Tag: Testimonies

Stages of my Recovery from a Coercive Catholic Religious Order, presentation at International Cultic Studies Association

Having lived safe and secluded in the Legion of Christ for 23 years, when I abruptly left, I felt totally lost and devastated. I also feared I had made a passionate/reckless decision.  Neil Diamond’s “Love on the Rocks” became my theme song.

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ICSA Today

Link to original

Sharing my stages of recovery from a coercive catholic religious order

J. Paul Lennon
Published Date
June 25, 2025

This paper was originally presented at ICSA’s 2023 Annual International Conference in Louisville, KY, and then published in ICSA Today, Volume 15, No. 1, 2024.

Each member or former member of a cultic group has their own particular and unique story and their own particular and unique process of recovery. But there may be some common features. I hope my story will help you with yours.

When I pronounced religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience at age 18 in the Legion of Christ, I had no idea of the coercive nature of that Catholic religious order. I lived in its straightjacket for 23 years, which included priestly ordination at age 26, and 13 years of ministry on an emotional and spiritual rollercoaster. I ejected impulsively at age 41, “shipwrecked in the spirit,” my life in a shambles.

I emerged from a deep dark abyss, moving gradually into a world of light and life, fed by the kindness of friends and strangers, and a dogged survival instinct. An interview with Michael Langone, PhD, ICSA’s executive director at the time, helped me become more clearly aware of the stages of my recovery. I would like to share those stages and elements of recovery with others so that they may find hope and perhaps some pointers towards healing and happiness. These include finding a safe place, a support group, understanding the cult or high-control group and the exit process, discovering one’s true self, forging a new career or life path forward, and creating a joyful life.

Seeds of salvation

Having lived safe and secluded in the Legion of Christ for 23 years, when I abruptly left, I felt totally lost and devastated. I also feared I had made a passionate/reckless decision.  Neil Diamond’s “Love on the Rocks” became my theme song.

Although I had bound myself (or let myself be bound) with vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, attachment and fealty to my religious order, and a vow of celibacy and commitment to the Catholic priestly ministry, all was not well in Camelot. I was not the total tabula rasa (i.e. blank slate) that many high-control groups prefer their recruits to be. Legion of Christ’s motto might be “the younger the better.” I was 17, not one of the 11-year-olds the order continues to recruit/capture. Even so, I was a naïve and sentimental, idealistic Dubliner.

The Trojan horse in my religious fortress was the fact that I had never totally belonged. This would have demanded from me a total surrender (entrega total in Spanish) to the Legion of Christ, its numerous rules, and its operating system. Some kind of lingering doubt had prevented me from totally believing and totally surrendering. From the onset, controlling “formators” (selected members who train novices and seminarians) had tried to obliterate doubt. “To doubt is to be unfaithful.” But doubt had lingered, maybe unconsciously or subconsciously, in the form of some tenuous capacity for critical thinking about the group, despite all of the aforementioned commitments. This may have laid some foundation for the precipitous break.

My sinful doubts were my seeds of salvation. Plus, the harrowing nature of my leaving had one great advantage: I made a total break from the group and would never look back nostalgically or go back. I rejected and disowned my Legion spouse and promised myself never to make the same mistake again. After all, I was now 41 and did not have many more lives/mistakes left.

How about flipping the script from seeing my doubts as sinful, and instead give myself some credit?

Bibliotherapy

Another saving grace was that during my theological studies in Rome, one of my superiors had given me special permission to read books in English so as not to lose my command of the language and also to review books suitable for consumption by the shielded “community.” I had been speaking Spanish almost exclusively from the time I entered at age 17. This gave me some contact with an outside world beyond rules and control. I must confess I indulged in several Graham Greene novels which gave me insight into human nature and its weaknesses.

When I was 33, my superior general, Fr. Marcial Maciel, chose me to start a religious education center in Mexico City. Faithful to my vow of Holy Obedience, I followed through. The mission afforded a sliver of freedom outside the house compound. I had to read and study, which implied permission to drive (by myself!) to the Catholic bookstore and buy the books I needed. Bless you, Father Basilio Nuñez! Spontaneously I chose books I liked, books that would answer my own needs. It also opened a window into Catholic and Christian spirituality and theology beyond the dry biscuits I was fed at home for the previous 15 years.

Those books were an initial window broadening the narrow view of the Legion cage. Later on, I would find classic cult recovery titles by Steven Hassan, Janja Lalich, and Michael Langone—in addition to ICSA literature, and testimonies and memoirs by reputable authors—as being especially useful.

Anger is not always a bad thing

In many oppressive groups, you are made to believe that anger is bad. In some Christian groups that belief is strongly taught and imposed. The same, unofficial commandment may be at work in some Eastern religious groups: “Thou shalt not be angry!” I was led to believe that. But anger saved me.

If I had not grown progressively angry with my guru, Fr. Marcial Maciel, I might still be a member of the Legion of Christ. After blowing my top with him I felt guilty for a long time. Gradually, I came to understand that had I not pulled that trigger I would still be in there, depressed, angry, resentful, and in danger of falling into further mental illness and real aberrations.

I needed to forgive myself and learn the true nature of anger: a (healthy) physiological and psychological reaction to hurt, suffering, and mistreatment. In my case it was the emotional explosive that blew my superego away and opened the path to freedom.

Scared and buying time

After leaving, try not to make any hasty or radical decisions. Scrambling after a total shipwreck, you may be scared witless. Get on solid ground.

Sadly, I have witnessed departing priests from the Legion of Christ, as well as the religious and lay members of the umbrella Regnum Christi Movement, make what I consider rash decisions shortly after exiting. As they leave they are still under the influence of superiors and spiritual directors who want to control the members’ exiting and early decisions. “Get married and raise a good Catholic family,” they have often been told. This advice saves the group from further bother from these former members but often leads to rash decisions and more premature commitments.

I suggest a transition period, biding time, and withholding further commitments.

Fear, or survival instinct, helped me. I was afraid of having made a rash decision about leaving and perhaps I was also afraid of facing the big bad world outside my 23-year-long cocoon. I was alone and had nothing. Flailing around and needing to find a lifeline, I reached out desperately for something or someone who would understand and help.

A serendipitous shot in the dark found a confrere a few thousand miles away (the distance between Cancun and Washington, DC). He offered a less scary option: I could leave the order but continue practicing my priesthood. This enabled me to buy time and made my leaving less impulsive and drastic, creating a transition period marked by the kindness of acquaintances, friends, and others.

The support group

Luck or Providence would have it that in Washington, DC I would hook up with my informal exit facilitator and three other priests who left around the same time. We Irish-born former Legion of Christ members formed a band of four musketeers. As Michael Langone so insightfully pointed out to me in our ICSA video interview, I was able to begin my healing process with their understanding, comradery, friendship, and support.

One of them, Fr. Peter Cronin, R.I.P., began explaining the cultic nature of the Legion of Christ and what had happened to us. Although I was still constrained as a priest, the atmosphere I lived in during my four Washington, DC years was in stark contrast to my previous restrictive lifestyle, where my thoughts and feelings had been controlled, my every action monitored and judged.

A heavy burden had been lifted off my shoulders, and I began to have options. Though not very together mentally and emotionally, I somehow made the prudent decision to study counseling. Engaging with a good match individual therapist helped me become aware both of my options and the responsibility that came with them.

The Therapist

Still very depressed and confused, I stumbled around my priestly duties. Serendipity/providence would have it that in my forays I bumped into a Catholic worker who was younger and much more balanced and mature. She gently remarked that my transition from the Legion of Christ must be stressful. (Understatement of the year!).  Might some individual therapy help? She gave me two referrals: an active Marist Brother and a former Jesuit priest.

was beginning to hang out his shingle and was charging a reduced fee. Or was the fee especially for dazed Catholic priests in the midst of a mid-life crisis? Peter was renting out space at St. Joseph’s on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. He sat there quiet and relaxed, smoking his pipe while I poured out my guts. His summary at the end of the long session was stunningly simple and accurate: “Well, Paul, sounds like you’ve been bouncing off the walls of the Legion of Christ for the past 23 years.” Later on, I was overwhelmed by his low-key, “Paul, what would you like to do with the rest of your life?”

Life is about decisions. I had never made any clear one in my life.

While this was a hard truth to face, I want to return to the piece about giving ourselves credit for our survival and recovery. My good intuition, which had helped me choose helpful books while still in the Legion, had enabled me to find the right fit therapist.

Through him I would learn about eschewing guilt/blame and taking responsibility for my actions. That was a major discovery and conquest.

The Job Problem

A few years later I needed to work with another therapist to make the big decision to leave the active priesthood. It was a tall order, to face the prospect of abandoning my priestly vocation and returning to the lay state. It meant becoming a regular person without bed and board,  and no special clerical privileges or perks.

