Into a Coercive Ideology – The Driving Forces At Work In a Religious Community With Cultic Behaviors

By Xavier Leger

When Faith is Corrupted Into a Coercive Ideology – The Driving Forces At Work In a Religious Community With Cultic Behaviors

A Presentation Regarding the Legion of Christ Religious Order at the International Cultic Studies Association’s Annual Conference in Barcelona, July 8, 2011

By Xavier Léger

The following presentation was one of several included in Session 2 of the recent International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) Conference entitled:

Are there Cultic Aberrations in the Catholic Church?

Introduction

I would like to share with you a short extract from the famous French Novel: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry.

What does it mean to be ‘tame’? asked the little prince.

It is an act too often neglected, said the fox. It means to establish ties.

To establish ties?

Just that, said the fox. To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world

The fox teaches the little prince that any relationship is the result of a long period of taming. To tame, according to the fox, means to establish ties, to build relationships, to make someone become unique. In other words, it means that human relationships are built over time and that they require several steps, because we need to know each other to be able to appreciate the other. We all have this experience in our lives.

But what is true for people is also true in our relationship with God. The greatest mystics of the History of the Church have taught that the spiritual life is a journey. And so, we are traveling from one place to another. And this journey is directed towards a progressive encounter with God, which can be discovered in the Scriptures, the sacraments, the prayer and the people we meet along our journey.

The image that is often used by these mystics is the image of the bride who is looking for her beloved. God creates a desire in peoples’ hearts. He never imposes himself; otherwise it would mean that He contradicts himself, by denying the freedom He has entrusted to us. There are verbs, indeed, that do not support the imperative form. We cannot say love!, since the act of love is created, not by the strength of the will, but by the lovability of the object.

This idea ties into the very foundations of Christian anthropology which is drawn primarily from the Aristotelian philosophical tradition. It finds also many parallels in Holy Scriptures. Many exegetes have worked on this idea, showing how God created a spousal relationship with the Jewish people throughout the centuries and how the story of Revelation, during two thousand years is indeed a long pedagogy of taming.

But what is important to understand is that the biblical tradition, as well as the philosophical tradition, both show clearly that any spiritual life begins as a journey, which implies an act of freedom on the subject’s part. This journey, which is infinitely respectful, is indeed the very essence of any religious life.
But within some new groups in the Church it appears that this process of taming is totally eliminated. Now if you eliminate this stage, religious life loses its proper sense and herein lies the threat of cultic behavior. Where religious life lacks its proper driving forces, founders with guru pretensions will use other means to retain their members and to make their community grow including:

  1. a misuse of guilt to create an atmosphere of stress and coercion
  1. turning true Christian faith into an ideology

Guilt and ideology are the true main driving forces behind the cultic behaviour of fake religious groups

The First Driving Force: A Few Words About Guilt

  • In six years of life in the Legion of Christ, I never heard anything about discernment, but only about final perseverance.
  • Through conferences, retreats, homilies, teachings, they tell you again and again that God has chosen you from all eternity to accomplish this particular mission that nobody else can fulfill. If you decide not to fulfill your mission, then you are putting your eternal salvation in jeopardy.
  • Four times every day a Legionary is required to do an examination of conscience: the first one during the Morning Prayer, to remember all his personal commitments of human and spiritual personal reform. The second one occurs after the meditation, to examine his prayer. The third one is done before lunch, at noon, to examine how many sins he committed since the prior examination of conscience. And a last one is carried out during night prayers.
  • Every Sunday, he is required to do a written examination of conscience, which lasts half an hour. Let me provide examples of some of the questions taken from the handbook of this examination:
  • Have I ever serious doubts about my vocation? Are they frequent?
  • In these moments, have I sometimes thought that I had no vocation? Have I accepted this thought?
  • So, as you can see, in the Legion of Christ, the simple fact of discernment is already a sin.
  • When a religious makes a decision to leave the Legion, he must leave without saying goodbye to his fellow companions, even if he spent 20 or 30 years in the order. He leaves during a day when the community is out. When the community returns, the other members discover that brother X has disappeared. Nobody tells you officially that someone has left the order. And members are never allowed to speak about the departure of a brother.

So ? and I dare to say it, because I came through the same process when I left the Legion ? the aura of anxiety, phobia and shame that has been created around this decision to leave is so violent that you end up lying to yourself, justifying your decision by any kind of reasoning.

