As is ususually the case Thomas of American Papist has an excellent roundup. This time on the case of Fr. Maciel the founder of the Legionnaires of Christ. My question though is he is being silenced shouldn’t his name be changed to Marciel Marceau? Okay bad mime pun on a serious subject, but his full name really is Marcial Maciel Degollado so that is pretty close.
Dawn Eden sent me a story by Time.com on the subject that included the following:
By punishing a powerful conservative ally accused of decades of
pedophilia, Pope Benedict XVI has proven that the Vatican’s oft-stated
commitment to crack down on abusive priests has real teeth. And that in
turn, makes Catholic returnees to Mass look a little smarter.
You would think that a reporter might actually take the time to find out what the alleged charges actually are. Not pedophilia unless they actually happen to have pre-pubescent boys in the seminary now. The charges involved abuse of Legionnaire seminarians and that he had absolved them in the confessional. This is just lazy boilerplate for journalists that any priestly abuse must fall into this one category.
Now as to this making returning Catholic looking smarter this is also silly logic. Though of course this bit of logic is all to prevalent since you sometimes hear of Catholic who left the Church in the wake of the scandals. There will always be Judas’ and tares among the wheat and to point this out as a reason to leave the Church shows no understanding of the nature of the Church. Good luck on finding the sinless church, or at least until you die.
4 comments
And then, when we die, some of, myself included, probably won’t find the sinless Church just yet. There’s the Church in purgatory to still experience–if we even deserve to make it there.
Actually, Jeff, it’s being reported that the abused seminarians were as young as twelve. I guess in Mexico they start them young.
Actually the apostolic school in New Hampshire (a minor seminary) takes boys as young as 12. Everyone is tying themselves into knots trying to explain away what happened and find some way to exonerate Maciel. He’s guilty- the Holy Father says so and 100s of people who were victimized or had family members victimized know it.
And I think it is despicable that the Legion is now comparing Maciel (a criminal) to Our Lord on the cross. It is sickening.
Actually, I read that at least one of the victims was as young as 10 at the time the abuse occured. Perhaps in some countries orders call their boarding schools seminaries?
Maureen