Saturday, May 1, 2010

The Legion Survives




COMMUNIQUE OF THE HOLY SEE CONCERNING THE LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST
National Catholic Reporter - John Allen - 05/01/2010

1. From April 30 to May 1, the Cardinal Secretary of State presided over a meeting in the Vatican with the five bishops who had been charged with carrying out the Apostolic Visitation of the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ (Archbishop Ricardo Blázquez Pérez of Valladolid, Spain; Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, Colorado; Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati Andrello of Concepción, Chile; Bishop Giuseppe Versaldi of Alessandria, Italy; and Bishop Ricardo Watty Urquidi of Tepic, Mexico). The prefects of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and the substitute for General Affairs of the Secretary of State, also took part in the meeting. (These would be Cardinals Levada, Rode, and Bertone.)
One of the sessions took place in the presence of the Holy Father, to whom the Visitors presented a synthesis of their presentations, which had already been sent in.

In the course of those visits, more than 1,000 Legionaries were met, and hundreds of written testimonies were evaluated. The Visitors went to virtually all the religious houses and many of the apostolic works directed by the congregation. They listened, either in person or in written form, to the judgments of many diocesan bishops in countries in which the congregation works. The Visitors also met numerous members of the “Regnum Christi” movement, even though it was not the object of the visit, in particular consecrated men and women. They also received considerable correspondence from laity involved in the movement and from the families of members.

The five Visitors testified to the sincere welcome they received, and the spirit of active cooperation demonstrated by the congregation and by the individual religious. Although the Visitors acted independently, they arrived at an amply convergent evaluation and a shared judgment. They attested that they had met a great number of exemplary, honest religious, full of talent, many of them young, who seek Christ with authentic zeal and who offer the whole of their existence for the diffusion of the Kingdom of God.

2. The Apostolic Visit was able to determine that the conduct of Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado has caused serious consequences in the life and the structure of the Legion, which requires a path of profound revision. (but not suppression or disbanding)

The extremely grave and objectively immoral behavior of Fr. Maciel, which has been confirmed by irrefutable testimony, takes the form of true crimes and demonstrates a private life without scruples or authentic religious sentiment. That life was hidden from the great majority of Legionaries, above all because of a system of relationships constructed by Fr. Maciel, who was adept at creating alibis for himself and winning the trust, confidence and silence of those around him, reinforcing his role as a charismatic founder. (He was pretty good at greasing palms too.)

By discrediting and pushing away those who doubted the correctness of his behavior, as well as through a mistaken desire not to undercut the good the Legion was doing, they created a mechanism of defense around [Maciel] that made him immune to attack for a long time, consequently making an awareness of his real life extremely difficult. (One would hope something will be done with whom ever 'they' turn out to be.)

3. The sincere zeal of the majority of the Legionaries, which also emerged during the visits to the houses of the congregation and their many works, which are widely appreciated, caused many in the past to believe that the accusations – which gradually became more insistent, surfacing here and there – could only be calumnies. (This is an interesting sentence, since the allegations went on for over forty years, but then so did the hush money.)

For that reason, the discovery and realization of the truth about the founder has provoked among the members of the Legion surprise, upset, and profound sorrow, which were distinctly manifested to the Visitors.

4. From the results of the Apostolic Visit, the following points, among others, have emerged with clarity:

a) The necessity to redefine the charism of the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, preserving the true nucleus, that of being a “Militia Christi,” which distinguishes the apostolic and missionary action of the Church, and which is not identified with efficiency at any cost. (Which I guess means they can still go full bore bilking people of money. They just have to be less frenetic about it.)

b) The necessity to review the exercise of authority, which must be connected to truth, in order to respect conscience and to develop it in light of the Gospel as authentic ecclesial service; (Which I guess means they can still go full bore bilking people of money, they just can't lie as much. Also, they can keep sending 'gifts' to Cardinals but maybe now they have to be checks.)

c) The necessity to preserve the enthusiasm of the faith of the young, the missionary zeal, the apostolic dynamism, through an adequate formation. In fact, delusion about the founder could call into question the vocation, and that nucleus of a charism, which belongs to the Legionaries of Christ and is rightfully theirs. (I guess this means they can continue to recruit new cult members, they just can't be quite as cultic about it.)

