Appearances Can Be Deceiving
February 3, 2009, 8:52 pm
Posted by Cathleen Kaveny
The Legionaries are dealing with more scandal.
A prominent Catholic once told me how much she hope she placed in Regnum Christi and the Legionaries–because they appeared so devout; they young women were so neatly dressed, and the young man so crisp and wholesome. They regularly expressed their love for the Pope. They were orthodox.
God help the good ones, God heal the broken ones, and God have mercy on the ones who sinned.
Finally, denial, avoidance, lying have caught up to another group (favored by JPII). Read this long blog by Rod Dreher: http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2009/02/marcial-maciel-a-devil-in-prie.html
As some of us have blogged before, the conservative Catholic opinion writers condemned efforts by Jason Berry and Gerald Renner when they tried to seek out the truth. The Church owes a great debt to Mr. Berry and Mr. Renner (sadly, he died before this surfaced).
It also throws a different light on efforts such as First Things and Nuehaus and his relationship to JPII. “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely!”
What exciting times to live in – within the space of a week – we have SSPX, Austrian bishop, now Legionnaires of Christ, federal grand jury looking again into Mahoney. What will be next?
Allow me to add one other suggestion. If you click on that link, do not miss the other link in that report to Amy Welborn and her comments about LC and RC and the final apology from Tom Hoopes at the National Catholic Register who repeatedly attacked folks such as Jason Berry.
FYI: Amy Welborn has just posted news of her husband’s sudden and tragic death:
http://amywelborn.wordpress.com/
This is an important step by the LC leadership, and it is gratifying that it appears to be pro-active and not simply damage control in the face of a perceived greater calamity.
Another important reference is John Allen’s interview with Baltimore Archbishop Edward O’Brien in NCR. Although published last summer, O’Brien’s comments, taken together with the events of this week, seem to indicate that the current LC Superior General is engaged in a genuine attempt to reform the movement.
Let us pray that this is true and that it is successful.
And, following Cathy’s recommendation, let us also pray for the thousands of LC and RC members who are going through a painful experience of betrayal and loss. Unlike most of the rest of us, who came to terms with the reality of their founder’s sins after the Berry-Renner exposes or the Vatican’s judgment two years ago, most members of the movement continued to believe in his innocence until a couple days ago. My wife and several of our neighbors are among them, and it is hard to say “I told you so” when you see the pain and anguish that they are working through right now. May the cross that they now bear lead not to discouragement but to greater sanctification.
This is an important step by the LC leadership, and it is gratifying that it appears to be pro-active and not simply damage control in the face of a perceived greater calamity.
Chris,
Surely those in high leadership positions must have known what was going on when Benedict XVI disciplined Fr. Maciel in 2006. (I find it hard to believe they didn’t know what was going on well before that.) And he’s been dead for a year now. I don’t see how what they are doing now can be seen as proactive. The quotes from Fr. Fichter in the article suggest to me that Maciel couldn’t have been leading a “double life” without those around him knowing something was going on.
If both the sexual abuse charges and the mistress and child charges are true, it seems to me describing Maciel as a “less than perfect human being” is going going awfully easy on him.
“If both the sexual abuse charges and the mistress and child charges are true, it seems to me describing Maciel as a “less than perfect human being” is going going awfully easy on him.”
David Nickol: Sometimes your way with words just makes my day.
David, with reference to your quote cited by Joe, my wife last night emailed Jim Fair with a more caustic version of your critique of his statement (watch out when she summons her years of experience as a newspaper editor and book critic and takes aim at you!). She asked me not to reveal his response, but I’ve decided to withhold further judgment pending developments (or lack thereof) in the near future.
Regarding your salient point about who knew what and when, according to the account presented to the RC members Monday night, the Superior General initiated an internal investigation a couple years ago (perhaps at the time of the Vatican judgment, although I’m not clear on this). That uncovered the mistress and child, although supposedly the other sex-abuse allegations weren’t conclusively validated.
I’m not sure how much I believe of all that (assuming my second-hand understanding is accurate), but I do agree with you that surely much of this should have been at least suspected, if not known, long before by his closest associates. What we’re hearing from various internal sources is that, in retrospect, there were many red flags, but they were ignored because they and everyone around them were so caught up in the founder’s cult of personality. Also, he was allowed to operate solo (in contravention to the rules he established for his followers), so many of his doings were unobserved and unrecorded.
It is probably useful in trying to understand this very puzzling situation that Fr. Maciel showed many of the clinical signs of Narcissistic Personality Disorder — the mental illness characteristic of cult leaders. Mix NPD with great intelligence and you get someone with great facility for manipulating people and inspiring tremendous personal devotion in those who are susceptible for a co-dependent relationship with that type of personality. Those closest to Maciel were most likely to be co-dependently involved in his narcissistic persona, and thus perhaps most likely to be deceived despite their proximity to the evidence against him.