The Second Driving Force: Ideology

In the atmosphere of Catholic religious groups, the misuse of guilt immeasurable damage to the psychology of followers including anxiety, phobias, spiritual wounds and frustrations. These effects are more visible than others.

But guilt is only one form of coercion that is utilized by the Legion. The second driving force is the idealization of faith, acting on the will, by means of fanaticism.

Let me establish right away a fundamental distinction: the Christian faith is not exactly an ideology, but an adherence of the mind and of the heart to a person, and not to an idea. An adherence implies a sort of abandonment, of letting go.

I would like to try to show you how, in the Legion of Christ, the spirituality and the religious discipline not only do not leave any room for a personal path but even destroy the spiritual aspirations of the believers.

  • At first, I will analyze the issue of the ideology as such: how an ideology can exist inside the Catholic Church?
  • Secondly, I want to explain how the ideology is applied in the Legion centers.
  • Thirdly, I will deal with the consequences of these abuses: the impact of a destructive ideology on the spiritual life.

1- The Ideology As Such: How Can An Ideology Exist Inside The Catholic Church?

By ideology, I mean a simplistic way of thinking, which has all the answers, separating the world in two camps: The Church and the enemies of the Church. A speech without any nuance, written with a chainsaw.

In the Legion, the object of faith gets disembodied and becomes a kind of haunting ideal, which is to establish the Kingdom of Christ. Let me read some short excerpts of letters of Father Maciel, which will help you to understand what kind of literary semantics is generally used in the Legion of Christ. (There is still a debate whether the writings of Father Maciel may continue to be read. The dilemma is explained on Regnum Christi LiveClick Here that despite the weaknesses of Father Maciel, his works were miraculously good. For your information, for the moment, we know that Maciel was an abuser, perverse, a pedophile, bisexual, incestuous, a criminal, drug addict, plagiarist, intriguing, manipulative, charlatan, thief, sacrilegious and produced apostasy.

I have always dreamed the Legion that way: as a strong instrument, invincible in front of the enemies of God (CNP December 24, 1957)

There, we find the originality and the contribution of the Legion to the religious and priestly spirituality: A NEW TYPE OF MEN, of religious, of priests and apostles. The Legionary, as I have always conceived, is a man opposed to pride, avarice and lust. A man who lives polarized by the mission that the heavenly Father entrusted him: to establish the Kingdom of Christ in the world. (CNP, January 3rd, 1976)

Strangely, this kind of speech does not fit with the traditional teaching of the Christian faith. Jesus never called on people to conquer a Kingdom on earth for him. On the contrary, when people tried to make him their king, he withdrew from the crowd (Jn 6,15). When Pilate asked him about his kingdom, he replied: My kingdom is not of this world(John 18, 36). Jesus did not speak about an earthly kingdom, but about the kingdom of heaven (Mt 13, 24-43). He compares the kingdom of heaven to a tiny grain of mustard seed that grows into a huge tree, meaning that on earth, the Kingdom is only like a seed starting to germinate.

The spirituality of the Legion of Christ does not give room for any personal discernment. It is a black or white spirituality. No grey is accepted. You must accept the Legion’s version of Jesus as your Lord, and then you bow down in front of his divine will (which, of course, the Legion interprets for you).

2- How Is Ideology Applied In The Legion Centers?

Life in the Legion is an absolute, an ideal that Maciel dreamed of to make real on earth. After having laid out himself the principles of the perfect life, Maciel taught his followers that their paths to holiness consisted in living in his concept of this idyllic world. There was no room for debate or for doubts or for discernment. There was no room for critical thinking. His concept of holiness did not consist of free expression of personal will but instead a self denial that required fitting into a rigid structured way of life in the group.

The more you deny yourself, the holier you are.

But we cannot live on earth as if we were already in Heaven. In fact, this attempt to have a perfect life could actually serve as an image of Hell. The Center of Studies of Rome is the achievement of the perfect life pictured by Maciel: all is perfect. It is a world in itself, where everything is clear, nice and orderly. There is no need to go outside, since everything you need is inside: even two swimming pools, a dental practice and a gas pump. Life in the Legion is designed like the mechanism of a clock. It’s as if we were using Jacob’s ladder to build the tower of Babel.

If some day, you have a chance to visit a center of the Legion of Christ, you may be very surprised and impressed by the beauty of the place, the kindness of the members and the feeling that everything is clean and orderly.