5. The Holy Father wants to reassure all the Legionaries and the members of the “Regnum Christi” movement that they will not be left alone: The Church has a firm determination to accompany them, and to help them in the path of purification which awaits them. This path also implies a sincere encounter with all those, inside and outside of the Legion, who have been victims of sexual abuse and of the system of power put in place by the founder. The thoughts and prayers of the Holy Father are with these victims right now, together with gratitude for all those who, despite great difficulties, had the courage and the steadfastness to insist upon the truth. (And some of those accompanying you will still have their hand out and still accept your envelopes, and we will just ignore the fact the vicitms needed great steadfastness because the Legion spent years vilifieing them and Ratzinger caved into JPII and the Sodano et al, there by making that villification last another eight years.)

6. The Holy Father, in thanking the Visitors for the delicate work they performed with competence, generosity and deep pastoral sensitivity, has taken it upon himself to indicate very soon the form this “accompanying” will take, beginning with the appointment of a Delegate and a commission of study of the order’s constitution.

For the consecrated members of the “Regnum Christi” movement, who insistently asked for it, the Holy Father will send a Visitor.

7. Finally, the Holy Father renews his encouragement for all the Legionaries of Christ, their families, and the laity involved in the “Regnum Christi” movement, in this difficult moment for the Congregation and for each of them. He exhorts them to not lose sight that their vocation – which comes from the call of Christ, and which is animated by the ideal of giving witness of his love to the world – is an authentic gift of God, a richness for the Church, and is the indestructible foundation upon which to build their personal future and that of the Legion. (And we will ignore the fact that this vocation doesn't need to be lived out through the Legion.)


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I admit it. My cynicism meter is pegged. No mention of financial hanky panky, gift giving, or bribery. No mention of certain highly placed members of the Vatican who were actively complicit in Maciel's little schemes. No suppression, no disbanding, just BUSINESS as usual with some tweaks. Like Goldman Sachs, the Legion is too big to fail. Probably for the same reasons.

They do get their constitution studied, which might imply changes, but doesn't have to mean that. They get a Papal delegate for an indeterminate amount of time. The RC gets a Visitor because they asked for it, and the Legion has to apologize to all the victims they treated like traitorous dirt---but the show goes on.

The LCWR should be so lucky, but then their problem is their thinking, not their criminal behavior. They will not be so lucky.




22 comments:

  1. I was expecting this, so it doesn't come as a surprise. Who says crime and venality don't pay?

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  2. It may have been expected but it is disappointing.

    p2p

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  3. Colleen-

    This should come as no surprise to anyone. But I must gently suggest a correction to your commentary:

    Ratzinger did not 'cave in' to Sodano or JPII. For the simple reason that he & Sodano were part of the inner circle of Opus Dei related 'controllers' of JPII & stage-managed the latter half of his pontificate. They were working hand-in-glove.

    They were putting words in JPIIs mouth & expertly playing the game of internal double-talk & blame shifting. To keep up appearances, plausible deniability, & to make it APPEAR that JPII was in charge.

    Of the latter phrase, nothing could be further from the truth....

    Now, as to the LC/RC...it is amusing that they treat the RC as if it were somehow a separate of ancillary entity. That is laughable, as of you are in one you are in the other.

    And now for your 'Moment of Zen':

    1)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Whitehead

    2)http://www.friends.legionofchrist.org/

    I would suggest looking up the names listed. It will be very educational.....

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  4. Militia Christi. How nice!

    Jesus needs a militia....

    What else do we need for proof that they've gone off the rails?

