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	Legion of Christ Goes to War By Martin Barillas Spero News September 6, 2007 http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=134&id=10924&t=Legion+of+Christ+goes+to+war The Legion of Christ, a world-wide order of Catholic priests, is demanding in a law suit that an ex-member and former priest return allegedly stolen documents and identify his collaborators who criticize excessive discipline and secrecy in the order. A former Roman Catholic priest, John Paul Lennon of Virginia, is accused by a powerful Catholic group of distributing stolen property and propagating "malicious disinformation" about the Legion of Christ, an order of priests founded by the controversial Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado of Mexico. Under an order from the Alexandria Virginia Circuit court, Lennon has been ordered to return any property claimed by the Legion of Christ, including documents, computer discs and CDs, by September 14. Some of the documents include letters written by Rev. Maciel Degollado himself. The complaint was filed August 2 and identifies the Legion of Christ of having been founded in 1941 as "a missionary congregation of Catholic priests committed to love Christ…" that relies on "proprietary materials, including letters and other documents compiled by Legion members intended only for internal dissemination." Allegedly stolen, certain documents and materials, the summons charges, are in the possession of Lennon. The Legion of Christ is also suing the ReGAIN website, of which Lennon is president. Lennon and ReGain now have counsel and are soliciting donations for their legal defense. The suit also demands that Lennon reveal the identities of certain of his collaborators. According to the Washington Post, Lennon responded to the summons and the recent court order and said of the Legion "They're also trying to scare anybody else who would dare to share these documents with the public," … "It's the Alexandria witch hunt instead of the Salem witch hunt. It's like a 21st-century Inquisition." As for the Legion of Christ, the Washington Post quoted an LC spokesman as saying that the Legion merely wants to stop the use of the allegedly purloined documents by Lennon and his supporters. Lennon left the Legion some 20 years ago and now works as a family therapist in Arlington, Virginia. He runs a website owned by the non-profit ReGAIN Inc. that has published numerous accounts of sexual abuse and depravity by Rev. Maciel Degollado and companions. Having long found a protector in the deceased pope John Paul II, Maciel now lives in retirement in the small Mexican town of Cotija having been disciplined by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 and prohibited from celebrating Mass or speaking in public. Allegations of sexual abuse by Maciel Degollado surfaced in the 1990s during the pontificate of John Paul II, but sanctions had to wait until the popular pontiff's successor. In a paper Lennon wrote for the International Cultic Studies Association, he sought to analyze the daily life of Legionaries of Christ by comparing them to cults. Lennon sought to support his contention that Legionaires are subjected to excessive control of their lives.n routines, excruciatingly detailed rules concerning everyday behavior, and control of incoming and outgoing information are examined to support the author's contention that the Legion of Christ exerts excessive control over its members thoughts, feelings, and behavior. The ReGain website has information about the Legion of Christ's private vows of obedience to the order. The Legion of Christ and its Legionnaire priests are sometimes referred to by wags as "The Millionaires of Christ" for their success in raising funds for its seminaries, activities, and publications. It has received money from wealthy individuals and foundations, such as the W.K.Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan. The Legion of Christ has spread throughout the world since its founding in 1941 in Mexico. It now boasts 750 priest and 2,500 seminarians and is prominent at the Vatican as well. Its US headquarters are located in Connecticut. A movement of lay people affiliated with the Legion is Regnum Christi. It runs schools, retreat centers, and youth programs in a number of different countries. On websites such as Ex Legionaries Forums, former members of the Legion discuss their accusations against the order. The book "Vows of Silence: the abuse of power in the papacy of John Paul II", by Jason Berry and Gerald Renner, which criticized the late pope's administration of the church bureaucracy, described the controversy surrounding Rev. Maciel Degollado. It will form the basis of a forthcoming documentary film by Berry.
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