By Sandro Magister
The Chiesa
February 9, 2011
http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1346646?eng=y
 |
ROME, February 9, 2011 – The operation to rescue the Legion of Christ from the abyss into which it was hurled by its founder, Marcial Maciel, has seen two new developments in recent days.
On January 31, Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, the delegate to whom Benedict XVI has given full authority, brought from four to six the number of members of the congregation's general council.
The councilors who were already in office still include two of the most prominent members of the leadership group set up by Maciel, and very closely connected to him: the director general, Álvaro Corcuera, and the vicar general, Luís Garza Medina, both Mexican.
The two new councilors appointed by the papal delegate are Spanish: Juan José Arrieta Ibarrechebea, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Roman parish entrusted to the care of the Legionaries; and Jesús Villagrasa, professor of philosophy at the pontifical university "Regina Apostolorum."
Cardinal De Paolis chose them from among the fifteen most voted for by all the priests and religious under perpetual vows in the congregation, who were asked to indicate their preferences.
Some see this move as a small step forward – with the snail's pace typical of the papal delegate, slow but inexorable – toward replacing the leadership group of the Legion.
The second new development is the institution on the part of Cardinal De Paolis of an "Outreach Commission."
Its task will be to provide access for the victims of acts of abuse on the part of Maciel, and to receive their requests. And then to present a report to the papal delegate, who will decide what to do.
The commission is headed by Monsignor Mario Marchesi, vicar general of the diocese of Cremona and adviser to the papal delegate, and is composed of four members. Two of them belong to the Legion: Florencio Sánchez, chaplain of the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria in Madrid, and Eduardo Robles-Gil, director of "Regnum Christi" in Mexico City. And two have been brought in from outside: Silverio Nieto Nuñez, a priest of the archdiocese of Madrid and director of civil law services for the Spanish episcopal conference, and Jorge Adame Goddard, member of a legal research institute and professor of law at the Universidad Panamericana in Mexico.
The website of the Legionaries of Christ has published the postal and e-mail addresses that can be used by Maciel's victims who want to be heard.
Some see the creation of this commission as another step forward in freeing the Legion from the consequences of its founder's misdeeds.
Naturally, however, the ultimate success of the operation to rescue the Legion of Christ remains highly uncertain, despite the efforts of the Holy See.
For an evaluation of the pros and cons in this first phase, the following is the assessment of a highly noteworthy observer.
He is Richard Gill, for twenty-nine years a priest of the Legionaries of Christ and a longtime director of "Regnum Christi" in the United States, who left the Legion a year ago and is now incardinated in the Archdiocese of New York.
Gill's analysis is of great interest. In particular where he shows that Maciel's legacy continues to weigh negatively on the Legion through the superiors who were connected to him and still lead the congregation.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.