Behind the scenes, the wonderful world is only made possible by thousands of norms and rules as well as a repressive system that encourages mutual surveillance and denouncements.

Legionaries follow a crazy rhythm of life and all their daily activities are scheduled.

They are told how to carry themselves, how to introduce themselves, how to walk, how to smile, how to greet a guest. Everything is subject to norms, that are very detailed. Thus, the legionaries are not allowed to climb the stairs two by two; they are not allowed to run with their cassocks; when they sit, they must approach the chair by the left side and leave by the right side when they stand. They are not allowed to bite into their chips; they must eat them with a fork. They may not twirl spaghetti around their forks, nor peel oranges with their fingers. There are rules that govern about almost every single action.

Daily life in the Legion of Christ is so demanding and the atmosphere of surveillance makes it difficult to develop personal human relationships between Legionaries within such a formal environment. You know quite well that the smiling brother you are speaking with during the times allotted for conversation may be the one who will denounce you if you make any mistake or even a small critique about the Legion or the superiors.

Let me tell you this little story: after the novitiate, I came to Spain for the Juniorate (Humanities). I had not seen any movie since I had entered into the Legion, two years previously. So I was very happy the day of our first movie as I am fond of cinema. But the movie was very poor and I came out disappointed. In a discussion with others religious, I told them I did not appreciate the movie. A couple of days later, I was called into the office of our superior, who accused me with an icy smile, to have criticized the choice of a superior.

In any case, Legionaries are not allowed to have particular friendships with any other members, nor to speak about personal issues with anybody else other than the Spiritual Director.
When I lived in the enormous center of Rome, surrounded by four hundred companions, I felt lost in the flock, alone, desperately alone. I joined the religious life with the dream I would establish ties: ties with God and with like minded companions. It ended up being a process of isolation that eliminated all ties with anybody, even with God.

3- The Impact Of A Destructive Ideology On The Spiritual Life.

The Legionary totalitarian system, so fascinating and seducing from outside, is nothing more than a means of crushing individual personalities and generating frustrations. The perversity of the system is evident in the fact that the more you pray the more you move away from God ? a strange contradiction that I have experienced in many testimonies.

But how is that possible? How can a religious order take you away from God?

The vision of God and of His mercy is twisted. The Legion leads its members to admit that God has a singular way-of-life for them. If so it means that, in the end, God does not really take care of me or love me for myself. In some way, I am nothing but a means to an end, a simple tool.

Our understanding of God was damaged because of that. Who is this God who wants me to suffer like that? Who is this God who wants me to pray three hours a day, while I lack sleeping, I feel bitterness and I suffer with a strong headache? (If you have a headache you are supposed to offer your suffering to God). Who is this God who wants me to follow, day after day, this dry methodology of prayer that does not seem to fit?

Prayer, a place of encountering God, becomes a place of forced love. In other words, it is a kind of rape.

And the worst thing about rape is that when it happens to a woman she struggles afterward throughout her life from a psychological wound because the act of love always reminds her of the violence of her rape.

There is something obscene about the methodology of prayer in the Legion of Christ because there is no place for any spontaneity or originality. Everything is already written in the handbook of prayers. If prayer is the place for encountering God, such a dry and accurate methodology detracts from any sense of poetry. It is as if, before making love with a woman, you would follow a handbook explaining step by step the procedures to fulfill correctly the sexual relationship. I think you would agree with me this would not be very exciting.

Conclusion

After being tamed by the little prince, the fox told a secret to the Little Prince. I would like to share this excerpt:

And he went back to meet the fox.

Goodbye, he said.

Goodbye, said the fox. And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

What is essential is invisible to the eye, the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.

It is the time I have wasted for my rose. said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.

Men have forgotten this truth, said the fox. But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose.

I am responsible for my rose, the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

The secret of the fox is maybe the real solution to the issue. From the very beginning of its history, the Legion of Christ has always been able to escape and manipulate all the investigations and to defeat the immune system of the Catholic Church. Today, the Legion is certainly the most influential congregation of the Church. Legionaries are extremely present in the Vatican, and occupy some of the most important responsible positions there. Think for example about the information in the Vatican that is almost entirely controlled by the Legion of Christ.