    (And if their founder was nothing but a hypocritical sociopath, what if some of the leaders are clones of the founder? Then again, what do I know?)

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  5. So... the Militia is the money-gusher (with its finger on the levers of Wall Street) and the Opus controls a third of the Supreme Court? And its apparent minder, the Vatican, is a so-called nation state?

    Yikes!

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  6. Thanks for the links anon. It's such a tangled web they weave. Imagine that they really do have connections with Goldman Sachs. I was right, they are too big to fail.

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  7. Colleen, great graphic. It truly says it all--and it's the one thing all the centrist Catholics aren't talking about as they discuss the Legion.

    $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

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  8. Just as most of us thought, a white-wash of the Legionnaires. The Church will accompany the Militia with defense for money. Who owns the Church? Seems it has been bought for $$$$$$$.

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  9. ... the Church has been SOLD OUT for $$$$$$$$$$$.

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  10. "I was right, they are too big to fail."

    Who...Goldman Sachs, or the Legion?

    ...or both? :)

    Hopefully you also noted Fr.Jonathan Morris, LC, who is a FOXnews analyst. A clue as to what is being them & their cheerleading of the Teabaggers.

    Without going into voluminous detail, the connectivity between the LC & Goldman Sachs has great meaning. In light of the intentional 'tire failure' of the US economy. One does not need a Doctorate in economics to see how it was done.

    A complex design of Dominoes was lined up - all carefully pre-positioned. All guaranteed to fall in sequence with the slightest push of 'the finger'.

    Let me introduce you to some of the 'Dominoes':

    http://www.muckety.com/Legatus/5015049.muckety

    Note: the long time Chaplain to Legatus was Fr. George Rutler.....of Opus Dei fame.


    And back to our friend, John C. Whitehead: http://www.muckety.com/Goldman-Sachs-Foundation/5000807.muckety

    There are several maps for GS...and the global ties shown are ...interesting.

    Now, our buddies in Rome:

    http://www.muckety.com/Query?name=vatican&prev=vatican&SearchResult=5043299&graph=MucketyMap&SearchResult=5012532

    Just expand the maps & click on the links........and watch. You may be surprised where some things lead.

    There is a reason I used the term 'Dominoes',which is more then a pun. Actually there are many of them - and many 'fingers' poised to push them on cue.

    While I have neither the means nor the intent to posit the following as 100% truth, it is most certainly identifying 'the fingers that pushed the Dominoes'. I strongly suggest reading & pondering this & its potential ramifications:

    http://gawker.com/5050016/how-legatus-brought-down-wall-street

    Now, before anybody tries to claim this is 'impossible', note that the same was said of the equally incredible Vatican Bank scandals of 30 years ago.

    What is going on far surpasses in horror the reality of Maciel & the internal cult mentality of the Legion.

    ...a thousandfold.

    Anon Y. Mouse

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  11. http://finance.google.com/group/google.finance.983582/browse_thread/thread/aad550b590f931bf

    That is the original thread from which that information is excerpted.

    Anon Y. Mouse

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  12. ...and, if anyone remembers, there were those two extremely well dressed Asian men on a working class commuter train headed north from Rome to Switzerland.....in Fall of 08.

    They were pulled off the train & apprehended, as train crew were alerted to their overtly suspicious presence.

    In their breifcases they were carrying billion$ in unmarked bearer bonds.

    This did make the papers - but nothing further was reported in their case.

    Gee...I wonder who they were the bagmen for?

    :)

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  13. I had to laugh Anon. I had traced out the Legatus connections some time last year. It's amazing to me how the Domino's fall into place. Anyone for bread sticks?

    Where I really began to get a handle on how sick and twisted this all might be was when I came across the connections to Blackwater and Eric Prince and his connections with the CIA.

    I can understand how some commenters feel this is a very strong statement in terms of disciplining the Legion. However, that line misses the whole fact that their is a segment of the Legion which is involved with some very interesting people. Up to their ears in fact. The big message to me is that so far their is no change in leadership, and no change in the Vatican personalities who kept this machine rolling.