Again, I must give myself credit for having laid some groundwork for the big leaving. While in the active priesthood I had befriended a Portuguese couple. They nurtured me with delicious meals and healthy affection. When I decided to leave the active priestly ministry, it was time to step out into the big, bad world. My Portuguese friend, Esmeralda, helped me find a place to stay. Kind souls donated dishes and cutlery. Just one problem: How to pay the rent?

It was the year 1989. Armed with my MA in counseling from the Catholic University of America, I set about the job search as a single male at 45, new to the US, with no tangible job experience. How to translate my interpersonal skills and my command of the Spanish language into something viable? I took what I could: a 16-hour-a-week gig teaching English as a Second Language to mostly Hispanic students at Fairfax County Adult Education paying $11.00 an hour. Thank you, Adult Education Coordinator, Nancy Scesney. That brought in around $700 a month. The rent was $500. Welcome to the real world, Paul! Things couldn’t get worse. And they did get better…

A New Career

I began to enjoy the ESL classes and my re-encounter with Hispanic warmth. I had enough social skills to make friends with other community workers at Bailey’s Crossroads, Falls Church, Virginia. They alerted me to a better-paying job.  I summoned the courage to apply for a position with a non-profit, Northern Virginia Family Services. The position required an MA in counseling, and my Spanish language skills were a plus. Thank you, Ann Wood, for hiring me and being a wonderful supervisor! My job title, Community Development Specialist, involved providing support to Hispanic and Vietnamese families living in the Culmore low-income housing neighborhood. Basically, a combination of social work and counseling, it provided me more fulfilling, lucrative, and self-enhancing employment. I spent many hours advocating for tenants in danger of being evicted, as well as students threatened with expulsion from the local elementary school. Now, for the first time, I had a salary and health insurance.

I trip and fall forward.

The isolated atmosphere of my years in the Legion of Christ far away from the US, and the sheltered nature of my Catholic priestly life in the Washington, DC area, had left several holes in my life skills and inculturation. I was yet to know about resources for those of us coming out of isolation into the world, such as Livia Bardin’s Starting Out in Mainstream America 5. My ignorance of American diversity and mores contributed to a faux pas and the loss of a step up in my Fairfax County position. A lack of professional tact shot me in the foot, and I had to start all over again to scale the professional counseling ladder. I learned from my mistake and waited, finally landing my best job: Child and Family Therapist with Human Services of Arlington County, Virginia. Thank you, Diana Manganelli, for believing in this still inexperienced, single, 50-year-old Spanish-speaking foreign Caucasian! And more than transformed me over those years.

Friends, Family and Romance

I had been very clear with myself on my road to recovery that I would not make any further hasty decisions, meaning not committing to a serious relationship or entering marriage soon after leaving the priesthood. I was actually angry at the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi and their so-called spiritual directors telling exiting celibate members to get married and raise a family. I wanted to learn to be independent. I spent many lonely hours being single, which meant eating out and going to the movies alone. Slowly, I began to socialize with new groups of friends. I was still attached to Mexico and became close friends with three Mexican couples; around 1990, I began joining them for meals and family celebrations. I also had a small group of English-speaking friends: my Portuguese couple, an American single woman, and a Swiss-born atheist biologist and his English-born wife. I dated quite a bit without getting overly involved.

Among my priorities was getting back my family. For 23 years I had been separated from my four sisters, their spouses, and their children. Newfound freedom and income enabled me to visit them in Ireland and renew our relationships. I remember one very intense encounter where we ironed out our misunderstandings, and I was able to apologize to them for my isolation and silence. I made a point of visiting family in Ireland every 2 or 3 years and have been able to normalize our relationships and build strong bonds with some nieces and nephews, a source of great satisfaction and joy.

ICSA and Aura

International Cultic Studies Association has helped put my former group Legion of Christ/Regnum Christi, whose nomenclature had morphed into the Regnum Christi Federation, on the world radar of harmful groups. Our first breakthrough, a presentation at an international conference, came through a victim of the founder Father Marcial Maciel’s sexual abuse. Other former members gradually made their way into the field through presentations and studies. My participation in the group’s activities, collegial collaboration, networking, and friendships over the past 30 years has been very healing and fulfilling.

In my 60s, and living in the Washington, DC area, just before traveling to Brussels for the ICSA annual conference, I began a relationship with a smart and pretty Guatemalan woman. We continued to get to know each other on my return, and soon we were a couple. She gave me a second family to care for and by which to be cared for. We were at the same life stage and soon would retire from our jobs and plan the next stage of our lives. This ultimately led us to settle in Guatemala, Central America. So now I am a happy Irish-Mexican-Guatemalan enjoying life, still fighting the good fight for truth and justice in my own limited way, open to new challenges and adventures.

 

[1] At this link, you can find the author’s video presentation from the ICSA 2023 Conference, entitled: “My Stages of Recovery from a Coercive Catholic Religious Order.” Go to: https://vimeo.com/827455498?share=copy
[2] This phrase, “a naïve and sentimental Dubliner,” was the main title of the author’s memoir, published on St. Patrick’s Day, 2020. It is available on Amazon. The full title is A Naive and Sentimental Dubliner in the Legion of Christ: Surviving and Thriving after Dealings with Pedophile, Psychopath, Legion of Christ Founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel.

[3] This special bookstore was La Liberia Parroquial, Claveria, Mexico City.

[4] This complete video is available online at ICSA’s member portal, at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yxj4C-dnjgQbRvpOFkjt-w8CoJI8a-Zk/view

[5] Livia’s Barden resource, Starting Out in Mainstream America, can be accessed at https://sites.google.com/icsahome.com/starting-out

About the Author

Paul Lennon, STL, MA, LPC, Board member, Regain Network (Religious Groups Awareness International Network). Mr. Lennon was a Legion of Christ brother from 1961 to 1969 and an LC priest from 1969 to 1984. He served as a Diocesan priest from 1985 to 1989 and received an MA in Counseling from the Catholic University of America in 1989. For 20 years he worked as a Child and Family Therapist in Arlington, Virginia. In 2008 he published a memoir, Our Father who art in bed, A Naive and Sentimental Dubliner in the Legion of Christ which was the first version of what would become A Naive and Sentimental Dubliner in the Legion of Christ…

 

“Nos Parece Falso Presentar a la Legión de Cristo como un Grupo Sano”

“Nos Parece Falso Presentar a la Legión de Cristo como un Grupo Sano”

 

COMUNICADO DE SACERDOTES EXLEGIONARIOS A PROPÓSITO DE LA DOCUSERIE “MARCIAL MACIEL, EL LOBO DE DIOS”

“Este comunicado no pretende hablar en nombre de todos los que salieron, pero creemos que da voz al pensamiento de gran parte de ellos. En nuestro caso personal somos sacerdotes realizados en nuestro ministerio de servicio a la Iglesia y damos gracias a Dios por las experiencias positivas vividas, a pesar de este escándalo y de otras negativas.”

ReGAIN observa como gran número de personas, católicas, cristianas y pensantes se percataron de la serie HBO-MAX, Marcial Maciel, el Lobo de Dios y del impacto que tuvo en los medios, de las reacciones de exlegionarios y exRegnum Christi, de muchos periodistas y locutores de televisión,  y de la manera como el liderazgo de la Legión ha querido manejar la situación: hacia dentro cerrando filas, hacia fuera emitiendo documentos de prensa.

A ReGAIN nos parece interesante escuchar a un grupo de sacerdotes ex Legionarios que han ido abandonando la congregación durante las últimas décadas: explican sus preocupaciones, lo que han hecho desde la revelación de los desvíos del Fundador y del Cuadro de Mando; se presentan, aducen datos y opiones interesantes para nuestra consideración.

Religión Digital recoge su declaración:

If you are thinking of leaving a coercive or high control group or situation

Suggestions for you if you are doubting or considering leaving a questionable group or relationship

 

 

If you are thinking of leaving a cohercive group or relationship

“By their fruits ye shall know them” – perhaps: how good and bad works can deceive- THE CASE OF THE REGNUM CHRISTI FEDERATION

“By their fruits ye shall know them” – perhaps: how good and bad works can deceive – the case of the Legion of Christ

Presentation 2012 Montreal at International Cultic Studies Association annual conference

The cultic studies field includes many cases in which the commendable actions of certain groups incline some observers to view the groups as good.  Conversely, the blameworthy actions of certain groups incline some observers to view those groups as bad.  Contrary to the well-known Biblical saying, however, the situation is often more complex and differentiated than it appears, and one cannot necessarily judge a group by its fruits, especially when one is not aware of all the fruits. The case to be explored is that of the Legion of Christ, a congregation within the Roman Catholic Church, and its lay sister organization, Regnum Christi.  Former Legion priest, J. Paul Lennon, will discuss the Legion’s fruits, in appearance and in reality, and point out some bad fruits.

 

 

GOOD AND BAD FRUITS IN THE LEGION OF CHRIST CATHOLIC RELIGIOUS ORDER

 

By J. Paul Lennon, MA, STL.