Since 2001, every year, the Congregation for Bishops organizes a week of training for all recently ordained bishops from all over the world. And Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re wanted this training to take place in the Legionaries, Center for Higher Studies. Why? Because he wanted all the new bishops to see the example. The Legion formation system is the model that the Church puts forward: This is what we want for the Church!

How did we get to this point? Why does the Church continue to refuse to open her eyes to the very serious cultic behavior in the Legion of Christ?

An Apostolic Visitation was initiated two years ago, and we hoped that the nightmare would stop. But once again we discovered that the conclusions of this Visitation were decided upon before the visitation began. And we can prove that.

The Legion has been designed by its founder to be a machine to seduce, where nothing is done but for the show. So, if you want to understand something about the Legion, and not be dazzled by the smokescreen, take seriously the secret of the fox:

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

Leaving and Recovering from Cultic Groups and Relationships: An ICSA Seminar for Families and Former Members in Orlando Florida May 17-19

The International Cultic Studies Association (I.C.S.A.) is hosting a three day seminar for anyone who is leaving or recovering from a high demand (cult) group. The seminar will take place in Orlando on May 17 to May 19, with some excellent and knowledgeable speakers.

Space is limited at the ICSA event for families and former group
members in Orlando, Florida (May 17-19, 2013).

Please register now and/or tell others who might be interested in the
event.

Questions or more information, contact ICSA: mail@icsamail.com;
1-239-514-3081.

HOW TO REGISTER

Flyer with information and fax-mail registration: http://icsahome.com/pdf/event_florida.pdf
Online registration: http://icsahome.com/infoserv_respond/event_regproducts.asp
Contact ICSA directly: mail@icsamail.com; PH: 1-239-514-3081; FAX:
1-305-393-8193

TITLE

Leaving and Recovering from Cultic Groups and Relationships: A Seminar
for Families and Former Members

WHEN

Friday 3:00 p.m. May 17, 2013 to Sunday 3:00 p.m. May 19, 2013

WHERE

Canterbury Retreat and Conference Center, 1601 Alafaya Trail, Oviedo
[Orlando], FL 32765 (407-365-5571)

DESCRIPTION

This seminar brings together family members and former members so that
each group can benefit from the perspectives of the other. In order to
promote participation by attendees, the seminar will consist of brief
30 minute lectures followed by an hour of discussion on topics such
as the following:

 

    –
    Overview of joining, leaving, and recovery

 

    – Why people leave groups

 

    – Recovery needs of former members

 

    – Trance and triggers

 

    – Trauma and recovery

 

    – Building relationships

 

    – Breakouts for families, former members

 

    – Evening films followed by discussion

FEES

    All rates are per person and INCLUDE ACCOMMODATIONS AND MEALS from

 

    Friday dinner through Sunday lunch.

 

    Double Occupancy – $300

 

    Single Occupancy – $350

 

    Current ICSA members and their immediate family may deduct $25 from

 

    fee

SPEAKERS

    Ron Burks, PhD, holds an MDiv. and an MA in counseling from Asbury

 

    Theological Seminary and a Ph. D. in Counselor Education from Ohio

 

    University. He worked for many years at Wellspring Retreat and

 

    Resource Center in Albany, OH. He and his wife Vicki wrote, Damaged

 

    Disciples: Casualties of Authoritarian Churches and the Shepherding

 

    Movement, published by Zondervan. He and Vicki now live near

 

    Tallahassee Florida where both are licensed mental health counselors.

 

    Ron now serves as president of the board of Wellspring and the

 

    clinical advisory board of Meadowhaven.

 

    Carol Giambalvo is on ICSA’s Board of Directors and is Director of

 

    ICSA’s Recovery Programs. She is cofounder of reFOCUS, a national

 

    support network for former cult members. A former cult member, she is

 

    author of Exit Counseling: A Family Intervention, co-editor of The

 

    Boston Movement: Critical Perspectives on the International Churches

 

    of Christ, and co-author of

Ethical Standards for Thought Reform
Consultants.<‘q>

Susan Groulx is a former member of the Tony Alamo Ministries, an
aberrant religious group that has been around since the early days of
the Jesus Movement. She is dedicated to helping individuals who have
been adversely affected by this destructive cult and was involved in
bringing polygamist leader, Tony Alamo, to justice for his crimes
against women and children. She is pursuing a degree in Counseling
and Human Services.

