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	Secret Vatican Documents – the Stigma of Maciel The Regain October 22, 2011 http://www.regainnetwork.org/article.php?a=47246164 Secret Vatican Documents – The Stigma of Maciel Secret Vatican documents from their archives that indicate that for decades the Vatican was well aware of Father Maciel and his pedophilia, drug addiction and corrupt manipulation within the church but protected him anyway have been brought out of hiding and turned over to a group of three men so that the truth may be made known. Articles have been published regarding this story in various media outlets in Mexico including Proceso Click Here for article by Salvador Corro y Rodrigo Vera in Spanish Following is a translation into English of the above article: The embarrassing case that ignited the Catholic church – the sexual abuse of minors by Fr. Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legion of Christ – Is gathering steam once again. Three Mexicans, among them one of Maciel’s victims, have received a package of documents, secretly kept in the Vatican until now, which show that for almost a half century Catholic officials had full knowledge that the founder of the Legion of Christ was a sexual abuser of children, a corrupt manipulator, and a drug addict. The three are surprised at the speed with which John Paul II has been beatified, considering that the pontiff was fully aware of Maciel’s criminal misconduct. MEXICO CITY, April 30, 2011 (Proceso). Documents from the Vatican archives, kept in secret until now, show that from 1956 the Catholic hierarchy, headed by the pope, protected Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legion of Christ, in spite of numerous accusations that he was a pedophile, drug addict, and corrupt manipulator of church structures. Among the officials who knew of the Maciel case were Benedict XVI, the current pope, and the recently beatified John Paul II, who during his final years took in and protected the Legion’s founder. For those familiar with the case – which should be enough to halt the beatification process – it is inconceivable that Wojtyla should be beatified so quickly, apparently without a full review of his record as pope. The documents – 212 files relating to the Legion of Christ, safeguarded in the archives of the Congregation for Institutes and Societies of Consecrated Life, and covering the years 1944-2002 – were handed over to Fernando M. González, a researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Alberto Athié, a former priest and academic at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), and José Barba, one of Maciel’s victims, who are including them in a book currently being prepared for publication. Proceso has reproduced a letter from Marcial Maciel dated October 3, 1956, and addressed to Cardinal Valerio Valeri, prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Religious. In it he responds to the suspension resulting from accusations against him of pedophilia and drug addiction which had come from, among others, prominent Mexican officials of the time, including Sergio Méndez Arceo, bishop of Cuernavaca, and Cardinal Miguel Darío Miranda, primate archbishop of Mexico. In the document Maciel states that the charges against him “are nothing but a slanderous accusation.” Although he complies with the two-year suspension to seek clinical treatment, he warns that under the circumstances he will not be able “to control the future acquisition of funds, or their management,” which could result in “possible financial imbalances.” ReGAIN Comment: The truth is often painful. But until the truth is made available, and then acknowledged and where applicable repentance and restitution made then there can be little progress made toward justice and growth. Like a broken record of old, excuses were made by those entrusted to bring justice to gloss over the horrendous criminal acts of a monster. Even today there are those who continue to promote the same deceitful message from the broken record to trivialize the damage that has been done in the past to sexual abuse victims and is still being dome to those who have trustingly surrendered their free will and human rights. Are the Legion and Regnum Christi cult groups? Have they practiced mind control on their members and is this continuing even today? If (as Pope Benedict XVI has said) their founder Father Maciel was a false prophet, what damage has been done to people and what damage control can be done to heal the people? If those responsible for sheltering, aiding and abetting Father Maciel remain in their positions of authority and are actively involved in the reform process where is the accountability and what message is the Church giving to victims, current members and their families? Each member of the Catholic Church is obliged to confess his sins regularly, say an act of contrition and do penance if he or she wishes to remain a practicing Catholic. Are some of the highest members of the hierarchy allowed to have a free pass on this or should they be setting the bar a little higher?
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