Legionaries cannot be reformed, former member argues

CWN - June 22, 2012

Writing for First Things, Father Thomas Berg, a former member of the Legion of Christ, argues that the troubled religious order cannot be reformed.

Father Berg says that even after the Vatican intervention to promote reform, the leadership of the Legion has “fostered a culture of institutional opposition to the radical reform that is truly required.”

His essay in First Things appears just after Jason Berry, who helped to expose the corruption in the Legion and in the life of the order’s founder, the late Father Marcial Maciel, reports new evidence that ranking officials in the Roman Curia helped to hide the evidence of that corruption.

Additional sources for this story
Some links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

An appeal from our founder, Dr. Jeffrey Mirus:

Dear reader: If you found the information on this page helpful in your pursuit of a better Catholic life, please support our work with a donation. Your donation will help us reach five million Truth-seeking readers worldwide this year. Thank you!

Easter Campaign:
Progress toward our Spring 2013 goal ($33,071 to go):
$80,000.00 $46,928.77
41% 59%
Sound Off! CatholicCulture.org supporters weigh in.

All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!

Show 2 Comments? (Hidden)Hide Comments
  • Posted by: jimgrum697380 - Jun. 25, 2012 7:28 PM ET USA

    A good house-cleaning is inevitable in lots of areas if the Church hopes to move forward with the necessary credibility to continue her mission effectively. It's not easy to come up with a tenable response to Father Berg's argument.

  • Posted by: AgnesDay - Jun. 25, 2012 11:52 AM ET USA

    It is time for Legionaries of good will to leave that order, which was founded on the foulest kind of corruption. When that happened, true reform (dissolution) will occur very quickly indeed.

Catholic World News Email Newsletter
Donate to Support this Site: Your contribution will be put to good work.
Tour the CatholicCulture.org Site
Shop Amazon to Raise Money for Catholic Culture

Recent Catholic Commentary

Learning from the sick, and from the death of a child May 17
The case for change in Irish abortion law: based on a framework of falsehood May 17
The Smell of the Sheep May 16
Too many missing funds: Catholic institutions need tighter financial controls May 16
What capitalists should learn from the Pope's critique May 16

Top Catholic News

Most Important Stories of the Last 30 Days
Pope strongly supports call for reform in religious life CWN - May 8