Maciel Scandal Should Change Regnum Legion, Catholic Femina, August 12, 2009

Maciel Scandal Should Change Regnum & Legion

Catholic Femina
August 12, 2009

http://www.catholicfemina.com/2009/08/maciel-scandal-should-change-regnum.html

Three More Children of Marcial Maciel Claim Inheritance Rights

Mexican lawyer Jose Bonilla Sada has made it known that three [additional] children, born in Mexico, will contest the Legionaries of Christ [claiming] that they should recognize their existence and their rights as heirs to the goods of the religious order's founder. The litigant, who has as his assistant one Joaquin Aguilar — a victim of sexual abuse committed by ex-priest Nicholas Aguilar — said that he is confident that there is sufficient proof to demonstrate that even the late Pope John Paul II, along with the Legion, knew of the existence of Maciel's three other children, now adults, who were legally recognized by their father but whose names will be kept confidential. Some months ago, the order founded by the late priest, [who was] accused of sexual abuse against minors, admitted the existence of one of his daughters. Her name, according to Bonilla's account on his blog http://conlajusticia.wordpress.com, is Norma Hilda. She lives in Madrid, Spain, where, along with her mother of the same name, she obtained a non-work related residence visa. Originally from Guerrero [Mexico], she is approximately 23 years old and maintains a comfortable lifestyle level, such that she does not have to work; she lives in a luxury apartment building and also has other income [rents] from the same building in which she lives. They were acquired by Marcial Maciel with money from benefactors of the congregation. It was precisely because of this blog that the late priest's three children contacted Jose Bonilla to represent them; after which they furnished him with a series of documents that verify their relationship to Maciel: photographs showing that they had met with John Paul II, all kinds of letters, and recordings of high-level leaders in the Legion of Christ discussing this issue. The litigant maintains that the calligraphic [i.e., handwriting] evidence is sufficient to demonstrate that the letters were written byMaciel's own hand, and that his children can be subjected to DNA testing to demonstrate their blood relationship [with him]. At present, the lawyer is studying [the evidence] and composing a civil law suit, in which it would be determined that his clients have inheritance rights, although he admits that before coming to that point he hopes to reach a settlement with the Legion of Christ. "I suppose," said Bonilla, "that he [Maciel] did leave them money. Our team is working on this, and some informants have have told us that it is a significant amount. One must remember that the Legion surrounded and was for [i.e. at the disposal of] the founder; practically speaking, everything was his. He indicated that the deceased [priest's] children seek their existence be acknowledged and, eventually, they are contemplating making known [publicly] the life they had at their father's side, in the sense of how it developed, which is to say, what he counseled them, what he taught them, and that they have rights of inheritance. Developing . . .

Translated By Patrick Madrid (great blog!)

Catholic Femina Speaks: I appreciate the effort of the Legionaries and Regnum Christi to evangelize. I know that can be over whelming for many Catholics, who do not understand their avid recruiting. I think of them as the “Catholic Jehovah Witnesses.” Many are not sure really what they are promoting and do not fully understand the mission of the Legion. With the Celebration of Founder Maciel’s birthday being greater than the celebration of the Birth or Resurrection of Christ it does lead to some speculation. I know that many of the people involved with the Legionaries and Regnum Christi have the best of intentions, to spread the faith and give whole hearted. I was always weary of their approach to vocations and the confusion they pressed upon young youth to make commitments that they were not ready for. I have met many people who have had terrible repercussions after making promises and coming to learn that they did not have a vocation. Much of the hallowed respect for “the Founder,” as he was revered, was removed from literature recently. I feel the movement wants to defend their Founder, but this is not the issue at hand. Restructuring the movement to reflect the Holy Father rather than Maciel would be a good movement. I never liked the Legion and Regnum Christi’s cover-up theory (members of the movement are not supposed to accuse anyone of a crime, true or not) I believe this was a result of Maciel’s crimes and I hope that the movement will turn away from him and move toward a good future.