Worldwide, the Legion of Christ is struggling with the fallout of revelations that its late founder sexually abused boys, had affairs and had been addicted to drugs. But in Mexico, support is strong.
The Rev. Marcial Maciel is blessed by Pope John Paul II in 2004. Maciel was able to avoid sanction for decades, despite scandals and allegations of abuse, because the pope admired the Legion of Christ for its ability to generate wealth and recruit seminarians. (Plino Lepri / Associated Press / November 30, 2004)
"Reporting from Mexico City - He hobnobbed with Mexico's rich and famous, cut lucrative real estate deals and was rumored to travel on occasion with a briefcase full of cash. He fathered at least one child, molested seminarians and boys and is said to have boasted that he had the pope's permission to get massages from young nuns.
And all the while the conservative priest was building one of the most influential organizations in the Roman Catholic Church.
Two years after the death of the Rev. Marcial Maciel, a Mexico native, scandals continue to unfold: Just the other day in Mexico City, two brothers came forward, claiming tearfully that not only was Maciel their father, he had also sexually abused them.
Buffeted by the string of revelations, Maciel's powerful Legion of Christ is fighting for its survival in Rome, the headquarters of the church. But here in Mexico, where the Legion has long-standing ties with the ruling class and an expansive network of elite schools, the organization remains strong.
Rather than the desertions that some branches of the Legion have experienced in the United States and elsewhere, student enrollment in Legionary schools in Mexico grew by 6% to 8% last year, spokesman Javier Bravo said.
The order's assets are estimated by some to be worth $20 billion.
'Obviously there has been a lot of suffering and surprise from what we have learned about the founder,' Bravo said. 'Obviously Father Maciel was a great part of our founding period. But he will have to be reconsidered as an instrument rather than a model.'
A few days after Bravo spoke to The Times, the Legionaries issued their most comprehensive apology to date for Maciel's 'reprehensible' behavior. 'Though it causes us consternation,' the statement says, 'we have to say that these acts did take place.'" ...more