    Benedict's lack of action as head of the CDF speaks for itself. I choose to use the most benevolent explanation, fully aware there may be less benevolent reasons for his inaction. Basically good people make the best soldiers for basically evil activities.

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  14. Colleen,

    Good people do indeed make the best foot soldiers.

    p2p

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  15. I must concur p2p. Who but a very naive and idealistic person to entrust with the outreach efforts of what is actually a covertly evil endeavor? If your idealist has no idea what they are engaged in, then you've got the "perfect cover"!

    Every time I think about this, I physically shudder. I get chills. This is so scary! So evil! I reminds me of all the work I did to try and understand Leo Strauss and the cadres he spawned:

    http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/therap/2009/05/who-is-leo-strauss-and-why-sho.php

    This is so pertinent, it's scary. In fact, it's scary to me how many of the blogs I wrote and threads I followed pertain to this crisis in the church - just as much as to the crisis precipitated by the bush regime.

    Basically, think "crime spree" masquerading as religion. For that's analogous to how I came to view bushco. And that's in effect what the straussian principles enable.

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  16. In case you missed this long Times article today:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/world/europe/03maciel.html?hp

    I've run out of shocking terms!

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  17. ...and there is another term for those good ppl foot soldiers:

    Useful Idiots.

    I do not mean that in sarcasm; I am being deadly serious. The well intentioned, sincere (but very misinformed....) foot soldier is very useful.

    Tom Monaghan (sp?)may well be such a useful idiot, in a very high profile position (unless I judge him too kindly....). William Donohue is also - and he has no clue how truly sick (and used...) he is.

    Josef Ratzinger is NOT this kind of 'foot soldier'. The truth of this will eventually make itself much clearer, in time.

    ..and yes....I would like some bread sticks!

    Anon Y. Mouse

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  18. "Basically, think "crime spree" masquerading as religion."


    Let's ask a very pointed question or two:

    1) How do you come to invent a world wide Apostolate...at the age of 16? Maciel dreamed up LC/RC at this age as a junior seminarian.

    2) How do you get this adolescent megalomaniaical entity to be approved by your bishop (& subsequently by Pius XII), when you are but 21 years old and would not be ordained a priest for another 3 years???

    Obviously Maciel had 'godfathers' - far beyond the Bishop of Cuernavaca who 'approved' the entity in 1941.

    We see the same pattern in Jose Maria Escriva (1902-75).

    In 1928, having been ordained barely 3 years, the 26 year old Escriva 'saw' Opus Dei in an alleged vision. He 'saw' it as the complete global entity we now know.

    1) One must seriously question (assuming ANYTHING about him
    is for real (!) whether the "Vision" was in fact from God.....or The Other Guy.

    2) Newly ordained priests do not envision & begin global mega-organizations without powerful 'godfathers'.

    3) The 'vision' occurred at Madrid, where he was studying for his Doctorate of (Civil) Law......(draw ye own conclusion here).

    Both Maciel & Escriva were duplicitous & megalomaniacal.

    Both established 'crime sprees masquerading as religion'.

    Both are a recasting of 'Spanish Fascism' which goes back centuries.

    Anon Y. Mouse

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  19. All I can say is, Jesus wept!!!
    Here is a poem I wrote in 2004,

    MAN IN BLACK

    Where is your sanctuary Man in black?
    Where is your God?
    Is my child body the altar of your sacrifice?
    My innocence the lamb?
    Do you worship
    At my temple and bloody its doors?

    What is your calling Man in black?
    What is your desire?
    We are just children of five and seven years
    All dressed up in white.
    Angels and saints
    Innocent we sit with folded hands.

    Go home, Man in black!
    I have seen your God.
    He will not feast at your table
    Or eat your bread.
    For he is here, weeping, at my feet,
    Wiping the tears with his hair.