Michael D. Langone, PhD, a counseling psychologist, has been consulted
by several hundred former cult members and/or their families. His
many publications include Recovery from Cults: Help for Victims of
Psychological and Spiritual Abuse and Cults: What Parents Should
Know. Dr. Langone is ICSA’s Executive Director and ICSA Today’s Editor-
in- Chief

Judy Pardon, MEd, has been a teacher and a counselor. Since 1992 she
has been Associate Director of the New England Institute of Religious
Research and Meadowhaven, where she has worked with former cult
members, including some who have experienced profound trauma. She has
also spoken widely on the subject and conducted training programs for
human service personnel.

Robert Pardon, MDiv, ThM, is the Executive Director of the New England
Institute of Religious Research and MeadowHaven. He has specialized in
Bible-based communal groups. Much of his work involves counseling,
support groups, working with those born and/or raised in groups, and
helping former members rebuild their lives. To facilitate the recovery
process MeadowHaven, a long term rehabilitation facility, was opened
in 2002. It can accommodate individuals or families who require long
term (up to a year) care to recover from trauma and cult abuse.

 

Coping with Cult Involvement: A Handbook for Families and Friends

By Livia Bardin MSW

I first began working for AFF (American Family Foundation), the publisher of this book, in 1980, shortly after the organization’s founding. AFF’s founders wanted the organization to study the cult phenomenon scientifically in order to educate youth and the public and help families and former group members more effectively. As a result, AFF has gone through several cycles of professional study followed by the development of practical resources. Available manpower has always been too small to meet all the needs that the organization identified. Therefore, AFF has shifted its focus over the years, sometimes concentrating on educational materials, sometimes on research studies, sometimes on resources for families, and sometimes on resources for former members.

In the mid-1980s, Joan Ross and I began working on what was to become Cults: What Parents Should Know, because parents of a cult-involved person had virtually no practical resources to which they could turn. Many parents praised this book, which provided a general introduction to the subject and concrete suggestions concerning assessment, communication, and strategy.

Despite such praise, I always felt that more was required. Families (spouses and siblings, as well as parents) needed a book that would get into the painful nuts-and-bolts of dealing with a cult involvement and that would help them apply the theoretical notions that others and I wrote about to their unique case. Unfortunately, after the publication of Cults: What Parents Should Know, AFF had to focus its limited resources on helping former group members, more and more of whom were seeking our help.

For nearly 10 years, I waited for an opportunity to return AFF’s focus back to families. In 1996 “opportunity knocked” when AFF volunteer professional, Livia Bardin, expressed interest in planning and conducting workshops for families concerned about a loved one’s cult involvement. Mrs. Bardin conducted her first family workshop in Stony Point, New York in 1997. Subsequently, she conducted workshops in Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Seattle. She has also presented educational programs on cults to a variety of mental health professional groups, as well as the general public.

Mrs. Bardin was the right person tackling the right job at the right time. She is a diligent student of the cult phenomenon and brings to the field the practical skills of clinical social work. She also knows how to clarify and organize, to cut through the fog that confuses so many families and to illuminate for them that which is important.

Mrs. Bardin developed for these workshops a collection of forms (printed at the end of this book) designed to help families think more clearly about their UNIQUE situations. When I first saw the initial drafts of these forms, I felt great relief! At last, somebody who clearly saw what was needed was meeting that need. She realized that families needed more than words and concepts. They needed concrete tools, tools that would challenge them intellectually and emotionally, tools that would empower them to understand and do something constructive about the distressing situation for which they sought help. The forms she had developed for her workshops are these tools.

This book, which was written to explain these forms, is built on the knowledge and experience gained from years of working with families in workshops and in private consultations. This is not a “fun” book. Nor is it a book that aims to validate feelings of anger, hurt, helplessness, and fear, although it does that to some extent. This book is ahandbook, a tool designed to help you achieve a goal, namely, to help a loved one. As with all tools, the book requires effort to learn how to use it. It is not something that you merely read. It is something that you use, something that you wrestle with, that you come back to again and again.

If you are willing to give the requisite time and mental exertion that this book demands, I am confident that you will find it to be extremely helpful. It may not solveyour problem, for, as Mrs. Bardin states in the Introduction, a cult involvement is often a situation to manage, not a problem to solve. The book will, however, make you confident that you are doing all that you realistically can to manage, if not solve, the problem that has caused you so much distress.

Michael D. Langone, Ph.D.
Executive Director, AFF Editor, Cultic Studies Journal
May 2000

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