Maciel's wife and daughter; he on his death bed, and other UNPUBLISHED IMAGES -

Fr. Maciel relaxing with his lover and daughter


IMAGES NEVER SEEN BEFORE
on this promo for upcoming Mexican TV show THE LAST DAYS OF MARCIAL MACIEL
MM on his death bed
with his 'wife' and his daughter
at the height of his glory
with his men

Maciel embraces Alvaro Corcuera, his protege, on the latter's ordination; Alvaro would be chosen by Maciel to be his successor at the head of the Legion; Alvaro has inherited his father's survival skills, and the art of seducing Church Leaders

PS don't forget to check my other blogs, Understanding the Legion of Christ..., and others which may contain other relevant information.

Former Opus Dei [like RC] Sues over Unslavement

This is not Van Morrison's 'entrainment' but rather "enslavement" a charge being brought against her previous "employer" Opus Dei by a Numerary




[From a source]


The Telegraph at this site:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8782610/French-woman-sues-Opus-Dei-for-enslavement.html

reports a story about a former Opus Dei numerary (similar to 3gf) who is suing because she feels she was enslaved for over ten years, forced to make vows of poverty chastity and obedience and was cut off from the outside world. She was 14 years old when she started and left when she was 27.
She has made some interesting claims that sound quite similar to the situation with 3gf's. Assuming she is telling the truth, she was given a wage and then had to provide blank checks to kick back the money. It sounds as if she was subjected to mind control, isolation, excessive work load and when she needed medical help she was sent to a doctor who was also an OD member. He prescribed heavy doses of anti psychotic drugs for her. She was "chaperoned" by her spiritual director. 

In her case, there are some striking parallels to life in RC. I realize that you can't judge from one case and of course it is possible that she really was psychotic. But the circumstances sound quite familiar. 

1- Miles Jesu and Legion of Christ Intervention; The Founder

Everything about the Legion and the Vatican Intervention of the Legion has been so secretive it continues to cause confusion;

first thing the Vicariate of Rome does when they start intervening with the Miles Jesu is ask the founder to step down; it  says so and says it publicly, through this statement. 

In the Legion's case it was never clear why Fr. Maciel stepped down when he did in Dec 2004 [?]; for ill health or some other cock and bull reason? Of course, at that time Cardinal Rode -a great protector of the Legion- was in charge of  the Congregation for Religious and Institutes of Consecrated Life [?]. Maciel and the Legion were handled with kid gloves...

Was Maciel asked to step down by the Vatican, or did he choose to do so when he got wind that he was going to be investigated in April 2005 by the Congregation for Faith [Scicluna sent by Ratzinger], or for some other reason. Why did he step down? The Legion is so deceptive that as a matter of course I never believe their face reason for anything. I am sorry to say but "once bitten, twice shy" as they say in Dublin.

Why so much secrecy and confusion related to the Legion of Christ and the Vatican investigation?

Miles Jesu, another Legion of Christ in the Catholic Church

See REGAIN article

[From a link in the above article]

Leadership

STATEMENT ON THE SITUATION OF THE
ECCLESIAL FAMILY “MILES JESU”

1. In the spring of 2007 the Founder of Miles Jesu, Fr. Alfonso Durán, was removed from the office as Superior General, a position which he filled since the founding of the Ecclesial Family in 1964. Due to serious mental and physical health problems he was judged unable to continue in his position by the ecclesial authorities. Almost at the same time, thirteen members of Miles Jesu presented a request for an investigation into the Institute, indicating in their request alleged irregularities in the practices of Miles Jesu. The Cardinal Vicar of Rome, his Emminence Camillo Ruini, in conjunction with the Congregation of Religious, initiated an Apostolic Visitation under the guidance of Fr. Anthony McSweeney, SSS.
   