    Mona Villarrubia (c) 2004

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  20. Nice pictures in the Italian TV reports: http://www.video.mediaset.it/video/tg5/servizio/165366/legionari-vaticano-accusa-il-fondatore.html#tc-s1-c1-o1-p1

    It is salutary and demystifying for the Legionaries to have always to remember that their group was founded by an abuser. We have enough orders who idealize their founders and get them canonized. Out of the mud -- and this is very sticky mud indeed -- the lotus may blossom. Seeing how Opus Dei are winning popularity and respectability -- due to the niceness and virtue of their members -- I do not despair of the Legionaries. Of course one must wonder how much money went into the speedy canonization of the fanatical Msgr Escriva, their founder.

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  21. Yes, one does wonder if Escriva might just not have a green halo.

    MonaV, wonderful poem. This line has much much truth:

    "Is my child body the altar of your sacrifice?
    My innocence the lamb?
    Do you worship
    At my temple and bloody its doors?"

    Mouse, I have those same questions. How do these teen age boys acheive such a level of inside success without God Fathers?
    There is so much yet to come out.

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  22. "Mouse, I have those same questions. How do these teen age boys acheive such a level of inside success without God Fathers?
    There is so much yet to come out."

    Colleen, the answer is simple. You must either believe:

    1. That these 'boys' were true instruments of God, through whom the Holy Spirit has worked a miraculous charism.

    (excuse me while I vomit.......)

    Or....

    2. Their official story is fabricated to appear pious.

    In order to believe #1 you must shut off your critical thinking AND spirituality. If #2 is true, then....what is the REAL story?

    It is very possible that we may never completely know the story, in this world. So it becomes a rhetorical question. But the 'footprints' of the story are there if you look for them.

    It is not beyond mere speculation that the REAL tale of Escriva is even darker then that of Maciel. It is also interesting to note the assertion that the latter was leading more then one double life; including that of a CIA operative.

    I could suggest that for both of them, they made a deal with the Devil in their youth. Forget tales of Doctor Faustus for the moment; these things DO happen. And the Devil can & does operate by human (or human appearing....) agents.

    Basically, someone 'made them an offer they could not refuse'. That was so enticing - and ironclad. Guaranteeing their personal success & ego glorification. And virtually unlimited financial backing. It required them to become a character (the basis of Method Acting).

    Think of Aleister Crowley - or his stylized portrayal in 'Rosemary's Baby'. They were world travelers; yet never worked a day in their lives. Neither came from great wealth. But their amazing global connectivity indicates they were FUNDED by great wealth.

    Now go back to Maciel & Escriva. Neither come from money - yet you would think they did. Their support was virtually invisible; hence the sheer level of its inherent power. The support start-up years of the LC & OD is invisible, yet very real. Much more then 1 bishop.

    There had to be a cadre of like-minded prelates & secular persons who needed a front man for an agenda. Note the timing: between the wars in a time of ongoing global depression & political upheaval. This was not something dreamed up in 1928 or 1936; it was far older - and with a long range agenda.

    Money was used to grease the wheel of ecclesial acceptance of both movements, over many decades. Bishops were bribed (and threatened...) to be favorable to Escriva's canonization.

    The same has been indicated in re the election of Ratzinger. That it was a done deal some years prior to the demise of JPII. Wining & dining Cardinals at the Villa Trevere. Bribes &/or threats. It was pre-determined; the Conclave was for show.

    To some degree this is also true of JPII - that his papacy was arranged. Though he was naive & personally innocent in this. He did not realize who his godfathers were, until he was surrounded & entrapped by them in the Chair. Yet he was a legitimate pope.

    By contrast, Ratzinger is a very willing & knowing Method Actor.

    Perhaps this will bring things into focus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_Marini

    The current Papal Master of Ceremonies....has a Doctorate in the psychology of communication.....

    Anon Y. Mouse

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