A while back, Gregory Wolfe posted a moving testimony to the force for good that Communion and Liberation hd been in his life --and asked a general question about the role of movements in the Church. Maybe it's the lawyer in me, but I see the possibility of danger, as well as good--and I'm worried about the danger .I camer across a moving testimony of a different, and heartbraking, sort --from a young woman who feels betrayed by her time in a different movement -- Regnum Christi.How do we tell the good from the bad? Ecclesiastical approval at the highest levels? Regnum Christi and the Legionnaires of Christ were great favorites of John Paul II. Endorsements and approval? Power and influence? Regnum Christi and the Legionnaires had all that.And, apparently, all that was not enough.Is more law the answer? Do we need "blue sky laws" and independent audits for movements to prevent spiritual fraud, just as we do for publicly traded corporations to prevent material fraud? If so, what should they look like? What rules and regulations have various dioceses implemented?If not canon law, then what?Canon lawyer Peter Vere has posted a list of questions to consider in evaluating movements, formulated by Fr. Morrissey, a professor of canon law at Ottowa. The link is below; I have also pasted Mr. Vere's letter into the com boxes, with his permission.Here is the link:http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_articles/vere_peter_whatcanonlawyerslookfor_0402.htm

Cathleen Kaveny is the Darald and Juliet Libby Professor in the Theology Department and Law School at Boston College.

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