   During the Apostolic Visitation a number of irregularities and questionable practices came to light in the sworn testimonies of many members. Also the behavior of Fr. Durán in regards to certain questionable conduct and his exercise of authority came to light. The conclusion of the Apostolic Visitation was that an outside person should be called in to work with the Ecclesial Family in order to correct these situations and to work with the members in the renewal of the Institute.
2. In a Decree issued on March 25, 2009, Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the Pope’s Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, named me, Fr. Barry Fischer, C.PP.S., as Commissary for Miles Jesu invested with full authority. The mandate is to write a new Constitution which defines the charism, spirituality, and apostolic nature of the Institute; to develop adequate vocational discernment and formation policies (ratio formationis); to review the financial policies, and in general to completely revise all its practices and customs.
   
   During the past seventeen months, I have worked closely with the membership in pursuit of this mandate, as well as with former members who have left during or after the Apostolic Visitation. In time it has become clear and undeniable, that the Founder, Fr. Alfonso Durán, presented erratic behaviors that were totally beyond the scope of the powers given to him. Some members have identified wounds caused by the inappropriate exercise of authority under his leadership. The mistaken sense of allegiance and obedience instilled in the membership facilitated his behavior, which was totally unacceptable and not in accord with the discipline of the Church nor supportable in any way by a healthy sense of consecrated life.
   
   Members who challenged his actions or behavior were often ostracized. The internal discipline and customs of the Institute provided protection for the Founder. It must be said in justice, that most of the members had no idea of the improper conduct of the Founder. Some of the allegations against Fr. Duran are hearsay and have not been verified. However, many are factual. It is important for all that the truth be disclosed, which is the reason for this public statement.
3. During this year and a half of my ministry with Miles Jesu I have come to know and admire the membership and the charitable projects of the Institute. All are filled with love of God and a sincere desire to dedicate their lives to God’s service and to the Church. Members are actively involved in the drawing up of new Constitutions and a complete review of the customs and practices of the Institute in the spirit of the Gospel and in fidelity to the teachings of the Church. Particular attention will be paid to developing new government structures ensuring the proper exercise of authority and promoting an active participation and co-responsibility of the members in the life of the Institute.
4. In my personal contact with Cardinal Vallini, I perceive that he wishes to assure the membership and also the lay associates (“Vinculum”) of his concern and of his assurance that he accompanies them in this process with his prayers and with his conviction that the membership today has a right to a future. We are in close communication as he follows with interest the process of renewal we are undertaking.
5. As Commissary and in the name of the Church, I wish to express my deep concern for all those members, former members and family members who may have been hurt in the past due to the manner in which authority was exercised. I also am personally grateful for those members who had the courage to solicit the intervention of the Congregation of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, thus bringing to light the situations under question.
6. Though this communication may come as a surprise and be painful to many members, Vinculum members, and friends of Miles Jesu, the truth cannot be hidden. Only in truth can a better and healthier future for Miles Jesu be achieved. The work of renewal is already in progress and there is enthusiasm for the future that the members are building together. United in prayer and in fraternal love, and assured of the Church’s motherly care, we will get through this time of difficulty and come to the dawning of a new day. We walk towards that day in hope and trust in God’s loving care and protection.

Fr. Barry Fischer, C.PP.S.
Commissary
Miles Jesu

28 July 2010

---

In May, 2007 Miles Jesu's founding General Director was invalided from office with health problems including neurological degeneration. After an Apostolic Visitation "ad inquirendum et referendum" initiated by the Cardinal Vicar of the Diocese of Rome, Fr. Barry Fischer, C.PP.S., was asked to serve as Commissary (ecclesial superior) of Miles Jesu in April, 2009. 

Currently Fr. Fischer is guiding MIles Jesu in a general revision of our constitutions, formation and vocational recruitment programs, as well as other polices and practices of the Ecclesial Family. He is assisted by a council made up of members from the men's domus branch and the women's domus branch, and in collaboration with all the members of Miles Jesu worldwide.

All our members will be very grateful for your prayerful support in this time of renewal.