The intense devotion to Maciel inculcated in members of the LC and Regnum Christi has no doubt been a major factor in their “formation”, and it is obvious that many members will have a difficult time handling the Legion’s reluctant acceptance of what many have long known or suspected. The innocents who were so badly deceived, flattered, manipulated and systematically mis-educated deserve our sympathy and support as they cope with their situation.
However, the Church that let this happen needs to be careful and responsible as it considers how best to deal with an organization which must not be allowed to impose on the faithful anymore.. There has already been talk about reform of the group by leaders already in place, but wouldn’t it be wiser to disband the Legion altogether and to require those of its members who wish to serve in the diocesan clergy to undergo some sort of re-education /counseling/ assessment? Good shepherds don’t let predators near their sheep, let alone their lambs.
If Legionaires were placed under a vow of silence not to discuss Maciel until the proverbial hit the fan on this, I would think we should have little confidence in present leadership.
It’s the same old tires story of keep the best face out there -truth be damned.
And then, there is the late Father Neuhas who was CERTAIN Maciel was being defamed by those rogue anti-catholic journalist like Jason Berry.
My guess is this is how close the right hangs together in the fac eof adversity, including the old approach that, when criticized, attack!
Would suggest that these revelations are more than just about the man, Maciel. It is about a cultic organization. I will not judge those who have benefited from LC and RC but the reality is that this organization damages and manipulates people.
The church has a history of suppressing orders, associations, groups that have not built up the Body of Christ. Would suggest that this group may not be able to “re-found” itself – it needs to be mercifully and carefully redirected and suppressed.
US Bishops (like Washington, DC) need to immediately provide strong oversight and a very hard look needs to be given to LC/RC high schools.
Politics, Finance, Church, organized crime have always attracted sociopathic individuals.
Charming, no conscience, bi sexual, young looking, nerves of steel [no conscience] loyal followers, big plans etc..Good Shrinks could do a better profile.. I watched Jim Jones [Jonestown] seduce about half of the San Francisco’s elite… before the Kool Aid.. Some people are desperate for answers..
… With mass media giving these types of people more access and power, should we not educate ourselves and especially the young on ‘who’s out there’ and how they got that way?
As a side bar let’s not forget the role of JPII in all this. He was Maciel’s protector. To say the least there was a lack of discernment there. This has broad implications.
All these cults are not Christianity. They are military stoics, looking good and lacking air and freedom and encouraging Empire.
The Society of Pius X, the Legionnaires, Opus Dei et al, are examples of what Greeley calls the “Confident Church” as opposed to the “Confused Church” followind V2. The confident church looks good, seems orderly, mostly has means, proper etc while being without substance, haughty and aloof. Wheras the “Confused Church” looks unruly, out of sorts, chaotic while nurturing real children of God who cherish the freedom of the children of God.
From the Zenit Web site (Zenit is operated by the LC, no?) comes this quote from Pete Vere, a canon lawyer who writes for Envoy and other conservative/apologetics organizations:
“Being honest about the founder, and saying that the founder made mistakes and that maybe the founder did things for the wrong reasons, and maybe some of the things he did were wrong … I think that type of openness and transparency will allow [the Legion] to go on,” he said. “Obviously given the size and given the effect they’ve had on the Church, there is something good there.”
Talk about appearances! I’m sorry, but I don’t think that fornication and the breaking of a canonical vow should be called mistakes. As easily as the LC and RC folks use the word “dissenter” to describe those who disagree with them, one would think they could have the honesty to use the word “sin” at least once to describe the failings of their founder. I’m sure this is a painful admission, but to spin it in this way is extremely disingenuous. Neither does it help their credibility or their Christian witness.
And how did Zenit present it? “Some aspects of the life of Father Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ, were incompatible with the priesthood, according to a spokesman for the congregation.” Another gross understatement. If the allegations are true (and very few doubt their veracity), then it’s fair to say that some aspects of Fr. Maciel’s life were incompatible with Christianity itself.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, but it is disappointing to see the way the PR is playing out.
I know little or nothing about the Legion or Regnum Christi or Fr. Maciel, except what I’ve read here. So I have no stake in whether or not the orders survive or thrive or die off.
Having said that … just as a general reflection, it seems clear, as evidenced by the orders’ manifest success and growth, that they are providing a spirituality for which there is a hunger, and which is not being fed by typical/normal parish life. There are all sorts of strange and bizarre spiritualities to be found in the church. This one doesn’t sound like it’s for me, but for those who want it, perhaps there are redeeming features to it.
It seems clear that their founder was a bit of a charletan. That doesn’t mean, though, that all of the works of his orders are worthless. Now that he is gone, these orders have a chance to purify and renew. For the sake of those for whom this way of life has been a pathway to God, I think we should hope they succeed.