Is the Regnum Christi Falling Apart? "Resquebrajamiento"

I  remember Fr. Maciel's talks so well, especially some of his phrases and terminology. Though not a well educated man, he understood the importance of finding words that impacted, and in a sense "coined" some borrowed terminology that would become - through his self promotion and the adulation that surrounded him - "exclusively his"

Legionaries will remember such term as "integration" [Sp. INTEGRACION] by which he meant how a member would totally buy into and ASSIMILATE the methodology of the Legion/Regnum. Only "perfectly integrated", i.e. brainwashed, members would be made superiors and formators and be given important posts or missions.

Our Father, Nuestro Padre, feared above all that his Legion/Regnum would start falling apart, or that key members would leave, in Legion/Regnum parlance "would betray him and the Work of God"

The big word Nuestro Padre used - and I can still hear him stumbling to pronounce this cumbersome word - was 'REQUEBRAJAMIENTO', i.e. a splitting off,  falling asunder, breaking into pieces. This is what he most feared and warned against. Maybe the proper English word should be DISINTEGRATING. But be careful with same sounding words which do not always have the same meaning in English and Spanish.


The image of the Idol with feet of clay that crumbles....comes to mind

This is what is clearly happening in the REGNUM CRISTI MOVEMENT -the exit of 340 or their 900 original members in 3 years means that.

DePaolis has been able to prevent that happening in the Legion, as far as I can see; the breaking off and leaving has been limited to individuals and small groups; I haven't see any big branches breaking off in masse.

Manifesto on Occasion of Pope's Visit to Mexico, March, 2012

   

Jose Barba, PhD, center, standing; Saul Barrales, right, seated, Maciel survivors with the blogger and his wife

MANIFESTO ON THE OCCASION OF POPE BENDICT XVI’S VISIT TO MEXICO

Deceased are, together with our hopes of truth and justice in the Church, several of the former Legionaries of Christ who, together with the signers of the open letter to your predecessor, John Paul II, hoped since 1997 to receive an answer to that message. Instead they were ignored or reprehended by Catholic authorities. Later we trusted that truth, charity, and our rights would prevail in our canonical case against Fr. Maciel which we presented in Rome on October 17, 1998 to the Sacred Congregation for the Faith over which Your Holiness presided at that time.

Scarcely twenty months ago Your Holiness told reporter Peter Seewald “… only around the year 2000 did we have any concrete clues (regarding the accusations against Fr. Marcial Maciel).” But we, following the spirit of the forgotten Council of Sardica, had sent a letter to John Paul II fifteen years before. The letter was in fact delivered to the Vatican by the then Apostolic Nuncio, Justo Mullor García, to be handed to the pope. In that letter we laid out our convictions with a respectful and trusting attitude; and in that letter we also made ourselves available for questioning and judgment so the truth could be known; for the good of society and the Church we wanted Marcial Maciel and us to be the subjects of a canonical process.

We asked John Paul II whether, in historical retrospect, the canonical trial of the Legion of Christ founder would be too onerous a task. And we went so far as to say “for many reasons it would be a shame for the Church not to seek the truth in such a grave matter…” Because by not seeking the truth diligently and by not doing justice, the scandal would spread wider and the Magisterium’s credibility would be questioned by many. And we could not understand how the Church’s ancient wisdom could have been deceived so easily, at such high levels of the Hierarchy, for such a long time, in so many places, in the face so many victims and so many complaints.

But we were not listened to or believed at the right time. For a long time were we ignored for being simple rank and file members of the Church. That is why we, as regular Christians, wish that the words of a German theologian well known to you were taken into account: “Beside, before and above the ministerial hierarchy there is in God’s ministry an often hidden hierarchy of the spirit. There exists a hierarchy of holiness which is not the same as and runs parallel to the ministerial hierarchy. Nearness to God is not a class privilege.” (Karl Rahner)

For You, in your conversation with Peter Seewald, Marcial Maciel was an enigma. For us the problem is the failure of the centuries’ old wisdom of a Church that did not decipher the enigma in time nor has it resolved the institutional metastasis of its works; the problem of a Church intimidated by hidden but nevertheless very real powers. Your Holiness, scandalous too is the presence among the higher clergy of pastors who live disorderly lives tolerated by the Church; for telling the truth about Marcial Maciel we were criminally attacked by them. Concretely, the Mexican episcopal conference, composed in its majority by cowards, has shown no commitment to this case and has been irresponsible and even servile.