Should I become a Legionary or a Dominican

[from my YouTube account]

Legion of Christ

I just hear about this order yesterday and I've been very interested in becoming a Dominican but figured I should keep other orders in mind. So, like I said, I read about this order yesterday and it looked very authentic in its love of Christ and the Church.

Then I read some things about the founder, and that really turned me off. Then I came across a site, who's trustworthiness is questionable, that claimed the order was cult like and sought to remove any sense of individuality, privacy, and even one's free will.

So my question is this: Now that a Papal Delegate has been placed over the order, is the order going to be stripped of these negative features, or are things going to remain unchanged with just different leadership? You probably have a video on the topic since now I see you have a few videos on this stuff, but I just came across one video now so I have no come across your testimony before.

Pax Christi

The Archbishop who Saw Through the Legion

Archbishop O'Brien leaving Baltimore for post in Rome He will continue work in Baltimore until successor is installed August 30, 2011|By Arthur Hirsch, The Baltimore Sun Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien flies to Rome next month for a new job leading a global order of Catholic knights, a post that likely will lead to his elevation to cardinal, but which also begins his departure from the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Pope Benedict XVI named O'Brien, 72, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, the Vatican announced Monday. The predominantly lay order, which traces its history to the 11th-century Crusades, now ministers to Christians and people of other faiths in historical Palestine. The archbishop is being "promoted" to a post in Rome. But it seems to me he is being "demoted" from his diocese. Was it because he dared to bring down the Vatican's Darling Legion of Christ? "Father, forgive the Church hierarchy for the way it treats its 'faithful servants'?" This is an old article; after it find a recent article from the diocese of Baltimore on Cardinal O'B's new appointment Archbishop O'Brien raises concerns about Legion of Christ