 

Official Catholic Church Stance:

“The Legion of Christ Produces Many Good Fruits; therefore, it is a Good Religious Order Blessed by God.”

 

“Independently of the person of the Founder, the worthy apostolate of the Legionaries of Christ and of the Association ‘Regnum Christi’ is gratefully recognized.”

[COMMUNIQUE CONCERNING FOUNDER OF LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 2006 (VIS)]

“Naturally corrections must be made, but by and large the congregation is sound. In it there are many young men who enthusiastically want to serve the faith. This enthusiasm must not be destroyed. Many of them have been called by a false figure to what is, in the end, right after all. This is the remarkable thing, the paradox, that a false prophet, so to speak, could still have a positive effect.”[1]

The belief held by Pope Benedict XVI, by his Delegate to the Legion of Christ, and by the Leadership of the order can be formulated as followed: The Legion of Christ Produces Many Good Fruits; therefore it must be good.

In this brief presentation the author will describe some the Legion’s good fruits, explore them more in depth, and describe other, bad or ambiguous fruits, which the Legion produces. A brief collation of Scripture passages will direct the reader to the Founder of Christianity and the spiritual nature of fruits envisioned by Jesus and Paul. A soul-searching Christian philosophical discussion of the complexity of “by their fruits ye shall know them” from an Irish former Legionary living in Mexico follows. Finally, an active priest, former Legionary, will explain the fruits of Marcial Maciel, an endemic illness in the Legion of Christ system which appears to preclude true conversion and reform.

 

 

 

The Legion’s Good Fruits

  • Rapid Growth in Members

The Legion of Christ (LC) is a Roman Catholic congregation of pontifical right, made up of priests and seminarians studying for the priesthood. It was founded in Mexico in 1941, by Marcial Maciel, who directed the congregation as its General Director until January 2005. (…) The Legion of Christ has priests working in over 22 countries, and had 889 priests and 2,373 seminarians as of December 31, 2010. In the U.S. it operates 9 schools (and assists at several others) and two of a small number of seminaries for teenage boys currently operating in the US.

Its lay movement Regnum Christi has approximately 70,000 members, and the youth branch ECYD has tens of thousands. The Legion has about 300 students in its own major seminary, Center for Higher Studies, in Rome, in varying stages of preparation to be ordained as Legion priests.

 

  • International Training Center for Priests

The Jewel in the Legion’s Crown of apostolic works, from a Catholic point of view, is clearly the International Center for Priests in Rome, Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum[2]. This seminary accepts students from all over the world to provide them with training for the priesthood. To be approved by Pope and the Vatican to train priests in the heart of Christendom, Rome, is, perhaps, the greatest honor for a religious order; a fact that would not be lost on the Jesuits who traditionally had been the order of priest trainers. One of the Jesuits’ claims to glory was that for centuries they were the priest trainers par excellence… The Legion was seen –although not said- by many to supplant the Jesuits in being “the Pope’s Battalion”, his closest allies, and the ones entrusted with the training of priests.

“The growing student body of the Legion of Christ´s Pontifical Athenaeum in Rome began the school year with a clear message: prepare yourselves to take up the Church´s mission.

‘October marked the beginning of the ninth academic year for the Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. This year the Athenaeum has a student body of 1,600, divided into three faculties: theology, philosophy and bioethics. The Institute for Religious Sciences, which is associated with the Athenaeum, is in its third year and now has 700 students. This year it will offer courses in Pedagogy of the Consecrated Life as well as Vocational Ministry.

Cardinal Camilo Ruini, the Vicar of the Holy Father for the city of Rome and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, presided over the Inaugural Mass of the Holy Spirit and offered a keynote address for the new academic year.’”[3]

 

  • Schools, Colleges, and Universities:

In Mexico, the Legionaries administer the Anahuac University Network. They operate centers of education (minor seminaries, seminaries, schools and/or universities) in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Israel, Korea, Poland, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, the United States, and the Philippines. In the U.S. they run 9 schools (and assists at several others) and two of a small number of seminaries for teenage boys currently operating in the US.[4]

 

 

All that Glitters is not Gold

1.1 Members Defecting:

To begin with, the numbers given above are self-reported by Legion of Christ leadership. Although these statistics may be “official” and appearing in the books of the Vatican Congregation (Department) for Religious (Orders), there is no guarantee that they are faithfully reported by Legion leadership. The Vatican exercises little if any oversight on reports submitted by the Legion. Statistics are not verified by independent sources and there is no access to Legion archives. The Legion, naturally, does not report “defections” either during training or after ordination. Numbers of exiting members can only be calculated anecdotally and come to the public’s attention only when there is a major “scandal” that is picked up by the media. The real question remains, how many Legionary students and priests leave the ranks every year?

It is hard to gather statistics on Legion defections as this was information that was always carefully controlled by Legion administrators and it was the custom that members left under cover of darkness and in silence, “in fear and trembling”. The writer calculates that in the past 5 years 100 of the 800 priests have left the Legion. Since 2009, departures have been more visible and some members have voiced their reasons for leaving. Such is the case of gifted Legionary priests such as Fr. Richard Gill[5], Thomas Berg, Stephen Fichter, James Farfaglia[6], et al. who have made successful transitions to the diocesan clergy. Some have strongly criticized the Legion system and explained their reasons for leaving. Fr. Gill’s analysis of the Legion made the headlines. Titled, Can the Legion of Christ be Repaired? it appeared on Sandro Magister’s blog as Legionaries, The Ten Questions of Fr. Richard Gill[7]. Reflecting on the first stage of Legion reform enacted by the Apostolic Delegate, Fr. Gill formulates ten probing questions about the essence of the Legion of Christ. They cast doubt on the possibility of reform for the Legion if it keeps its prevailing mindset and attitudes.

A big blow to the Legion was the defection en masse of over 30 “consecrated” female members of the Regnum Christi in 2011 to form their own new religious group, Totus Tuus[8]. Around that time, a former RC member revealed that “340 Consecrated Leave Regnum Christi in Three years, Why?” asks former member, Nieves Garcia[9].

 

2.1. International Training Center for Priests

We should ask ourselves, with what right has the Legion of Christ set itself up as the training institute for Catholic priests. It is disconcerting to consider how the Vatican has allowed the Legion to attribute to itself such a mission. Where does the Legion get the training method that it imparts to is students? Where does the Legion get the wisdom to impart holiness to its seminarians, from around the world and to those in its own ranks? The spirituality of the Legion as a religious order would normally come from the example and writings of its founder. The example of the Legion founder has been totally discredited. The founder’s writings, the 12 volumes of the Letters of Nuestro Padre, have likewise fallen into disrepute. What was supposed to be the gem of the founder’s mysticism, Psalter of My Days, turned out to be plagiarized by Fr. Maciel from a Spanish freedom fighter in the 1940s. Through ghost writers Fr. Maciel authored Integral Formation of Catholic Priests[10] which is still available on Amazon.

The writer wonders whether that is the manual that guides the training of young adult students at the Legion run international seminary in Rome. The book presently figures as Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,035,792 in Books and the glowing description of Fr. Maciel and his works can still be read there. “This is a classic textbook for the formation of seminarians, currently used in over 20 diocesan seminaries in five nations. The fruit of Fr. Maciel’s 50+ years of experience in forming priests of the Church, Integral Formation of Catholic Priests is an insightful look at priestly formation for the clergy of today and tomorrow.” The author wonders whether Fr. Maciel’s methods may not be better described as “The Integral Deformation of Catholic Priests.” But Legion followers may be so dazzled by the appearances that they cannot see the irony.

Long time Legion critic, Jason Berry, reported on Tuesday, August 4, 2009 referring to the Legion’s own seminary:

“Center for Higher Studies: Rome Concentration Camp

‘The atmosphere in House of Studies is bizarre,” a Legion priest said glumly, sitting on a bench near the Tiber River, fearful of repercussions should his name be used. “Even now, the brothers (seminarians) have not been told about Maciel’s pedophilia. Their mail is screened and web access restricted.’

He considers the 320 seminarians ‘brainwashed. They read the letters of Nuestro Padre” — Our Father, as Maciel, touted internally as a future saint, was called. “Three years after the Holy Father punished him, they study his writings. Priests can spend time freely outside. The brothers are in a concentration camp.’”[11] We assume that things are different after the Apostolic Visitation ordered by the Vatican. Some notable defections have been reported and news leaking from the inside regarding the atmosphere of control and fear are disheartening.

 

3.1 From High Schools to Hotels.

In recent years, beginning with the Vatican’s censure of Maciel in 2006 but especially after revelations of his double and disreputable life, there has been a falling off in contribution to the Legion and decrease in the number of educational centers. REGAIN,INC webpage recently reported the “Legion is ending their role in the Sacramento area[12] following their decision in 2011 to close their only U.S Legion run university and their Immaculate Conception Apostolic School, a high school seminary in Colfax, California.” REGAIN asked: Why Is The Legion Closing Their Schools in the United States and Elsewhere?[13] “Why does the Legion have educational facilities? Were the schools in Sacramento and elsewhere established for a spiritual purpose to provide Catholic education? Or is it more likely that these institutions existed as a means to some end?” The article suggested the following explanation: “So if you look at the situation from a perspective of following the money the logical explanation for the Legion pulling out of an area is because they choose to remain in those areas where the profits are the greatest.”