We have carefully analyzed the trajectory of our case before the Vatican, especially from 1997 on. We have also studied in great detail documents regarding the Maciel case that were recently handed over to us from inside the Church; our examination of such documents had led us to believe that they were purposely kept hidden in the Vatican; it is humanly inconceivable that the prefects and heads of the Vatican departments in charge of such grave matters would not have been aware of their existence and content. It has been a case of suggestio falsi (false suggestion) and suppressio veri (suppression of truth).

We never received an answer to our rightful complaints lodged according to the rules of the Church’s own Canon Law. And, after reprehending us several times for expressing our opinions publicly in the secular media it is ironic that only through these same media did we learn about the ambiguous and confusing decisions taken by the Vatican regarding the Maciel case. We repeat that we presented our case on October 17^th 1998 to the Sacred Congregation of the Faith which at that time was directly under your supervision as prefect (executive director). In this context we cannot but doubt and feel disconcerted by the decree De Delictis Gravioribus (Regarding Serious Crimes)signed by Your Holiness on May 18, 2001; in this decree a very important clause is modified, canon 1378, which had ruled that there was no statute of limitations in the case of a priest guilty of solicitation in confession. The law was applied retroactively and thus affected the complaint we had lodged against Fr. Maciel three years previously on February 18, 1998 through our lawyer Martha Wegan. The change in fact favored the depraved Fr. Marcial Maciel as it left us at a serious disadvantage in pursuing our case against him.

The axiom cited by some clergy to the effect that “it is better that eight innocent men suffer injustice rather than thousands of Catholic lose their faith” has certainly not helped the manifestation of truth, or the exercise of charity or the triumph of justice. Since the 1990s many members have left the Church and many others find it hard to continue to belong and be faithful. Their disappointment has increased as they experience clear pragmatism and moral relativism despite denials by some Vatican spokespersons.

These objective realities, carefully studied and analyzed during years of duress, have demonstrated that more than respect for the rights of the human person, it has been public outcry and the weight of world-wide secular opinion that have been the determining factors in ever so slowly modifying the Hierarchy’s stubborn denial. Many of us faithful expected clarity and reasons to trust. On the contrary we have seen almost systematic ambiguity which, together with contradictions between orthodox doctrine and real praxis, has led us to internal confusion and painful spiritual malaise.

We believe, Your Holiness, with greater conviction than ever, what we expressed to Your Predecessor in our 1997 open letter: “We firmly hold that only a just, transparent and brave Christianity will win the real and active respect of young and old, of intelligent and brave men and women; of people who are healthily critical, living as they do in a shallow world of mass demonstrations, sheep-like movements, and of those who join good causes which often do not lead to effective justice.”

Jose de Jesus Barba Martin and other victim-survivors of Fr. Marcial Maciel's abuse

Maciel's Ghost Stalks Pope in Mexico

Maciel with JP II

                                 Pope Benedict XVI being courted by Fr. Maciel's hand picked Successor, Legion of Christ Superior General, Fr. Alvaro Corcuera, LC


NPR writer Michael Sean Winters takes up the discussion on the webpage
Join the comments!

Malen Oriol's New "Female Association of Consecrated Life"

Malen Oriol, left, with other RC members [undated photo]

Former Regnum Christi Director
Malen Oriol -from Spain's golden Catholic family- is riding with a new posse as told expertly by REGAIN editor at top of the right!