By George P. Matysek Jr. The Catholic Review  Concerned that the Legion of Christ stifles the free will of its members and lacks transparency, Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien told the religious order’s director general that he cannot in good conscience recommend that anyone join the Legion or Regnum Christi, its affiliated lay movement. In the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Legion of Christ is affiliated with Woodmont Academy in Cooksville. Regnum Christi is also active in several parishes. The archbishop’s action came in the wake of revelations that Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legion of Christ, fathered a daughter while serving as leader of the international religious order. Pope Benedict XVI had previously removed the Mexican priest from public ministry in 2006, asking him to lead a life of prayer and penance after Father Maciel faced allegations of sexual abuse of seminarians and financial irregularities. “It seems to me and many others that this was a man with an entrepreneurial genius who, by systematic deception and duplicity, used our faith to manipulate others for his own selfish ends,” Archbishop O’Brien told The Catholic Review in a telephone interview following his Feb. 20 Rome meeting with Father Alvaro Corcuera, director general of the Legion. “Father Maciel deserves our prayers, as every Christian who dies does, that he’ll be forgiven and we leave the final judgment to God as to what his life and death amounted to,” Archbishop O’Brien said. Saying that the Legion’s founder “leaves many victims in his wake,” the archbishop called for the “full disclosure of his activities and those who are complicit in them or knew of them and of those who are still refusing to offer disclosure.” He added that the finances of the order should be opened to “objective scrutiny.” Archbishop O’Brien said he has grave concerns that the Legion fosters a “cult of personality” focused on Father Maciel. “While it’s difficult to get a hold of official documents,” Archbishop O’Brien said, “it’s clear that from the first moment a person joins the Legion, efforts seem to be made to program each one and to gain full control of his behavior, of all information he receives, of his thinking and emotions.” The archbishop said many members who leave the order suffer “deep psychological distress for dependency and need prolonged counseling akin to deprogramming.” Saying that “I know that there are good priests in the movement” and acknowledging that Legion members are in full accord with the theological teachings of the church, the archbishop also said some of the practices of the movement are unhealthy. “This is not about orthodoxy,” he said. “It is about respect for human dignity for each of its members.” The archbishop noted that he has heard reports that the movement claims that the first duty of a Legionary is to love the Legion. Such policies subject a person’s use of reason not to one’s own judgment, Archbishop O’Brien said, but to a spiritual director. “It’s been said that the founder is alone called ‘nuestro padre’ (‘our father’) and that no one else can have that title,” Archbishop O’Brien said. “All are bound to identify with him in his spirit, his mind, his mission and in his life. This would suggest that the very basis of the Legion movement should be reviewed from start to finish.” Scott Brown, executive director of the Woodmont Academy, declined to comment and referred questions to Jim Fair, a U.S. spokesman for the Legion who said that revelations about Father Maciel have been a “great shock” and “great disappointment” to members, but that the order has achieved “very positive things” for the church. “We’re processing that mystery, that the Holy Spirit could use what was very clearly a flawed instrument to do good,” Mr. Fair said. “The Holy Spirit does that with all of us. We think it did it with Father Maciel. So while this is certainly disappointing, we have a charism that is approved by the church and we’ll continue to work on behalf of the church on our various apostolic works.” The spokesman said the Legion is interested in working with the Vatican to address concerns about the movement. “We’ll be double-checking our policies and procedures to ensure that we’re in a good position to ensure the integrity of the group,” he said. Mr. Fair said he hoped the Legion will be able to prove to Archbishop O’Brien that “we have some value that would help his ministries and the archdiocese.” Last summer, Archbishop O’Brien was on the verge of asking the Legion and Regnum Christi to leave the archdiocese. He wrote a June letter to the order’s leader asking that a liaison be appointed who would inform the archbishop of all of the Legion’s activities within the archdiocese. He also asked for more transparency of Regnum Christi programs and for the order to stop giving spiritual direction to minors. “As far as we can judge, they are responding well to our requests,” Archbishop O’Brien told The Catholic Review, “but these larger questions are looming ever more threateningly.” Father Maciel founded the Legion of Christ in 1941. He died Jan. 30, 2008, at the age of 87. Paul McMullen contributed to this story ------------------------------------------------------------- Pope Appoints Archbishop O'Brien Grand Master of Equestrian Order of Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem << Back to List August 29, 2011 Archbishop to Serve as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Baltimore Until a Successor is Named Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien announced today that Pope Benedict XVI has appointed him Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. With the announcement of the appointment, the Archbishop immediately ceases serving as Archbishop of Baltimore, a post he’s held since October 1, 2007; however, he will serve as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese until a successor is named. In accepting the new position, Archbishop O’Brien assumes responsibility for the ancient lay Catholic Order whose goal is to promote and defend Christianity in the Holy Land and to support the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. “It has been a singular privilege to serve as Archbishop of Baltimore,” the Archbishop said. “It is with a heavy heart that I will be departing…I pray that I will carry out the will of God