This writer suggests that Legion schools, like their other “apostolates” are a means to less apparent ends: fundraising, visibility/image, and influence. For the order whose founder portrayed himself as “a friend of Pope John Paul II” image is a most important factor. The Legion tends to position itself -the term coined by Maciel survivor and Legion critic, Jose Barba, PhD, “iuxta-position”- close to the Pope, the Vatican, holiness, etc. This may explain why the Legion is now turning its attention to the Holy Land. The Legion administers one hotel in Jerusalem, The Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center[14] and is pouring money into another large hotel in Magdala in Galilee[15]. Let us be clear; the Legion is not necessarily investing its money. It is requesting donations to invest Catholics’ money in the hotel. The iuxta-positioning is clear. If the Legion can no longer associate itself with the Vicar of Christ, it will now associate itself with the land of Christ, portraying itself as a champion of peace in the Middle East and an educator of and host to pilgrims to the land of the Founder of Christianity.

 

The Legion’s Bad Fruits

 

Fr. Maciel’s accomplices

Of course, the first really bad apple was the founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel. Students of the Legion also ponder how Maciel could have lived such a corrupt life style for so long without help from others. Maciel was a master of deceit and control; apparently he controlled a circle of sexual victims and procurers. He also had a circle of those who abetted him and helped him stay in power for six decades. The Papal Delegate seems to have made a real blunder by not dismissing these accomplices. Such is the opinion recently expressed by very prestigious former Legionary, Fr. Thomas Berg, now Professor of Moral Theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York

“…First, he has chosen to leave multiple longtime and close collaborators of Maciel in positions of governance in the congregation. Second, and more disturbing, the Cardinal has chosen to forego a thorough and independent investigation into whether any present or former members of the congregation knowingly abetted Maciel.”[16]

 

Not so holy priests

The image of immaculate Legion priests suffered greatly with the revelation that the Legion’s knight in shining armor came crashing from his horse: a director, professor and author of books on moral theology, television personality, “Vatican analyst”, Legion spokesperson and apologist, Fr. Thomas Williams, had fathered a child as an active priest and he and his superiors had kept it for secret for over a decade. The very orthodox and formerly Legion owned National Catholic Register reported:

Legionary Priest Admits Fathering Child and Issues Apology

Father Thomas Williams is leaving public ministry for 1 year.

 

Father Thomas Williams, one of the most high-profile American members of the Legion of Christ, is leaving public ministry after admitting he fathered a child.

“A number of years ago I had a relationship with a woman and fathered her child. I am deeply sorry for this grave transgression and have tried to make amends,” Father Williams said in a May 15 statement.

“My superiors and I have decided it would be best for me to take a year without active public ministry to reflect on the wrong I have done and my commitments as a priest. I am truly sorry to everyone who is hurt by this revelation, and I ask for your prayers as I seek guidance on how to make up for my errors.”

He also apologized to members of the Legion and the Church, “since this scandalous news will damage them as well, at the worst possible moment.”

The identities of the mother and child have not been revealed.

Father Williams also said that he is with his family in Michigan and is being treated for a form of cancer [17].

 

Other Legionaries priests sex abusers?

Ever since the Legion revealed the disreputable life of its founder it has wished to repudiate him, attributing vices to him and maintaining that these vices were not transmitted to his followers. Recently allegations of sexual abuse by Legionary priests were reported to the Vatican which began –another- investigation into the Legion of Christ.

“VATICAN CITY — The Vatican is investigating seven priests from the troubled Legion of Christ religious order for alleged sexual abuse of minors – evidence that the scandal over the order’s pedophile founder doesn’t rest solely with him, The Associated Press has learned.

Two other Legion priests are being investigated by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for alleged sacramental violations, believed to involve abusing spiritual direction and other pastoral care to have inappropriate sexual relations with women.

The investigations mark the first known Vatican action against Legion priests following the revelations of the Legion’s founder, who was long held up as a model by the Vatican despite credible accusations – later proven – that he was a drug addict who raped and molested his seminarians.

The Legion, which is now under Vatican receivership, has insisted that the crimes of the Rev. Marcial Maciel were his alone.

But the Vatican investigation of other Legion priests indicates that the same culture of secrecy that Maciel created within the order to cover his crimes enabled other priests to abuse children – just as abusive clergy of other religious orders and dioceses have done around the world.”[18]

 

Devastation caused by the Legion’s Methodology

REGAIN, INC arose in the early 90s from the concerns of former Legionaries, their relatives and friends regarding the state of physical, psychological and spiritual disarray of active and departing members We do not have statistics but we can say that over the past twenty years there has been a steady stream of former members who feel they were mistreated, manipulated, and abused in various ways during their time in the Legion.

ReGAIN’s mission is to outreach, unite and support those touched or adversely affected by the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi Movement. Past and present members and all those who quest for justice and truth, resolution and healing are invited to join in this endeavor.[19]

ReGAIN has been the repository of many tales of woe, of wounded warriors seeking information, support and guidance as they recover from their Legion experience. While popes, bishops, and gullible Catholics have lauded the Legion, its methods, and its works, REGAIN has witnessed the devastation caused by Legion methods, spiritual directors and superiors who do not have the best interests of the members at heart. It has ministered to the angry and confused, to the disoriented and frustrated individuals and families who have been damaged. While admirers have watched the triumphal march of the Legion in the Church and in the world, we have scoured the beaches, salvaged shipwrecks, rescued survivors, and bound the wounds with our very limited resources. And the Legion has even punished us and tried to prevent us from carrying out our mission of mercy.

We have excavated the truth from under layers of lies, educating the public about the true nature of the Legion of Christ and its Regnum Christi Movement. It seems that contrary to St. Augustine’s teaching, the Legion has used people and loved things (money, wealth, and power); and all in the name of the Kingdom of God.

In the last few years a new, vibrant, well informed, and interactive blog keeps the public updated on the activities of Legion and Regnum Christi at http://www.life-after-rc.com/

Another webpage, in Spanish, also keeps the Legion honest: http://avlcrc.blogspot.com/

 

Damaging Effects Caused by Legion Training

In 2012 a group of young women who studied as the Regnum Christi Residential High School in Rhode Island have taken to the Internet. They describe their blog:

This blog is an account of the experiences of former Pre-candidates of the Regnum Christi Movement. Many of us suffered real mental, emotional and spiritual damage in our years at Immaculate Conception Academy (High School Boarding). We share our stories here to warn parents of the very real dangers of handing your daughters over to this flawed institution. What you see when your daughters come home for a week at Christmas and two weeks in the summer is not what happens the other 49 weeks of the year.

They were called “Pre-candidates”, that is, young female high school students preparing to consecrate themselves to the lay movement founded by Fr. Marcial Maciel. Some common damaging effects gleaned from reading the testimonies:

  1. Major Depressive Disorder with suicidal thoughts and attempts; Dissociation, etc.:

Letter from M.[20] to Apostolic Visitor Bishop Ricardo Watty in February 2010: Your Excellency:

I have been pondering this letter for about a week since I knew I would have the opportunity to present this letter to you, and my mind began to fill with ideas and emotions. I have written so many stories about the pain and suffering Regnum Christi left in my life, an anguish so severe that I tried to take my own life. I’m sure you don’t have time to read the screenplay that I created to express in story form what I went through as a member of the Third Degree of Regnum Christi. Or the 150 pages I wrote about my “vocation story” while I was recovering from my overdose. (…) Zero was my clinical depression before joining the Regnum Christi. During my second year, we were given MMPIs (the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) and made to draw psychoanalytic images. Not surprisingly, I drew a weeping willow tree, a classic symbol of depression, and my MMPI scores were higher than I ever saw when working in a clinical practice. Seven is the number of days I spent under medications after my overdose while the doctors saved my life. My life was saved because as I was about to die from internal bleeding, I received a picture in my head that I could not die because there existed the possibility that I could have a family and a happy life as a writer. Because of that possibility, I was taken to the hospital.