Santiago, Chile, Feb 26, 2012 / 01:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).-

 Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati of Santiago, Chile announced this Saturday (25) that he has canonically erected a new female association of consecrated life with a group of women who recently left Regnum Christi, the lay association linked to the Legionaries of Christ.

Archbishop Ezzati’s “foundational canonical act” created the new public association Totus Tuus in his private chapel on Feb. 22, the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, the archbishop’s statement released to Catholic News Agency reports. The archbishop was accompanied by Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz, the group of women founders, and the archbishop’s personal secretary Fr. Jose Antonio Varas.

The founders are “women who traveled from eight different countries in Europe and America, including Malén Oriol, until recently Assistant General of the Consecrated of Regnum Christi,” the statement said.

Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati said he consulted the Holy See regarding the opportunity to create the Association Totus Tuus and received the “favorable opinion” of Pope Benedict XVI.

The archbishop was one of the five visitors the Pope appointed to investigate the troubled Legion of Christ between 2009 and 2010.

The name Totus Tuus, Latin for “All Yours,” is taken from Bl. John Paul II’s papal coat of arms. It refers to the full consecration to Mary.

Archbishop Ezzati has appointed Cardinal Errazuriz “to accompany the Community Totus Tuus during its first year of life.”

Cardinal Errazuriz, the Archbishop Emeritus of Santiago, has extensive experience in the field of consecrated life. He was Secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life between 1990 and 1996.

On Feb. 14, Regnum Christi officially announced that Malén Oriol, the assistant for consecrated life to the General Director, sent a letter to all the consecrated women announcing that she had presented her resignation to Cardinal Velasio De Paolis.

In her letter, she mentioned that some consecrated women have asked the Holy See for permission to live out their consecration not as members of the Regnum Christi movement but under the authority of a bishop.

“As of yet, Malén has not clarified if she intends to form part of this new group,” the Regnum Christi statement said.

“We don’t yet have details of this initiative, but we wish them all the best in their new endeavor and pray that they will be blessed with great success in their spiritual growth and service to the Church,” the statement said.

The Legion of Christ has faced significant Vatican scrutiny after revelations that its founder, Fr. Marcel Maciel, led a double li

Made Cardinal the archbishop who saw through Legion of Christ

that is Cardinal O'Brien

was made cardinal by pope Benedict XVI

(Cardinal O'Brien is being overshadowed in the media by the "humble" Cardinal Dolan.)

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI created 22 new cardinals from 13 countries -- including three from the United States and Canada -- placing red hats on their heads and calling them to lives of even greater love and service to the church.

The churchmen who joined the College of Cardinals Feb. 18 included Cardinals Timothy M. Dolan of New York; Edwin F. O'Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem and former archbishop of Baltimore; and Thomas C. Collins of Toronto.

In their first official act in their new role, the new cardinals were asked to join their peers in giving the pope their opinion, in writing, on the canonization of seven new saints, including Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, an American Indian, and Blessed Marianne Cope of Molokai, Hawaii.

The pope announced at the consistory that the canonization ceremony would be celebrated Oct. 21 at the Vatican.

Cardinal Collins said, "I am delighted that my first action as a cardinal was to join with the College of Cardinals in affirming the canonization of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, who has been such an inspiration for the people of our First Nations and so many others in Canada and the United States."

Cardinal Dolan also mentioned the consultation on the canonization of Blessed Kateri, who was born in what is now New York state, and Mother Marianne, who served there before going to Hawaii.

"As grateful as I am for being a cardinal," he told reporters later, "I really want to be a saint. I mean that, but I have a long way to go."

St. Peter's Basilica was filled to overflowing for the ceremony, and several thousand people sat in a sunny St. Peter's Square watching on large video screens. Choirs from New York and from several Italian dioceses provided music for the service.

At the end of the ceremony, the College of Cardinals had 213 members, 125 of whom were under the age of 80 and, therefore, eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope.

The consistory took the form of a prayer service. After the Gospel reading, in what the Vatican described as an allocution, not a homily, the pope told the cardinals that love and service, not an air of greatness, are to mark their lives as cardinals.

