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	Author Hopes Legionaries" Visitation Will Bring Clarity By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service July 9, 2009 http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0903147.htm ROME (CNS) -- Author Jason Berry said he hoped the apostolic visitation of the Legionaries of Christ and their institutions would lead to greater clarity about the life and actions of the order's founder, but also about the way the order treats its members. Berry was in Rome for the July 9 showing of his film about the Legionaries of Christ, "Vows of Silence," which was chosen for competition in the nonfiction documentary category of Rome's summer film festival. Berry co-authored the 2004 book "Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II," which looked at how the Vatican handled allegations that the Legionaries' founder, Mexican Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, sexually abused seminarians. Based on the book, the film continues the story to the point in 2006 when -- after a two-year investigation by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- Pope Benedict XVI called on Father Maciel to renounce public ministry as a priest and spend the rest of his life in prayer and penitence. At the time, Father Maciel was 86 years old, and the Vatican did not publish the results of its investigation. Father Maciel died in 2008, and early in 2009 the Legionaries confirmed rumors that their founder had fathered a child. At that point, the Vatican announced it would be conducting an apostolic investigation of the Legionaries of Christ and its lay branch, Regnum Christi, as well as the order's institutions. The Legionaries said July 8 that the visits would begin July 15. Regarding his film, Berry said: "These are hard stories. These are stories many people do not want to hear, don't want to think about. They go to church for serenity and peace." But while the film deals with abuse allegations, he said, "the larger question has to do with the psychological tyranny of this organization, the Legionaries of Christ," particularly pressure not to criticize other members or to speak about problems with anyone outside the order. Berry said he hoped the apostolic visitation would "get to the root of what is going on." "My hope would be that there would be a greater clarity" about what Father Maciel did, "what the problems are in this organization" and that the Vatican would provide clear indications for reform, Berry said. Eight former seminarians brought to the Vatican in 1988 a formal complaint alleging that Father Maciel sexually abused them. One of the eight, Jose Barba Martin, joined Berry at the Rome presentation of the film. He told reporters that for years it was impossible to convince anyone to listen to allegations of sinful and criminal acts by the founder of a religious order that was growing so quickly and doing so much good. "The worst evil is that which most closely resembles good," Barba said. "In the Legionaries there are so many good people, good boys -- I was a good boy." Barba said that even though Father Maciel has died it is important that the investigation move forward, "because the serious problem with the Legionaries of Christ is the psychological manipulation" of the members, particularly in convincing them they are not faithful to Christ if they do not keep secret what happens inside the order.
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