 

  1. Emotional and Psychological Abuse at the hands of inept, cruel and manipulative “Spiritual Guides” leading to Severe Psychological Damage: Former Consecrated wrote[21]: I would like to share one thing with all the former pre-candidates, if you are trying to figure out why you were treated the way you were, I suggest you give up and remember the following – your formators had NO TRAINING WHATSOEVER on how to help you be a better person, how to respect your human rights, how to develop your personal talents or help you discern a vocation. The only training they were given was how to get you to comply with the ideals and discipline…(…) So, if you feel confused because you don’t understand why someone treated you a certain way well, this might be 80 or 90% of your answer. No one saw you as an END, only as a MEANS to benefit the Movement and enlarge the numbers for the consecrated life. M wrote: Two, the number of people I told about how suicidal I was as a consecrated: my spiritual guide and my Mom. My spiritual guide continued to emotionally abuse me by constantly picking on every weakness I had. My Mom told me that I probably had an illness called depression and it could be treated with medication and therapy. My spiritual guide was very angry and since my Mom knew I was unwell, they told me they had to send me home. In retrospect, that person was probably trying to follow the rules of the Movement, but they were harmful to me and left deep wounds on my psyche for many years that followed. Eight the number of years I have spent in psychotherapy recovering from the Movement, beginning at 3 times a week and gradually going down to once a week when I could hold off my depression that long.

 

 

  1. Anorexia Nervosa + Spiritual Abuse: One girl in our class was anorexic and the rest of the girls began to eat as little as possible. When she was in the hospital, I overhead the directress of the school telling the priest not to give her Communion unless she ate.

 

  1. Physical Illness deriving from mental cruelty: Ten – the number of pounds I lost when I got the rotavirus after telling my spiritual guide that I didn’t understand how the Movement would fulfill its mission if all we did was work in schools and she told me that I was talking like an enemy of the Movement. My directress ordered me to gain back the weight over the next months but I was so depressed I was barely able to chew food.

 

 

  1. Mind Control[22]: Number Twenty Six – July 26, 2002, the day I flew home from Monterrey, Mexico so suicidal I could no longer think clearly, but so integrated into what being consecrated meant that I could not help myself from recruiting members on the airplane. One hundred and fifty – the number of Aspirin I took on Sept. 11, 2003 when I could no longer bear the thought that happiness could never be mine as I was not good enough to be a consecrated (member of the Regnum Christi).

 

  1. Pre-mature Recruiting: Number Nine – 9- the age at which they began to recruit me. Please note that I was not at an age in which children have yet developed complex reasoning. Thirty – the number of students that were in the 6th grade class I gave Spiritual Direction to in Monterrey as we started to recruit them to consecrated life. I feel guilty as I remember their names and their faces and afraid of what the Movement might have done to them in their futures.

 

  1. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: 2,921 – the number of days in 8 years. How many nightmares I estimate that I have had since leaving consecrated life as symptoms of Post-traumatic stress disorder. I have one that I remember about once a week, so it would be safe to say that I have one every night during the other dreams that I don’t remember….

 

  1. Ignorance regarding Sex and Interpersonal Relationships leaving members ignorant, immature, and ill equipped for real life: Former Consecrated wrote: One thing I still can’t understand is that there was never any sex ed.! Perhaps this is why so many have had difficulties with sentimental relationships, emotions, dating and even husbands. Maybe you got that education later on – lucky you! Some left their home at 14 or 15 and went back at 18 or in their 20s. During that time many of your friends had their hearts broken, got sharper at dating, lost naiveté and had helpful experiences regarding sexuality (some not helpful at all ha-ha-ha). And then the ex-pc arrives home and the whole guy thing gets complicated, she does not know how to handle it. I find the lack of sex ed. at the PC and even 3gf life to also be one of the “damaging” aspects, even if we didn’t clearly notice it. Some 3gf suggested to higher superiors to include some books on sex education during formation years. The answer was no, it was “imprudent” because, what if they got aroused while reading that information? (yep, my jaw dropped too when I heard the answer).

9.Rejection of one’s cradle Faith (of the Catholic Church): I still believe in Him…(…) However, I cannot ever return to a Church that knew about the horrors within the Movement and chose to ignore it for more than fifty years, long before I ever would have joined, and could have prevented me from ever suffering what I did. I cannot return to a Church where the Pope praised the Movement and Marcial Maciel so many times in public, which was crucial to my entering and believing in it, when the evidence about the group was so craftily being hidden. It is too late to win me back to the Church, but if you act quickly and deftly, you may still be able to save the faith of others.

 

  1. Spiritual Pride and Judgmental-ness: Frances[23] writes: It’s been absolutely amazing and eye-opening to me to think back to the insane life that was the PC. Yet, there we were, tucked back in there, us Russian Princesses and Nuns of Narragansett, better than our peers because we had chosen to give our lives to God. Those other mere mortals were living flamboyant and sinfully pleasurable lives; because wasn’t life all about sacrifice and self-denial? For a group that preached “universal Christian charity” it’s amazing to think how much we judged any and all who weren’t doing exactly as we were. “Oh, she must not be generous with God, she is going HOME”. “Oh did you hear? So and so had fun/danced/got pregnant/etc. etc.” Seriously?! Who were we to judge or say what God’s will was for someone else? We were better somehow for giving our lives to God, others who were called to vocations such as marriage were lesser beings, not capable of the love and devotion we chosen souls were capable of. The hubris of those thoughts disgusts me even as I write it.

 

  1. Loss of Humanity and Freedom

Frances states: How is it that 80 girls could live so close together, do absolutely everything together for years, and yet know so little about each other? I think we were only allowed to speak a total of about 30 minutes a day, maybe less. The rest of the time we walked about like drones, taking in what we were told we could take in, nothing more, nothing less.

 

The very essence of what it means to be a human, to have the freedom to choose was taken away and put inside the tightest of boxes: the schedule. Every minute of every day was planned out, to the point that if you got constipated, good luck. Your free time didn’t allow enough time to remedy that problem.

 

I remember one year after final exams, going outside and yelling FREEEEDOOMMMM (Brave-heart style) with a couple other PC’s. We earned an intolerably long lecture about the inappropriateness of such behavior. We were teenagers, for Christ’s sake.

 

Forgiveness and Healing

Another, well liked, former member of Regnum Christi, Nieves Garcia, has her own Spanish language blog, granito de verdad con amor[24], grain of truth with love.

No amount of good works can justify the bad works that have been done and continue to be done. In her testimony as a former member of the Regnum Christi looking back over her twenty seven years in the Movement:

Once truth comes to light, it behooved us to review our way of life. When we did this, many of us realized that we, too, had done harm to others. Hundreds of good fruits do not justify bad fruits. We are human beings; we are not things, vegetables, “sacks of potatoes.”  To justify evil by the amount of good fruits produced is to accept evil as a means to a good end.

I lived 27 years in this institution. I, too, have done harm to others without wanting to. And I ask forgiveness. But I cannot continue to deceive. What I want is for us to become aware, ask forgiveness, and open ourselves to the grace of conversion. We have to change. People are not numbers or the fruits of my harvest; they are human beings loved for who they are by God, and they deserve total respect. It is about service, not about appearances. God knows the reality: “Don’t let you left hand know the [good] works your right hand is doing.” Only in a state of humility will God bless those who love and serve others unselfishly.

There have been good fruits. Great! But we should never do harm to anyone, ever; much less in the name of God.

Nieves Garcia.[25]

 

The Teaching of Sacred Scripture

What Jesus Said

Matthew 7:17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

Cross References:

Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

Matthew 12:33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

Matthew 12:35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible helps to understand the mystery of Fr. Maciel

“So every good tree – As the thorn can only produce thorns, not grapes; and the thistle, not figs, but prickles; so an unregenerate heart will produce fruits of degeneracy. As we perfectly know that a good tree will not produce bad fruit, and the bad tree will not, cannot produce good fruit, so we know that the profession of godliness, while the life is ungodly, is imposture, hypocrisy, and deceit. A man cannot be a saint and a sinner at the same time. Let us remember, that as the good tree means a good heart, and the good fruit, a holy life, and that every heart is naturally vicious; so there is none but God who can pluck up the vicious tree, create a good heart, plant, cultivate, water, and make it continually fruitful in righteousness and true holiness.”

And from JesusWalk

Luke 6:43-45

[43] “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. [44] Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. [45] The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

What St. Paul Teaches

In Galatians, chapter five (13-26), Paul lists seventeen things as “works of the flesh” and nine things as “fruit of The Spirit”. He says that flesh and Spirit are in conflict. And he urges us to live by The Spirit and not by the flesh.

Works Of The Flesh(Self-indulgence)  Fruit Of The Spirit

  1. Adultery 1. Love
  2. Fornication                  2. Joy
  3. Impurity 3. Peace
  4. Sensuality (lewdness) 4. Patience
  5. Idolatry 5. Kindness)
  6. Witchcraft       6. Goodness
  7. Hatred 7. Trustfulness
  8. Rivalry (discord) 8. Gentleness
  9. Jealousy                    9. Self-control
  10. Anger
  11. Quarrels
  12. Disagreements
  13. Heresies
  14. Envy
  15. Factions and malice
  16. Drunkenness
  17. Orgies and all such things”

 

Fruits, Good and Bad, are Spiritual and come from the deep Heart of a Person

Biblical Commentary

Scripture:  Mark 7:14-23

14 And he called the people to him again, and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him.” 17 And when he had entered the house, and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters, not his heart but his stomach, and so passes on?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man.”