"Dominion and service, egoism and altruism, possession and gift, self-interest and gratuitousness: These profoundly contrasting approaches confront each other in every age and place," Pope Benedict said, but the cardinals must model their lives on that of Jesus, loving others to the point of giving up his life for them.

NCR: February 17-March 1, 2012

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Hear what theologians, commentators, and our editors have to say about the contraception mandate

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New York's Pax Christi fetes Daniel Berrigan

Cardinal O'Brien told reporters afterward that the ceremony and the pope's remarks underlined that becoming a cardinal "is not a reward, it brings on greater responsibilities -- something the pope experiences every day."

He said that when he knelt before the pope, "I thanked him; I said I'd serve him completely with my whole heart."

Cardinal Dolan, who delivered the main address on evangelization at a meeting of the College of Cardinals the day before, said that when he knelt before the pope, the pope thanked him again for his presentation. "I said thank you, for this, I'm the one who is grateful," he said.

"The Gospel and the homily were very sobering," he said, because they recalled the words of Jesus that "we're not in it for the prestige, we're not in it for the honor, we're not in it for the glory. We're in it to serve."

In all things, Pope Benedict had told them, "the new cardinals are entrusted with the service of love: love for God, love for his church, an absolute and unconditional love for his brothers and sisters, even unto shedding their blood, if necessary," a fact underlined by the red color of the biretta -- a three-cornered hat -- and the red cardinal's robes.

"He is servant inasmuch as he welcomes within himself the fate of the suffering and sin of all humanity. His service is realized in total faithfulness and complete responsibility toward mankind," the pope said.

"The free acceptance of his violent death becomes the price of freedom for many," he told the new cardinals, praying that "Christ's total gift of self on the cross" would be "the foundation, stimulus and strength" of their faith and that it would be reflected in their love and charity toward others.

U.S. Cardinal Edwin F. O'Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, receives a red biretta from Pope Benedict XVI. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)During the ceremony, Pope Benedict placed rings on the fingers of the 22 new cardinals and assigned them a "titular church" in Rome, making them full members of the Rome clergy and closer collaborators of the pope in governing the universal church.

Cardinal O'Brien's titular church is the historic Church of St. Sebastian on the Palatine Hill. Cardinal Collins was assigned the Church of St. Patrick in the Via Veneto neighborhood, where an English-speaking congregation worships; and Cardinal Dolan became the titular cardinal of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Monte Mario neighborhood.

The new cardinals, the pope said, "will be called to consider and evaluate the events, the problems and the pastoral criteria which concern the mission of the entire church."

The pope asked the new cardinals "to serve the church with love and vigor, with the transparency and wisdom of teachers, with the energy and strength of shepherds, with the fidelity and courage of martyrs."

The Bible reading at the service was taken from the Gospel of Mark and recounted how the disciples were tempted by the idea of honor, but Jesus told them that greatness means becoming the servant of all.

"Serving God and others, self-giving: This is the logic which authentic faith imparts and develops in our daily lives and which is not the type of power and glory which belongs to this world," the pope told them.

De Paolis Succumbs to Maciel's Ring

A naughty former legionary did this!

Our Loved Ones are Leaving!

See the title of this years-old blog?


Some of our  Loved ones are finally getting the message and are leaving.

As writer Peter Kingsland puts it: the Oriol[e]s are flying the coop

The Vatican, spurred by Catholic reporters, Catholic groups like REGAIN, and blogs like life.after.rc. and a host of other blogs and web pages, and following its own investigations opened the gates.

The members themselves, particularly the truthful, honest, and earnest Consecrated Women of RC (some of the male RC and Legionaries are still stubbornly stuck in the their allegiance to the Pedophile Founder and his Mythical Charism) are walking out the door.

And former Legionary priest, Thomas Berg, is encouraging them

How things have changed since the first whistle blowers were ignored, ridiculed, shunned, shouted down and even threatened and sued!