Exodus of Legionaries continues; reforms seen uncertain

CWN - October 26, 2011

The ranks of the Legionaries of Christ have been severely thinned by the scandal within the order, and members continue to leave as they see diminishing hope for a thorough reform, an AP story reports.

Advocates of a housecleaning within the Legion leadership have questioned whether the current leaders of the order were aware of the scandalous misconduct of the founder, the later Father Marcial Maciel. But in an exclusive interview with Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, AP finds that the prelate who was appointed by Pope Benedict to supervise a reform of the Legionaries is not anxious to investigate that question. “I don’t see what good would be served,” the cardinal told AP. “Rather, we would run the risk of finding ourselves in an intrigue with no end.”

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Show 3 Comments? (Hidden)Hide Comments
  • Posted by: AgnesDay - Oct. 27, 2011 11:16 AM ET USA

    As we have often noted, who in his right mind wants to join an order founded by a pervert? The corollary to which is, who would want to stay when they found out the truth? In a sense, the Cardinal is right: it's not the Church as a whole that needs to ferret out the truth, but the members of the order. I think they know everything they need to know.

  • Posted by: Don Vicente - Oct. 26, 2011 8:17 PM ET USA

    Like they say in AA: "Denial isn't just a river in Egypt."

  • Posted by: Steve214 - Oct. 26, 2011 7:51 PM ET USA

    Is that not the way of the Church too often these days? The visitors to the seminaries many years ago didn't see any point to finding the truth, and so we had the scandal. Currently, the visit to women's religious orders is heading the same direction.

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