Meditation:

Where does evil spring from and what’s the solution for eliminating it from our lives?  Jesus deals with this issue in response to the religious leaders’ concern with ritual defilement — making oneself unfit to offer sacrifice and worship to God.  The religious leaders were concerned with avoiding ritual defilement, some no doubt out of fear of God, and others out of fear of pleasing other people.  Jesus points his listeners to the source of true defilement — evil desires which come from inside a person’s innermost being.  Sin does not happen.  It first springs from the innermost recesses of our thoughts and intentions, from the secret desires which only the individual soul can conceive.  God in his mercy sent his only Son Jesus to save us from our sins.  But to receive his mercy, we must admit our faults.  “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). Only God can change our hearts and make them clean and whole through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Like a physician who probes the wound before treating it, God through his Word and Spirit first brings it to light that we may recognize it for what it is and call upon his mercy and grace for pardon and healing.  The Spirit of truth is the Consoler.  The Spirit gives us the gift of the truth of conscience and the gift of the certainty of redemption in Jesus Christ.

When Cain was jealous of his brother, Abel, God warned him to guard his heart: “Sin is couching at the door; it’s desire is for you, but you must master it” (Genesis 4:7). Do you allow any sinful desires to couch at your door?  We do not need to entertain or succumb to sinful desires or thoughts, but instead, through the grace of God, we can choose to put them to death rather than allow them mastery over us. The Lord is every ready to change and purify our hearts through his Holy Spirit who dwells within us. His power and grace enables us to choose what is good and to reject what is evil. Do you believe in the power of God’s love to change and transform your heart?

“Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit and make my heart like yours. Strengthen my heart and my will that I may I choose to love what is good and to hate what is evil.”

 

The Fruits of the Legion of Christ,

Christian Philosophical Considerations

By Former Legionary of Christ

Alexander Anderson Greville,

Managing Director

Acorde Advisors AG

To affirm that the fruits (i.e. good works) of a person or institution are sufficient proof of their inherent goodness is questionable.

The Gospel admonition that “by their fruits you shall know them” does not refer exclusively to good works done or achieved, but to the whole human action involved in this achievement. To dissociate results from the manner in which they were obtained, or the true intentions behind these actions, is simplistic and could lead to mistaken conclusions, even in the secular arena. There is no doubt that certain dictators, for example Napoleon or Mussolini, had lofty intentions and glorious achievements, but at what cost in human freedom and human lives?

Ethical, moral and more so Christian behavior does not consist in a sort of tally where one adds up the good and bad works of an individual to come up with a positive balance and conclude that good was done. Indeed, on the contrary, in the Catholic vision this balance could be almost entirely negative, i.e. bad, and yet merit salvation for the individual. This contrasts with the Calvinist interpretation which assigned enormous importance to earthly success (“good works”) as a visible sign of an individual´s eternal salvation, and is perhaps the source of the much-touted “Protestant work ethic”.

In relation to the “fruits” of a person or institution there are two aspects to be considered before concluding that they are “good” or “bad”.

Firstly, the intention: the great philosopher, Emmanuel Kant, said that an action is good, ethically speaking, only on condition that it is totally disinterested, i.e. nothing else is desired but good itself. If there is any ulterior motive, whatever it may be, then the action is not truly moral. This is called “purity of intention” in the religious sphere. In the case of Marcial Maciel and the congregation he founded, the Legion of Christ, one cannot deny that many good works have been attained, yet there are elements present which give the impression that the intentions behind these achievements could have been tainted.  Specifically, and based on well-documented anecdotal evidence and facts, one could raise questions such as: were they motivated by monetary gain (?), by a desire for notoriety; growth in the number of adherents as an end in itself (“empire-building”)? by a desire to gain influence and power in the Church and in civil society? We know that many, if not most, of Fr. Maciel´s followers did not have such obscure intentions and are truly inspired individuals, yet we are not talking here about individuals, but about an institution, so these followers of Maciel may have been unwitting accomplices to these tainted goals, and the end result, the “fruits”, were not truly good. Integrity may be present in most of the individuals but was and is not a hallmark of the institution itself.

Secondly, and related to the first point, what means and methods were used to achieve these fruits or “good works” (?). If any form of coercion was employed such as peer pressure, excessive manipulation, overly-zealous recruiting techniques, reminders of dire personal consequences for not complying with God´s will, or whatever, this equally distorts the original intention and invalidates the morality of the whole process no matter how good the outcome has been: the fruits are partially a product of something other than the pure, unencumbered desire for the glory of God.

Unfortunately,  there is documented evidence of more obscure methods deployed by  the Legion of Christ in pursuit of its goals: questionable practices such as inordinately generous gifts  to senior members of the Roman Curia; falsification and/or substitution of documents submitted to Church authorities to expedite approval of the congregation´s constitution; disregard for Canon Law regarding important aspects of religious life such as spiritual direction and confession; an unwillingness to submit to the normal Church procedure for the female members desiring to consecrate their life to God ( i.e. approval by, and a vow of obedience to the local bishop ). Above all, the invention of vows designed to quell any internal criticism, however constructive and positive, of the institution´s directors, totally in contempt of Canon Law in the matter, and of the dignity of human reason and freedom. Many of these devious practices have now been abandoned, but one wonders if the culture of manipulation which inspired them remains.

Finally, if we were to accept that the “fruits” of an institution such as the Legion of Christ were indeed proof of its inherent goodness, would it withstand a more rigorous scrutiny and come out with a highly positive balance? Opinions on this may differ, but one could indeed question the abnormally high rate of attrition within the ranks (i.e. defections), many of whom left the congregation with serious trauma, or the many who stayed and were ostracized by Fr. Maciel for daring to disagree with him. Worst of all, the many who were victimized by his sexual proclivities, both inside and outside the congregation. What kind of internal governance, or non-governance, would allow a senior member of a religious institution, even its founder, to carry on a hidden life of drug abuse and sexual deviancy for fifty years without ever questioning and much less censuring such conduct (?)

We would also have to take into account the enormous reputational damage inflicted upon the Catholic Church by this scandalous behavior, and which is now casting a shadow over the life of the beloved and respected Pope John Paul II, not to mention the feeling of shock and deception produced in so many of the founder´s followers. Such considerations are impossible to quantify, but they should certainly be borne in mind in any evaluation of the institution in question, such that a highly positive balance is not a foregone conclusion.

The point of this essay has not been to deny or minimize the many good achievements in the human and spiritual spheres of the Legion of Christ. Yet an excessive contemplation of the “fruits” or good works of this institution runs the risk of blinding people to the possible existence of a fundamentally flawed orientation in the pursuit of these latter, the use of questionable means and methods and a cavalier attitude toward the institution´s egregious failings, leading to the conclusion that change is not necessary: “why should we criticize or change our ways?, we are vindicated by our good works!”

 

CAN THE LEGION OF CHRIST BE REPAIRED?

By Former Legionary,

Fr. Richard Gill, Church of St. Lawrence O’Toole, NY[26]

Just over a year ago, I decided that in good conscience I could no longer continue as a member of the Legionaries of Christ, and took action to incardinate in the Archdiocese of New York as a diocesan priest. The revelations about the sordid double life of the man who began the Legion of Christ, the late Fr. Marcial Maciel, are widely known. His lifetime of deviant sexual behavior, corruption, abuse and deception of several popes raised serious questions about how any valid charism could be transmitted by such a man. Those questions still remain largely unresolved. Although the Holy See has made an extraordinary effort and large investment of personnel to reform the Legion over the next several years in the hopes of saving it, a group of Vatican investigators referred to him as “a man without religious sentiment” and the Holy Father himself called Maciel a “false prophet”. 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.

What weighed on me even more than the scandals of Fr. Maciel however, was the manner in which the current superiors of the Legion, once they knew of the scandals, had failed to act, or acted in ways that consistently misled the membership. They sought to maintain an external unity at the expense of trust, honesty, needed reforms, and transparency. In the aftermath of the revelations about Maciel, they led a systematic effort to deny and minimize the facts about Fr. Maciel and thus revealed a profoundly disturbing attitude of paternalism toward their own religious. It was as if the priests and religious had no right to know of serious matters that affected their future, their freedom, and the commitment of their lives to the Congregation. I came to recognize that this pattern of activity was fruit of an internal culture Fr. Maciel had created and which would be extremely difficult to change, even with the assistance of the Holy See.

I write now as an outsider observing what is going on, but obviously I retain a great interest in the Legionaries with whom I served for 29 years. The Legionaries in my generation and afterwards were idealistic young men who saw in the Legion a great force for renewal of the Church and for collaboration with Pope John Paul II in the new springtime of evangelization. What we signed on for, motivated by true zeal and youthful hope has turned out a devastating demonstration of the human side of the Church, leaving many disillusioned beyond measure. I sincerely hope the project of reform will succeed, as I know from experience the Legion is populated by many very talented, intelligent, enterprising and holy priests who have much to offer the Church if properly channeled.