and that of [the Pope] in preserving the faith in the Holy Land.” The Archbishop made the announcement earlier today at the Catholic Center in downtown Baltimore in front of more than 200 employees of the Archdiocese’s central services offices, Catholic Charities, the Cathedral Foundation and the Basilica. Archbishop O’Brien succeeds Cardinal John Patrick Foley who resigned in February due to reasons of health. Cardinal Foley held the position since 2007. "I would like to thank Cardinal Foley for his excellent service as Grand Master,” Archbishop O’Brien added. “He brought great joy and enthusiasm to the position and accomplished much in his effective leadership of the Order. I would also like to gratefully acknowledge the Cardinal's personal words of congratulations and support. Since learning of my appointment I have spent some time with Cardinal Foley and I am sure I will be turning to him from time to time for his continued good counsel." Archbishop O’Brien said he was unsure how long it will be before his successor is named, but assured those present that the Holy See is aware of the importance of naming a new Archbishop as soon as possible, citing many critical programs underway in the Archdiocese. During his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI has stressed the urgency of preserving a strong Christian presence in the Holy Land. As Grand Master, Archbishop O’Brien will reside in Vatican City and will make visits to the Holy Land and to the Order’s lieutenancies, which are located throughout the world. The Archbishop has served as Grand Prior of the Mid-Atlantic Lieutenancy of the United States, based in Washington, D.C., since 2010. According to the Vatican, the Order’s principal mission is to “reinforce the practice of Christian life by its members…and to sustain and assist the religious, spiritual, charitable and social works of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land; and to conserve and propagate the faith in the Holy Land and the rights of the Catholic Church there.” Members of the Order must be practicing Catholics of good character and be recommended by their local Ordinary, or bishop, with the support of several members of the Order. Today, there are close to 18,000 members of the order who give generously to the Holy See and its institutions, particularly in the Holy Land, where it gives substantial aid to the humanitarian and religious projects of the Patriarch. In 2009, members contributed over $10 million to the Holy Land, providing support for the patriarchal schools there and humanitarian relief. In a statement issued today, Cardinal Foley cited Archbishop O’Brien’s “experience and splendid dedication as priest and archbishop” and said the Archbishop will be “an outstanding leader” of the Order. “I could not be happier that he is my successor,” the Cardinal added. During his tenure as the 15th Archbishop of the nation’s oldest Catholic diocese, Archbishop O’Brien has focused the Church’s ministry in several key areas, including the promotion of vocations, fostering a culture of respect for the dignity of every person, improving the quality of life in Baltimore City, and to help Catholics in the Archdiocese—young, old, and those who may have left the Church—renew and strengthen the bonds of their faith. Since arriving to serve as Archbishop of Baltimore in October 2007: Archbishop O’Brien has ordained seven new priests for the Archdiocese and over 120 men have entered the program for priestly formation. The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, a comprehensive fundraising program designed to aid the parishes, schools and charitable programs within the Archdiocese, has generated more than $23 million in pledged donations and is projected to surpass the $30 million mark this year. The Archdiocese has raised and distributed more than $7.5 million in tuition assistance for children in inner city Catholic schools. More than 3,100 new Catholics entered the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese. While many areas of Church life have experienced growth in recent years, Catholic school enrollment continued to decline, a trend that was accelerated by the economic downturn that began in the fall of 2008. To reverse this disturbing trend—one that led to the closing of several Catholic schools in the years prior to his installation as Archbishop of Baltimore--and to head-off the dire consequences that the financial crisis posed for Catholic schools, Archbishop O’Brien initiated an unprecedented review and strategic planning process for the entire school system. These efforts led to the painful but necessary consolidation of a dozen Catholic elementary schools and one high school, as well as the creation of a long-term strategy for strengthening Catholic schools. As well a number of new educational initiatives to help Catholic schools remain competitive were developed, including dual language, Montessori and STEM, with the promise of additional programs to follow. Guided by a blue ribbon committee of educational, community, business and philanthropic leaders, the Archbishop called for the creation of a new Archdiocesan School Board and a new model for school governance that puts the Superintendent of Schools in charge of school leaders and puts priests in charge of the spiritual identity of the school. The critical issue of bridging the affordability gap many families are facing was also a key area of focus for the Archbishop, as he called on every Catholic parish in the Archdiocese to financially support Catholic school education. This resulted in the implementation of an annual special assessment and a special collection for Catholic education, both designed to help fund tuition assistance and other forms of assistance to families and schools. “While the thought of leaving Baltimore—which I have come to think of as a permanent and welcoming home—saddens me, the news underscores the fact that the Church is built and ordered on Christ, alone,” said Archbishop O’Brien

[Video] Paul Lennon interviewed by Cult Expert, Steve Hassan

It was longer than we planned; hope you can gather some pearls of wisdom and a vision of how the Legion is seen outside the narrow confines of Conservative Catholicism;

Mind Control is Hassan's Specialty and many parents of Legion and Regnum members have sought information on the Freedom of Mind webpage and through consultation.