Of course and obviously this thing was rotten all the way through. Maciel could never have gotten away with what he got away with without a network of co-conspirators and enablers.Here's what worries me:Where did all the ex LC or RC people go, after erasing the letters "L.C."or "R.C." after their names?I assume former L.C. priests are being folded into dioceses all over the country. What processes are used to make sure that they haven't been warped by the intense formation of a corrupt order? What notification is given to the faithful that they may be dealing with someone whose formation was marked so thoroughly by Maciel's perverted (and ultimately, diabolical) vision?Note well: What the Legion and RC did so well is LOOK GOOD. They seemed holy, they seemed attractive. They came out of central casting. Maybe we should take Jesus's injunction about praying in private as a cautionary sign: we ought to be suspicious of those who try too hard to be SEEN as holy.And they were enabled by self-proclaimed "good Catholics" who wanted always to give this group the "benefit of the doubt," casting personal aspersion on those who had the courage to speak out.God help them--and all of us.

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

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