Despite efforts to move forward with a sense of normalcy, the situation within the Legion is a complicated and divided one. Approximately 70 priests of over 800 have abandoned the congregation. Among those who remain some passively hope the Vatican will simply dictate to the Legion the way forward. Others sincerely desire reform, but deeply distrust in the current superiors. Superiors discouraged open discussion of the issues involved citing the need for charity and forgiveness toward Maciel. There remains great deal of ignorance about what happened and how the scandal lasted over so many decades. Obedience, grounded in the idea that for the Legionary a superior represented the will of God, has become for many a tense and uneasy labor. Many have come to realize that the dynamic spiritual leadership needed in such a crisis has been, and continues to be severely lacking.

Vocations have dropped precipitously in places like the United States. Fundraising operations have been severely impacted which has led to decisions to sell a number of valuable properties and off-load important apostolates so the Legion can service its extensive debt payments. Much the same is true of Spain, where vocations have been very weak for some years and now the Legion is also faced with severe financial strains and finds itself forced to sell schools and other assets to support operations.

Cardinal De Paolis, named Delegate of the Holy Father last July has moved slowly up to now on the process of reform, which is still in its beginning stages. In a conference given to the Legionaries in Rome January 3, he outlined a process of revision of the Legion’s Constitutions by a commission of his assistants and several Legionary priests. De Paolis has insisted that this work be deliberate and extend over the course of three years, to cover in 2011 the “identity and spirituality” of the Legion, then in 2012, the formation system, and in 2013, the government and administration of the Legion. Presumably after that there will be time for redaction, and approval by a special General Chapter convoked for the purpose and final approval by the Holy See. It seems the process will extend out into 2014 or 2015 at least.

On the first of February, the Legion announced the establishment of a five person “Outreach Commission” charged with the task of hearing complaints from victims of Maciel and making recommendations to Cardinal De Paolis. Soon there will be another commission appointed to study with the finances of the Legion. A fourth area of work is that of the Apostolic Visitation to the consecrated men and women of Regnum Christi currently underway with Bp. Ricardo Blázquez of Spain.

De Paolis has insisted that every Legionary participate in the process of revising the Constitutions, and that it be done in a spirit of fraternal dialogue and respect. It is difficult to exaggerate the enormous paradigm shift this represents for Legionaries, since the Constitution of Maciel was understood to express the will of God in detail. Card. De Paolis has overturned that belief of Legionaries and is asking them to take responsibility for reshaping the Legion under his guidance. With Fr. Maciel completely discredited in De Paolis’ eyes and in no way a point of reference for the future, the new form the Legionaries will take is anyone’s guess.

The approach of Cardinal De Paolis demonstrates a great deal of thought has gone into the process on the part of the Vatican. An attempt last year by the Legion’s superiors to rush through for his approval a revised version of the Constitution was quickly rejected. There is much to be said for a longer timeline to make the reforms needed, as he is dealing not with mere legal technicalities to have the Legion conform better to Canon Law, but a thoroughgoing change of the internal culture. Such change, in any organization that is seventy years old and numbers thousands of members, requires time, reflection, and assimilation.

Despite these positive signs several difficulties do seem apparent with the Cardinal’s current approach, namely:

  1. The Legion as a “work of God”

In his letter to Legionaries October 19, 2010 which marked the beginning his concerted work, he called the Legion a “work of God”. He did not explain in what sense it was a work of God, or how God uses such a man as Maciel. It seemed a point he took for granted. One major difficulty with that concession is that for loyal “macielistas”, it is a phrase pregnant with meaning. Because for Maciel himself, who called the Legion a “work of God” incessantly, it meant that every detail of the Constitutions and Norms were inspired by the Holy Spirit and could not be called into question. Such a premature concession of language was a serious mistake, making it harder for Legionaries to understand there are things that are gravely defective in the structure and the spirituality Maciel left behind as his legacy.

Such language also sidesteps what is a serious issue at the core of the scandal: in what sense there is a valid “charism” to the Legion of Christ. Simply asserting it is from God does not make it so; even it is said by the Papal Delegate. What is needed is an explanation of how a valid, approved charism in the Legion can exist despite Fr. Maciel.

What is also needed is a clarification of precisely what that charism consists in. During the lifetime of Fr. Maciel there were various versions at various points in time, due to shifting expressions given by Maciel himself: such as “formation of leaders”, “most effective action”, “Gospel charity”. It was always rather embarrassing that Legionaries could never really agree on what their charism was; much less explain it to others. To put it gently, the Legion needs to admit it has lived with great ambiguity on this question.

Hopefully this issue will be the subject of long prayer and open, honest discussion and discernment on the part of the Legionaries. Experts in Church history, theology, and canon law need to be consulted widely.

  1. Investigation into the origins and history of the scandal

A second difficulty occasioned by Cardinal De Paolis was the apparent decision to put aside calls for a fuller investigation into the whole Maciel scandal than what was accomplished by the Apostolic Visitators in 2009-10. Their investigation consisted largely in interviews with current Legionaries and was focused on identifying irregularities in the lifestyle of the Legion. It did not directly address the facts surrounding Fr. Maciel, or his history of abuse of minors or his maintenance of at least two mistresses and three children, nor the financial irregularities his lifestyle created. The Cardinal has made it clear on more than one occasion his task is that of overseeing reform efforts rather than in further forensic work.

The broader issue is the need for the truth to be brought to light about the history of the Legion and Maciel. Neither the Legion nor the Vatican has done a thorough investigation that provides answers to questions such as:

How is it possible that Fr. Maciel was re-instated as Superior General in 1959, after having been suspended for 2½ years during a Vatican investigation into his conduct? The accusations against him back then have all turned out to be true. He was allowed to return and carried on with more abuse and further immoral lifestyle, even fathering children as he continued as Superior General until 2005.

How did he manage to obtain a Decree of Praise for the congregation from Pope Paul VI in 1965?

What is behind the practical disappearance of Maciel from the Congregation for nearly a year in the late 1970’s? Why did other leading Legionaries do nothing? As it turns out, during that period, one of his children was born. Maciel would regularly disappear for weeks or a month with no one raising any questions.

How could he have carried on a double life, fathering at least three children from two mistresses over decades with no one noticing or colluding with him?

While it was commonly known among Legion superiors that he rarely said Mass or the Breviary, or went on retreats, why did no one notice these red flags? Why did no one see this as indicative of a weak spiritual life as they would for anyone else?

How was it that the Constitutions of the Legion, which now are recognized to have serious flaws and conflicts with Canon Law and are under revision, were approved in 1983 under Card. Pironio, former Prefect of the Congregation for Religious?

How could such a man have gained access to Pope John Paul II and mislead him over the course the years as well?

How can one explain the consistent defense of Maciel by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, former Vatican Secretary of State, and Cardinal Franc Rode, former Prefect of the Congregation for Religious, and their encouragement of the Legionaries to hold him in esteem, even after the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had censured him with the approval of the Holy Father in in 2006?

What does it say about the internal culture of the Vatican that while Maciel was being praised at his 60th anniversary in 2004 by Cardinal Sodano, he was being investigated by Cardinal Josef Ratzinger’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith?

How is it that the Superiors of the Legion could promulgate among members a different version of the Statutes of Regnum Christi than the one approved in 2004 by Cardinal Rode?

Unless the mystery of Fr. Maciel, what he did and how, is adequately clarified, many will question the adequacy of any reforms. There will remain the questions of how the Legionaries and officials of the Holy See were so taken with this man, and why did no one within the congregation ever raise objections, and if they did, why they were ignored. What was it about the Legion’s internal culture that made it possible for otherwise very intelligent men to be so deceived? And it is also hard to see how the Vatican will be able to learn the necessary lessons from the Maciel debacle in order to make its own internal reforms and avoid a repeat of this sort of tragedy in the future.

  1. The Question of Accountability

A third weakness in the current approach is the apparent lack of concern for holding individuals accountable for their role in keeping secret from Church authorities what they knew of Maciel’s behavior, or if they even collaborated with Maciel by formal cooperation in those crimes. This is certainly a complex area, given the psychological and spiritual power Maciel exercised over so many people. The May 1 Vatican communiqué states that the great majority of Legionaries were unaware of the double life of Maciel, as it was well hidden. But some Legionaries who were members since the 1940’s and 1950’s have admitted knowing of Maciel’s abuses or his drug addiction and yet they promoted the cult of the founder to younger Legionaries who took their stories of the heroism of Maciel as Gospel truth. Now we know those stories were largely inventions of Maciel and others. There is a pressing need for the true history of the Legion to come to light, and to hold accountable those who distorted the truth and misled generations of younger Legionaries, not to mention the Holy Father and the whole the Church.

