Fr. Maciel and the Catholics

By Julia Duin on Feb. 10, 2009 into Belief Blog

By now, probably everyone has heard of the scandal involving the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the deceased founder of the Legionaries of Christ, who has been exposed not only as the father of a child but for sexually molesting young priests.

The evidence against him was so overwhelming that Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 took Father Degollado out of public ministry and instructed him to lead a life of prayer and penance for all his sins. The Mexican-born priest died in January 2008.

(The Legionaries of Christ is a Catholic group founded in 1941 whose goal is to promote Christ’s kingdom through education, service to the poor and evangelization. They have 800 priests and can be found in 22 countries.)

So I sent one of our interns, Christina Graw, to Catholic University to gather reactions. Most people she talked to said they either had not heard of the Maciel scandal or if they had, they were "used to this kind of thing" in the church.

“This scandal has nothing to do with the fundamentals of our religion,” sophomore Katie Callahan told her. "I'm outraged and its a big disappointment. It reflects upon the entire Catholic church poorly."

"This is an embarassment of the Catholic Church, but it hasn't really changed my view very much," said Connor Donnelly, a sophomore. "I am actually not that surprised. I am kind of used to it."

Most of the students she talked with were not overly concerned.

"People outside of the church will see the church as unstable," said Maribeth Armenio, a sophomore. "There are a lot of good people in the church despite the bad ones."

The Legionaries, by the way, run the Bethesda Retreat Center on 7007 Bethesda Road in Bethesda. According to the Archdiocese of Washington directory, they have a residence on Norton Road in Potomac for several priests and monks.

"We are terribly sorry because it brings the church scandal," said Jim Fair, the Chicago-based spokesman for the Legionaries. "We are trying to get our people through the grieving by reaching out to anyone who has been hurt.

"We have lost a perfect model but we have not lost our model of Christ," he added. "It is like losing a member of the family.

Graw then called some former Legion members, who have formed a website here as part network, part support group and part warning to those considering joining the Legion.

"People are confused and distraught right now," said Glenn Favare, a member of the Legion for 14 years. He is now an attorney in the District.

"The Legion needs to do damage control," said Juan Vaca, a former Legionaries priest. "They must do more than apologize."

She also located an on-line apology from the Rev. Thomas Berg, a Legion priest and the executive director for the Westchester (Conn.) Institute of Ethics and the Human Person.

"In shock, sorrow, and with a humbled spirit, I want to express my deepest sorrow for anyone who, in anyway, has been hurt by the moral failings of Fr. Maciel," he wrote at westchesterinstitute.net.

- Julia Duin, religion editor

Comment

There are 6 Comments

Barnestm

I just don't get this. The guy was obviously a sociopath from a very young age. A blind man could see that. Okay, so we found out that he was a child molester, raped seminarians, led a double life, was a drug addict and had a child when he claimed to be celibate. He was a bad man. He was a liar. He was less than we hoped. So am I. Where is the news here? Only a goof would have thrown their entire trust and life behind someone as cultic and nuts as this super right wing "Catholic". Let me explain something to you people. A "Catholic" is in how you behave, NOT in what you say you believe. People can believe anything. We found that out in the Inquisition. What do I have to do to drag all the Legionnairies of Christ kicking and screaming into the 19th Century? The Legions' vision of Catholicism is four hundred years old. I would settle for the Legion accomodating itself to Vatican I. Vatican II can wait till next century. NO ONE reading this would want me as a fellow parishioner. I am a sinner, a liar, a cheat and a no good bum. No one realizes that better than me. But I have a hope that there is the One God and that he is merciful. NO ONE can earn heaven. It is not possible. Not even a member of the Legion of Christ. They are nutjobs that think that they are living a Catholic life. They are not, a Catholic is involved in the dirt and grime and struggles of the world. A Catholic gets his psyche dirty trying to witness to Christ. You cannot witness to Christ from an ideological platform that is about as real as the Easter Bunny. If your hands are not dirty and your brow is not sweaty trying to witness in some way genuine to yourself, you are a phony at worst and a moron at best. Stop with all the whining about how bad a man Maciel was. It is not important. HE was not that important. That is my entire point. Let the man rest in peace. He was no worse than I am but he raised a hell of a lot more money for the church than I ever did. That has to count for something. Full Disclosure: I am a victim of childhood sexual and physical abuse at the hands of nuns and an attempted and flubbed rape by a priest when I was in college. I was drunk...but I was not THAT drunk! Nothing happened. Lucky for him. I am a grandfather, a former seminarian for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and a non practicing anything. http://www.themcgurk.vpweb.com

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bottlestopper

His name is not "Father Degollado." It is Maciel. Please, double check facts. His name has been properly given as Maciel in every story. You even have it in a quote at the bottom.

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SMPTURLISH

Now the facts are out there and there is no way around them. Denying them, downplaying them or minimizing them in any way is impossible. It matters not now whether of not Maciel was a favorite of Pope John Paul II or defended to the hilt by the outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, Mary Ann Glendon or the recently deceased Father Richard John Neuhaus because those who were defamed by the Legionaries of Christ and their spokespersons have been vindicated and thank God it has happened. Pope John Paul II bears responsibility for not addressing the problems of Maciel as does Pope Benedict XVI. They both knew, had to know or should have know if one were even to consider that they did not know. There is no way one could ever think that they did not know. The buck stops somewhere and in this case it stops with both popes. What’s next? Pope Benedict XVI should realize that his 2006 decision to let Maciel retire to live a life of prayer and penance and let it go at that with the hope that Maciel would fade in memory after his death is no longer sufficient. Maciel should be denounced for the totality of the harm and the very real evil he has perpetrated and visited on others. There should be no doubt that this group, the Legionaries of Christ, has operated for all of its existence as a religious cult and as such should be suppressed. All LC assets should be seized by the Vatican and there should be an extensive investigation of those in administrative and leadership positions in the Legionaries. In all liklihood some priests should be dismissed and lacized for what they have done but the good men who are LC priests should be given the option to go elsewhere, either to religious orders or to join diocesan clergy.

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bottlestopper

In addition, the Legionaries do not have any "monks." Lousy reporting.

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northcoast

The Spanish treatment of names is confusing for the rest of us. I assume that Degollado was the name of Fr. Maciel's mother's family.

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Mariamante

A man has fallen from grace. There is nothing in our human history to indicate that this should be a surprise. It is simply more of a reason to prepare ourselves in spiritual battle. That said, anyone familiar with Regnum Christi members has nothing but admiration for them. The Legionary Priests are true theologians, and spiritually enlightened, beyond any norms. Regnum Christi is dedicated to service and evangelization. Their leader is obviously Christ. Regnum Christi members inspired me through their example and provided programs in our parish to grow in Christ. That was the first time I had ever read the Catechism. It was the first time I had ever read the Pope’s teachings. It was the first time I understood the facts that support our traditions, sacraments, and doctrine. They ministered to me and I fell in love with my church and learned to put Him first. Europe has fallen out of love for the church, and simply fallen. Latin America is turning to other faiths and turning away. In the US, few Catholics can defend their faith against those that make false accusations. Too many “practicing Catholics” don’t know, or follow doctrine. Regnum Christi programs are needed now more than ever. The premise that one man's failings discredit an entire community is silly. It is deception that leads people to believe that "man" must be perfect to love God, or that God only loves and works through perfect people. God doesn't want us to suffer the consequences of sin. Sin always hurts us and others. Calumny is certainly another big one on that list of regrettable human actions.

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Fr. Maciel and the Catholics

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