Legion of Christ
The Legion of Christ is a Roman Catholic congregation founded in Mexico City in 1941 by Father Marcial Maciel.[1][2]
The Legion's lay movement, Regnum Christi, was founded in 1959.[3]
Contents
Scandals
Revelations about the Legion of Christ have been a central strand in the abuse scandals that engulfed the Catholic Church in the first decade of the Twenty-First Century. The New York Times summarised the story as follows:
- In 1998, eight Legionaries seminarians filed a complaint with the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The pope, who was then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and the head of the body, quashed an investigation in 1999, according to accounts from a Mexican bishop who tried to press the case with him. In 2004, a few months before John Paul died, the future pope reopened the investigation. It eventually found that Father Maciel had abused seminarians, fathered several children and misappropriated funds.
- In 2006, Benedict removed him from priestly duties and restricted him to a life of prayer and penance — a punishment that his victims say was not commensurate to his crimes. He died two years later, still a priest.
- In 2006, Benedict removed Maciel from priestly duties and restricted him to a life of penance. He died two years later.[4]
On 1 May 2010, Pope Benedict appointed a special delegate to govern the order, bringing it under the direct control of the Vatican.[5]
Contact
External Resources
- Diego Cevallos, Legionaries of Christ Founder Falls from Grace, Inter Press Service, 19 May 2006.
- Damian Thompson, Legionaries of Christ face disaster after founder's double life is exposed, Blogs, telegraph.co.uk, 4 February 2009.
- Hugh O'Shaughnessy, Confronting the Legionaries of Christ in Mexico, guardian.co.uk, 22 July 2009.
- Emilio Godoy, Legion of Christ Scandal Escalates, Inter Press Service, 6 March 2010.
- Jason Berry, Money paved way for Maciel's influence in the Vatican, National Catholic Reporter, 6 April 2010.
- Jason Berry, How Fr. Maciel built his empire, National Catholic Reporter, 12 April 2010.
- Alma Guillermoprieto, Father Maciel, John Paul II, and the Vatican Sex Crisis, New York Review of Books Blog, 17 May 2010.
Notes
- ↑ Wo We Are, Legion of Christ, accessed 13 August 2010.
- ↑ Synopsis of the History of the Legion of Christ, Legion of Christ, accessed 13 August 2010.
- ↑ Synopsis of the History of the Legion of Christ, Legion of Christ, accessed 13 August 2010.
- ↑ Rachel Donadio, Pope Reins In Catholic Order Tied to Abuse, New York Times, 1 May 2010.
- ↑ Rachel Donadio, Pope Reins In Catholic Order Tied to Abuse, New York Times, 1 May 2010.
