Pete Vere, a canon lawyer who is an expert on movements within the Catholic Church, spoke to CNA about how he believes the news will affect the future of the congregation, and the role the Church can play in helping the Legionaries move forward.
Q: In reacting to the revelations of Father Maciel's double life, some have been calling for nothing short of the dissolution of the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi.
Vere: I can agree with a reorganization. Something like this is going to hit hard. I also think that given institutes within the Church take their charism, which is their way of doing things -- their gift to the Church -- from their founder, the Legion is going to have to take a close look [at itself].
My understanding is that they've been doing this already and that they've been working with Rome to make some changes. More changes will have to be made, and these changes come at a very difficult time for them as they are coming to grips with this news. I don't see the necessity of dissolving the Legion.
I think if they were being resistant, if they were refusing, if they were trying to defend the founder's actions, that would be a lot different.
Rome generally takes three approaches when dealing with their wayward children. The first approach is to try and convert and to try to get them to do better. If that fails, then Rome will attempt neutralizing, where basically they pen them in and don't allow them to do anything, to do anymore damage. Then, and only then, will Rome go in for dissolution and crack down heavily.
All indications are that while there are certainly people in the Legion that are having a difficult time with this, and are asking questions, as well as in Regnum Christi, they are trying to do the right thing. Will they necessarily get everything right the first time? No. Will there be questions asked? Absolutely. This is stunning news. This is very difficult news. But, what people in the Church want to see is progress. And we can't expect everything to fix itself overnight. That's my take on that.
Q: In dealing with the news about its founder, where can the Legionaries of Christ and the movement turn?
Vere: We need to keep in mind that no founder in the Church has been perfect, except Jesus Christ. And this is why it is important as members of Catholic organizations and as members of Catholic apostolates and groups, that we always maintain our connection to the Church, that we always turn to the Church when we are going through difficulty, and sometimes we have to say this is beyond our ability as a movement or organization to fix on our own. We need the Church's help here. By the Church I mean our pastors, our shepherds, the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI, as well as the local bishops who are pastors within the diocese. And I also mean Jesus Christ and his blessed mother, who give us the grace, and in whose name we carry on in the apostolates. There is no shame in asking for help from the Church and the wider Church community.
Q: Can the movement go on without a founder?
Vere: Without a founder, no. But 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 we did were wrong ... I think that type of openness and transparency will allow them to go on.
Obviously given the size and given the effect they've had on the Church, there is something good there, but that something good has also been clouded by this scandal as well as some of the practices.
Having worked on the tribunal [as a canon lawyer], one thing you learn is that where there is abuse -- especially sexual abuse -- it becomes a family secret and [the family] turns in on itself. It becomes sort of suspicious of the outside world, and you become paranoid that the secret is going to get out and what will people think.
To a certain extent you try to deny this is going on, then when it breaks people say "ha, ha, I told you so." There's also the effect of blaming the victim, [telling them they] didn't do enough. So then one becomes more inward because [of that]. So that's unfortunate.
What's needed here is transparency. And this is a criticism that I have made of the Legion and of Regnum Christi in the past, is that quite often they operate without the local Church's knowledge. There seems to be something secretive. Christ told us not to hide our light under a bushel. Christ told us to preach in the open. So I think what the Legion has to work on is openness, they have to work on transparency. They have to be honest about what has happened. And if they do that, with sincerity, I think, God will give them the grace to move on. And I think the Church has the resources to help the Legion and Regnum Christi to move on with this.
Washington DC, Feb 6, 2009 / 01:11 am (CNA).
- Following new allegations of misconduct against Legionaries of Christ Founder Fr. Marcial Maciel, the General Director of the order, Fr. Alvaro Corcuera, has written a letter to all Regnum Christi members asking forgiveness for “all this suffering.”
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had invited Fr. Maciel “to a reserved life of penitence and prayer, relinquishing any form of public ministry” in response to allegations such as sexual abuse of recruits to the order.
Recently the Legionaries admitted that Fr. Maciel had a mistress, fathered a child and led a double life.
Writing to members of the Legionaries of Christ lay order Regnum Christi, Fr. Corcuera did not respond to any specific allegations against Fr. Maciel but tried to encourage members scandalized by their founder’s reported behavior.
