Faith & Family and the Legionaries of Christ
Posted by Danielle Bean in News on Friday, April 09, 2010 3:00 PM
UPDATE: This post now has over 50 comments, which is where our comment pagination system kicks in. In order to see comments after 50, you will need to click the link to the second page (2) at the top of the comments section.
In the comments section of Lisa’s recent post about Tiger Woods, Beth asks some reasonable questions I would like to address:
“If you are going to discuss Tiger Woods, his issues and decisions then it seems that you should also discuss the huge elephant in the living room—this website’s connection to the Legiona[ries] of Christ and the fact that the founder is a pedophile and how is that people can deal with that? How about the decisions they have made? Do you agree with them? I know this certainly must be painful. I think people to close to the LC are unable/unwilling or don’t know how to talk about it.”
I am neither unable nor unwilling to talk about the Legionaries of Christ. Circle Media, which is the publishing arm of the Legionaries of Christ, owns Faith & Family—as well as the National Catholic Register, Circle Press, and Catholic.net.
The Legionaries of Christ have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into Faith & Family over the years because they believe in what we do. It is only because of the generosity of the Legion that Faith & Family magazine and this website exist as a means of support and encouragement for Catholic families, and I am deeply grateful for their support.
But Beth wants to know how we can deal with the terrible truths about Fr. Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ ... Quite simply, I can’t.
I cannot come to terms with the monstrous things I’ve read and heard about Maciel’s double life. I cannot reconcile the good things we do at Faith & Family, the dedicated men I know who are Legionary priests, and the many good men and women I know who are members of Regnum Christi with the evil things that man wrought throughout his life.
As with all sexual abuse scandals within the Church, the truth about Maciel’s double life is deeply wounding, and I can’t make sense of it. I’m not sure how any of us could. But I do know that the evil doings of one man do not negate the good work we have done and continue to do at Faith & Family.
About the apostolic visitation of the Legion carried out by five bishops who will present their final report to Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone on April 30, the Legionary leaders recently wrote:
“We will embrace with filial obedience whatever indications and recommendations the Holy Father gives us as a result of the apostolic visitation, and we are committed to putting them into practice.”
To which I say, me too. I love and trust our Church, I love and trust our pope, and I will wait to hear from Rome.
In the meantime, I am determined to keep doing the work I know I was called to do here at Faith & Family —serving Catholic moms and their families by encouraging them in the uniquely joyful and uniquely challenging work of Catholic living.
Related Stories at NCRegister:
Legionaries of Christ Apologize
CNS on Legion Visitation
Vere on Future of the Legion
Asking Your Prayers
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