www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Legionaries of Christ founder led a double life?

With all due resepct, I think you miss the point of your own comparison. It is not the sin, nor is it the position, but the reaction once the sin was recognized.

Vatican City, Mar 31, 2009 / 09:57 am (CNA).- Fr. Alvaro Corcuera, L.C., General Director of the Legionaries of Christ, announced Tuesday that Pope Benedict XVI has requested an Apostolic Visitation of the institutions of the Legionaries of Christ that will likely begin after Easter.

In an announcement sent to members of the Legion, Fr. Corcuera makes public the decision announced by the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, in a letter dated March 10.

"I have thanked the Holy Father from the bottom of my heart for offering us this additional assistance in facing our present vicissitudes related to the grave details of our father founder’s life," Fr. Corcuera says in a letter.

"We are deeply saddened and sorry, and we sincerely ask for forgiveness from God and from those who have been hurt because of this."

"We are now preparing to receive the Apostolic Visitors who, over the upcoming months, will visit to familiarize themselves closely with the life and apostolate of the Legion of Christ," Corcuera’s letter continues.

In his letter to Corcuera, Cardinal Bertone writes: "In this holy season of Lent, a time of grace and salvation, I am pleased to remember that many people benefit from the works of education and service which the Legionaries of Christ carry out in various parts of the world."

"The Holy Father," Cardinal Bertone continues, "is aware of the noble ideals that inspire you and the fortitude and prayerful spirit with which you are facing the current changes. He encourages you to continue seeking the good of the Church and society by means of your own distinctive initiatives and institutions."

"In this regard, you can always count on the help of the Holy See, so that with truth and transparency, in a climate of fraternal and constructive dialogue, you will overcome the present difficulties."

"In this respect, the Holy Father has decided to carry out an Apostolic Visitation to the institutions of the Legionaries of Christ through a team of Prelates."

In a press release, the Legion explained the decision by saying "the Holy Father has decided to help us to overcome our difficulties through an Apostolic Visitation."

On the topic of who will be conducting the visits and when they will take place, the press release notes that "we are still awaiting notification of this information from the Holy See. Most likely, the Apostolic Visitation will begin after Easter and will last for several months."

"While the Apostolic Visitation is taking place, our life and apostolate will continue along its ordinary course. We are ready to welcome the Visitators to our centers and institutions with faith and supernatural spirit, cooperating with them and facilitating their mission," the Legionaries’ statement says.

I read the article. How in the world has the name and memory of HH Pope John Paul 2 of thrice-blessed memory been dragged into this?

The sad fact is that the Servant of God John Paul II, like so many others, was fooled by the late Fr Marcial Maciel. Unfortunately the late pope was taken in by the successful growth of the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi movement, and the apparent holiness of their founder. Pope John Paul II failed to see that Fr Maciel was nothing less than an hypocrite, like to a whited sepulchre, which outwardly appears to men beautiful, but within is full of dead men's bones, and of all filthiness (cf Mt 23:27). God have mercy on Fr Maciel's soul and forgive him the damage which, by his double life, he has done to the Catholic Church and the memory of a great and saintly pope. Let us also pray that, by means of the apostolic visitation which our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has ordered, what is good in the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi movement may be salvaged and what is bad may be expunged. And, finally, let us pray for ourselves, that God may save us from the danger of hypocrisy entering into our own lives.

The people I feel worst for are those good and holy men in the Legionaries of Christ, who have probably had their reputations dragged through the mud thanks to all of this, and are perhaps losing hope and even losing faith. Men who've dedicated their lives to God don't deserve what Fr. Maciel has left them with.

We should all pray for them.

Alexis

Some people apparently believe that Pope John Paul II failed to investigate certain allegations against Fr Maciel concerning sexual misconduct. I understand it has also been suggested that because the communists in his native Poland frequently used false allegations of this kind to try to discredit the Church, the late pope was disposed to dismiss such allegations out of hand, without a proper investigation. Perhaps Pope John Paul II sometimes overrated his own abilities as a judge of character. This just goes to show that the late pope was a human being and in no way does it detract from his personal holiness. Pope John Paul II was a very great and holy man, but unlike St Pius of Pietrelcina he could not see into men's souls.