In his letter he invoked the imagery of Psalm 22/23, “Though I walk through a dark valley, I fear no evil, for the Lord is at my side.”
Speaking of Fr. Maciel, Fr. Corcuera wrote that he “cannot but recognize all the good I received through him.”
Through the charism Fr. Maciel “passed on to us,” many people have received love for Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Church, the Pope, and the souls of men.
“On a personal level, I am grateful to him for being the instrument God used to give my entire life meaning, seeking eternal salvation, the path to God. This is the truth I experienced, and it would be impossible to find enough words to thank him.
“It is also true that he was a man, and these things that have hurt and surprised us -- and I don’t believe we can explain with our reason alone -- have already been judged by God. It is true that we are going through much suffering and a great deal of pain. As in a family, these pains draw us together and lead us to suffer and rejoice as one body. This circumstance we are living invites us to look at everything with much faith, humility and charity. Thus we place it in the hands of God, who teaches us the way of infinite mercy.”
“For my part, I ask forgiveness for all this suffering,” Fr. Corcuera continued. “And I beg God with all my being to help us all to see it from the heart of Christ.”
Stating that he wrote his letter in the presence of the Eucharist, he said “At this time, we want to look at everything from the vantage point of faith, hope and charity, and to act according to the heart of Christ who became flesh and redeemed us.”
“We are living a time of pain and suffering. And with this pain comes the experience of God’s infinite love as he asks us to continue forward in peace and goodness, for all he wants is for us to know the happiness of being his children. In my own experience, I can say that whenever I am with you I can see the love of God in your hearts like a mirror that gives light to the lives of so many people and which joins us together as one family.”
“Truth, in charity, leads us to think, speak and act like Christ in everything,” Fr. Corcuera insisted. “I know that whatever I say will never be enough, but I do want to express all my closeness, gratitude and prayers, with the certainty that ‘for the one who loves, EVERYTHING contributes to his good’ (cf. Rom. 8:28).”
“These are times for holiness, humility, and charity. And in everything, let us be instruments of God to do good,” his letter concluded, asking God to bless them always.
En is dit propaganda?
Ja natuurlijk. En het komt ook nog eens van het nieuwsagentschap van de Legionairs zelf.
Desalniettemin kan iedereen er met de neus boven opzitten. En reken maar dat dat gebeurd ook, en terecht.
Dat wil zeggen, als je je neus tenminste niet verstopt in het bed van een of andere paus om te zien wie daar waarom in slaapt of de wereld meent wetenschappelijk te moeten uitleggen dat de paus het aan zijn altzheimer-light had omdat je, kauwend op het oude jongens krentenbrood je hooggeleerde neus niet buiten het dorp stak.
Want als ik het kan snappen, is het een regelrechte aanfluiting dat al die o zo gelovigen weledelgestrengen wetenschappers blijkbaar niet in staat waren hun werk te doen.
Dát hebben ze dan dus in het openbaar dankzij al dat antisemitisme in het openbaar mogen demonstreren. Waren die tenslotte', naast alle horror en pijn die zij zoveel ook deze weken weer aan hebben gedaan, ergens goed voor.
Ook daarover dan maar meteen die gewenste transparantie!
Méér dan tijd om een eind te maken aan die incestueuze familie verhoudingen, die - here god wat een opluchting, dank U meer dan beleefd - ook déze canoniek rechtskundige schijnt te kennen.
Is me dat effe goed nieuws!
Je zou er haast traditionalist van worden...
Hellep, ...want dán stap ik natuurlijk wél van mijn geloof af.
En ergens zit er nu een hele eigenwijze mammoet met vleugeltjes op een wolkje te proberen afkeurend naar me te kijken terwijl ze misschien wel over haar gouden bord rijst met krenten, héél nieuwsgierig naar mijn ouders en een grootmoeder kijkt... is dát er een van jullie?
Dan is er vast die 5e wel, die nog een keer lachend opschept. Maar kijkuit dat ze er geen kaantjes overheen schept.
Kwispel dan alle 5 maar, fluit, en kijk maar even de andere kant op.
't Is tenslotte jullie schuld, dat ik terug heb genomen wat wij van jullie alle 5 kregen!
Abonneren op:
Reacties posten (Atom)
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten