Found this article on exlc.blog
Sorry for changing the title of the Catholic News Agency original article but I thought mine reflected the reality beyond the words, a necessary interpretative skill when dealing with the Legion and the Regnum.
In Legion parlance, "charity" is a code word, coined by founder, Fr. Maciel, and carried down through his faithfull successors. It usually means not doubting anything about the Legion Myth as imbedded in members though the Legion's peculiar "formation" system. "Charity means never criticizing the Legion or the Superiors -thus Maciel's "Private Vow" continues despite Vatican prohibition, etc.
From Corcuera and Superiors' point of view, discussions between Legionaries have been getting a bit out of hand: for the first time ever, and probably under pressure from the Vatican Visitation, Legionaries were getting some freedom of communication among themselves. Not being used to it some may have expressed their real thoughts and feelings - very unusual up to now - and the Superiors are concerned different opinions and points of view are being aired, a very dangerous situation for an organization where Information Control is a keystone of survival and success. Hence Fr. Alvaro's letter to the members...
When Novice Instructor [superior & spiritual director] Fr. Rafael Arumi preached the Explanation of Rules in Salamanca in the '60ties one of the Principles of Legion Spirit and Mystique was UNIFORMITY OF THOUGHTS AND WORDS, Uniformidad de Pensamiento y de Palabra, among all Legionaries. Some people call that Totalitarianism, a la Lenin, Stalin and old Communist Party.
See Comments at end of original article on CNA, some of which coincide with this blogger's interpretation of the Corcuera Letter
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Fr. Corcuera urges charity as Legionaries discuss future
Mexico City, Mexico, Jan 28, 2010 / 10:52 am (CNA).- In a recent letter sent to members of the Legion of Christ, Director General Father Alvaro Corcuera, L.C., urged members to be charitable towards each other during their internal discussions regarding the future of the congregation.
In response to a growing exchange of emails between Legionaries about two main issues: the role their founder should play in the future of the congregation, and also the measures that should be put in place to prevent similar situations from happening, Fr. Corcuera called on members to “console each other and accompany each other mutually,” as Simon of Cyrene did for Christ.
Fr. Marcial Maciel founded the Legion of Christ in 1941. Though he died in 2008, revelations of his inappropriate behavior as a priest and leader surfaced early in 2009.
Responding to criticism by some in the Legion who accused their current leaders of being accomplices in the misconduct of their founder, Fr. Corcuera asked members to help one another “live this gift of peace, mutually encouraging one another, understanding one another, truly loving each other, mutually forgiving one another, without recriminating or judging each other, much less humiliating each other.”
A veteran Legionary who spoke with CNA to provide the context of the letter, explained that Fr. Corcuera has asked that the email exchanges, which express “charitably but energetically” conflicting positions regarding the future of the congregation, come to an end.
“These are differences that more or less run along cultural and linguistic lines,” he said, with some English-speaking Legionaries calling for an open discussion about the errors of Fr. Maciel and a change to the “internal culture” of the order. On the other side, many from Spanish-speaking countries think the sins of the founder should be left in the past and that the evils should be corrected “by the faithfulness of the members to the foundational spirit.”
The email exchanges, which have been ongoing for a month, motivated Fr. Corcuera to send a second letter on January 24, calling for an end to the email debates.
“I believe the exchange of opinions through emails between numerous groups of priests, as has taken place recently, is a display of trust and the love we have for each other. But I think that it will never end if we continue like this and we may even cause misunderstandings and opposing positions,” Fr. Corcuera wrote.
“We must all continue working, and seek the best path to allow everyone, especially priests, to calmly contribute with their gifts and reflections to responding to what God is calling us to at this time, especially through the direction which we expect to receive from the Holy See. For now we must let it mature in the hearts of each one of us, as a family, helping each other to purify and build up this work to which God has called us,” the letter stated.
At the beginning of the year, renowned American Legionary, Fr. Richard Gill, announced he was leaving the Legionaries of Christ over irreconcilable differences with his superiors about the direction the congregation is taking following the revelations of Father Maciel’s double life.
Currently, five bishops are conducting an Apostolic Visitation of the Legion and are expected to conclude in March 2010.
Sorry for changing the title of the Catholic News Agency original article but I thought mine reflected the reality beyond the words, a necessary interpretative skill when dealing with the Legion and the Regnum.
In Legion parlance, "charity" is a code word, coined by founder, Fr. Maciel, and carried down through his faithfull successors. It usually means not doubting anything about the Legion Myth as imbedded in members though the Legion's peculiar "formation" system. "Charity means never criticizing the Legion or the Superiors -thus Maciel's "Private Vow" continues despite Vatican prohibition, etc.
From Corcuera and Superiors' point of view, discussions between Legionaries have been getting a bit out of hand: for the first time ever, and probably under pressure from the Vatican Visitation, Legionaries were getting some freedom of communication among themselves. Not being used to it some may have expressed their real thoughts and feelings - very unusual up to now - and the Superiors are concerned different opinions and points of view are being aired, a very dangerous situation for an organization where Information Control is a keystone of survival and success. Hence Fr. Alvaro's letter to the members...
When Novice Instructor [superior & spiritual director] Fr. Rafael Arumi preached the Explanation of Rules in Salamanca in the '60ties one of the Principles of Legion Spirit and Mystique was UNIFORMITY OF THOUGHTS AND WORDS, Uniformidad de Pensamiento y de Palabra, among all Legionaries. Some people call that Totalitarianism, a la Lenin, Stalin and old Communist Party.
See Comments at end of original article on CNA, some of which coincide with this blogger's interpretation of the Corcuera Letter
-----
Fr. Corcuera urges charity as Legionaries discuss future
Mexico City, Mexico, Jan 28, 2010 / 10:52 am (CNA).- In a recent letter sent to members of the Legion of Christ, Director General Father Alvaro Corcuera, L.C., urged members to be charitable towards each other during their internal discussions regarding the future of the congregation.
In response to a growing exchange of emails between Legionaries about two main issues: the role their founder should play in the future of the congregation, and also the measures that should be put in place to prevent similar situations from happening, Fr. Corcuera called on members to “console each other and accompany each other mutually,” as Simon of Cyrene did for Christ.
Fr. Marcial Maciel founded the Legion of Christ in 1941. Though he died in 2008, revelations of his inappropriate behavior as a priest and leader surfaced early in 2009.
Responding to criticism by some in the Legion who accused their current leaders of being accomplices in the misconduct of their founder, Fr. Corcuera asked members to help one another “live this gift of peace, mutually encouraging one another, understanding one another, truly loving each other, mutually forgiving one another, without recriminating or judging each other, much less humiliating each other.”
A veteran Legionary who spoke with CNA to provide the context of the letter, explained that Fr. Corcuera has asked that the email exchanges, which express “charitably but energetically” conflicting positions regarding the future of the congregation, come to an end.
“These are differences that more or less run along cultural and linguistic lines,” he said, with some English-speaking Legionaries calling for an open discussion about the errors of Fr. Maciel and a change to the “internal culture” of the order. On the other side, many from Spanish-speaking countries think the sins of the founder should be left in the past and that the evils should be corrected “by the faithfulness of the members to the foundational spirit.”
The email exchanges, which have been ongoing for a month, motivated Fr. Corcuera to send a second letter on January 24, calling for an end to the email debates.
“I believe the exchange of opinions through emails between numerous groups of priests, as has taken place recently, is a display of trust and the love we have for each other. But I think that it will never end if we continue like this and we may even cause misunderstandings and opposing positions,” Fr. Corcuera wrote.
“We must all continue working, and seek the best path to allow everyone, especially priests, to calmly contribute with their gifts and reflections to responding to what God is calling us to at this time, especially through the direction which we expect to receive from the Holy See. For now we must let it mature in the hearts of each one of us, as a family, helping each other to purify and build up this work to which God has called us,” the letter stated.
At the beginning of the year, renowned American Legionary, Fr. Richard Gill, announced he was leaving the Legionaries of Christ over irreconcilable differences with his superiors about the direction the congregation is taking following the revelations of Father Maciel’s double life.
Currently, five bishops are conducting an Apostolic Visitation of the Legion and are expected to conclude in March 2010.