There is an additional group of private secretaries and personal aides who, over the years, traveled with Maciel, organizing his trips and providing him funds for his activities. This group must certainly share in some of the responsibility for hiding the perverse life of Maciel from the rest of the Legionaries and Church authorities. One should not rush to assign blame, but it is perfectly reasonable to have a full investigation and hold people personally accountable.

  1. Need for new leadership

Cardinal De Paolis, now more than eight months into his tenure as Papal Delegate, has yet to dismiss a single major superior from office. For the most part, the same group of superiors who were appointed by Maciel and who presided over the attempts to cover for him in the aftermath of his condemnation by the Holy See in 2006 are still at the helm. Naturally, the culpability of each one is different and one must not generalize too much about them.

Yet as long as that group remains in power, few members of the hierarchy will place much confidence in the Legion. A common sense objection to keeping them in power is simply that some had to know, or should have known, of Fr. Maciel’s lifestyle. If they are guilty of the former, they should be removed for fraud. If the latter, they should be removed at least for incompetence.

Dismissals will be needed to restore some measure of confidence in the Legion. The same can be said for restoring the confidence of those Legionaries who remain and hope for reform. For most who have abandoned the congregation, loss of trust in the leadership has been the primary reason.

  1. The Limitations on Real Dialogue

Cardinal De Paolis has called for sincere and frank discussions among Legionaries of the issues before them. There are signs that such dialogues are beginning, and a spokesman for the Legion recently said they would begin in earnest during February and March on the local and territorial levels.

However, old cultures die hard, and it is common knowledge within the Legion that strongly dissenting voices are still regularly marginalized. Some members of the Congregation have been transferred to remote outposts, others threatened. Superiors are still concerned to keep dissidents from organizing themselves.

One of the more controversial practices of the Legion has been the extensive review by superiors of all written correspondence, both mail and electronic. The Legion recently began to install in all computers very aggressive industrial spyware to monitor all email and internet traffic of the membership.

It is not clear to what extent the Cardinal is aware of these practices, but on more than one occasion he has intervened to stop the superiors from certain unjustly transferring members who raise objections. However, in his recent letter it was clear he did not want to get caught up with supervising every move of the current leadership, and instructed the religious with complaints to take them up with the Legion superiors rather than with him. But without easier access to Cardinal or to his four assistants, many Legionaries will feel helpless before possible abuses of power and inhibited in speaking out.

Another consideration would be to bring into the dialogue in those who have left the Legion due to the scandals. Their perspective from being long time loyal members who felt compelled to leave in past years could add objectivity and free the Legion from a too narrow approach to the issues.

  1. The difficult question of culture

Finally there is a serious question understood by most Legionaries not from Latin-American countries. That is the extent to which, for lack of a better term, a “Latino mentality” pervades the Legion. That mentality manifests points of tension with European and Anglo-Saxon approaches to living the Catholic Faith. Most international congregations allow a good deal of diversity in expression and customs. Yet with Maciel’s obsession with uniformity and unity throughout the world and one set of rules for all, the national and cultural differences were played down. The tension was never seriously confronted, or even acknowledged.

However, the tragic blunders and deception in dealing with the scandal expose the fact that the largely Mexican leadership was much less concerned with getting to the facts, exposing them to the light, letting the truth be known plainly and dealing with the consequences. Culturally, Latinos tend to be more tolerant of misconduct, corruption, and dishonesty. And it is now clear they did not feel the members of the congregation actually had a right to know the truth about the founder’s lifestyle and kept it hidden. While Maciel was in power, it was considered simply a byproduct of a strictly hierarchical order, but now it rubs many as a gross form of paternalism.

It is no accident that the Legionaries most outraged by the leadership tend to be the Americans and Spaniards, the two largest nationalities after the Mexicans. Vocations have plummeted in both countries, as they have in the rest of Europe. In terms of defections to the diocesan priesthood, the great majority have been Americans and Spaniards. The Legion which once prided itself on its internationality faces the very real possibility of being reduced to a mainly Mexican order.

It is time to face up to the fact that much of what Maciel proposed as “inspired by God” was more the baggage of his own culture’s limitations and defects.

Finding a way to give autonomy to the various territories, de-emphasizing the notion of “monolithic unity” so championed by Maciel, and injecting a healthy concern for truth and accountability may seem like obvious goals, but if they are possible, they will mean dramatic changes in the life and culture of the Legion of Christ.

Another possibility would involve creating a radically different form of the congregation, less centralized and more autonomous for the United States, where it could take on a more American style of openness and transparency. Although it would have been unthinkable as long as the mindset of Maciel prevailed in the congregation, it would hardly be the first time that the Holy See has recognized the need for flexibility and autonomy in a religious order that needs to work in different ways in different countries.

Such a solution might put the Legion in the United States in a position to gain the confidence of the Church once again and offer a value contribution to the Church, something the Holy Father so obviously desires.

Conclusion

No one knows at this point if the extraordinary interventions of the Holy See will bring about a strong renewal of the Legion. Most orders that manage to successfully reform themselves do so after a period of decline by returning to the founding charism and principles of the inspired founder. In the case of the Legion, the founder was a “false prophet”, and therefore that is not an option.

The future of the Legion, if it is to survive and flourish, will depend on finding within itself outstanding spiritual leaders who can, with the help of the Holy See and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, take the very good things the Legion does have and articulate a new charism and a new vision for the future.

It is painfully ironic that Maciel himself made this point a major theme of his writings and conferences to Legionaries, namely, that the future of the Legion depends on the spiritual leadership of its cofounders. Legionaries would regularly pray a special prayer for the “authenticity and fidelity of the cofounders”. He intended those future spiritual leaders be scrupulously faithful to his “inspiration” and his Constitution. But those spiritual leaders must now rise up and create a very different Legion than the one Maciel envisioned.

Unless that leadership arises, the Legion faces serious decline and extinction or a long period of drift without a clear sense of mission and with little influence. What are needed are courageous leaders who can break free from Maciel and forge a new path forward.

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1346646?eng=y

[1] Benedict XVI, (2010), Light of the World, Ignatius, p.39

[2] The Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum (Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum) is an educational institute of the Roman Catholic Church in Rome. It is sponsored by the Legionaries of Christ and the lay ecclesial movement, Regnum Christi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontifical_Athenaeum_Regina_Apostolorum

[3]http://www.regnumchristi.org/english/articulos/articulo.phtml?id=1843&se=364&ca=119&te=782

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_of_Christ introduction.

[5] http://patrickmadrid.blogspot.com/2010/01/prominent-american-priest-fr-richard.html

[6] http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=42925

[7] http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1346646?eng=y

[8]http://www.regnumchristi.org/english/articulos/articulo.phtml?se=360&ca=234&te=782&id=36107

[9] http://exlegionariescom.blogspot.com/2012/04/340-consecrated-leave-regnum-christi-in.html

[10] http://www.amazon.com/Integral-Formation-Catholic-Priests-Marcial/dp/0965160130

[11] http://exlcblog.blogspot.com/search?q=concentration+camp

[12] http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/26/4517790/legionaries-of-christ-ending-their.html

[13] http://www.regainnetwork.org/article.php?a=47246213

[14] http://www.notredamecenter.org/index.phtml

[15] http://www.magdalacenter.com/default.asp?langID=2

[16] http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2012/06/the-legionrsquos-scandal-of-stalled-reform

[17] http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/father-thomas-williams-admits-fathering-child-and-issues-apology/

[18] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/11/catholic-church-sexual-abuse-scandal_n_1508668.html

[19] http://www.regainnetwork.org/category.php?c=245671671

[20] http://49weeks.blogspot.com/2012/06/ms-story_21.html

[21] http://49weeks.blogspot.com/2012/06/former-cosecrated.html?showComment=1340497261723#c4175394566851995972

[22] The term has been popularized in the anti-cult movement by Steve Hassan as in: Combatting Cult Mind Control: http://www.amazon.com/Combatting-Cult-Mind-Control-Best-selling/dp/0892813113;

An Amazon review clarifies: First of all, in response to those reviewers who argue that “all religions practice mind control” and “Hassan is against freedom of religion,” I would like to point out that Hassan states very plainly that just because a group is not mainstream does not make it a cult. He provides very detailed, specific criteria as to what makes a cult (including deception, attempts to isolate people from their friends and family, refusal to let members leave, and pronounced control of information), and also includes a handy checklist of questions to ask potential cult recruiters, including “Does your group practice deception?” “Is your group considered controversial and if so, why?” and “Tell me three things you don’t like about your group and your leader.” As Hassan states, legitimate organizations will be honest about their motives, and members of legitimate organizations should be able to discuss their group’s failings as well as its strengths. Hassan is not out to demonize religion in general, nor (as he states) are all cults necessarily religious in nature

[23] http://49weeks.blogspot.com/2012/06/francess-story.html

[24] http://www.granitodeverdadconamor.es/

[25] http://exlegionariescom.blogspot.com/2012/04/good-fruits-and-bad-fruits-of.html

[26] http://www.stlawrenceotoole.org/node/1599

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/

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