[www.catholicnews.com]

Minnesota archbishop bars Legionaries from his archdiocese
By Jerry Filteau
Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a letter made public by an Internet posting in December, Archbishop Harry J. Flynn of St. Paul-Minneapolis informed parish heads that the Legionaries of Christ are "not to be active in any way in the archdiocese."

He also instructed them that the Legionaries' lay associate movement, Regnum Christi, is to be "kept completely separate from all activities of the parishes and the archdiocese." The lay organization should not be allowed to use parish or archdiocesan property for any meeting or program, he said.

The St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese is not the first to bar the Legionaries, a religious order of priests whose approach to ministry and methods of vocations recruitment and seminary formation have been a source of controversy. The Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, has had a similar policy toward the Legionaries and Regnum Christi since October 2002.

With his Nov. 23 circular letter to pastors and parish life administrators, Archbishop Flynn enclosed a copy of a letter he wrote the previous month to Father Anthony Bannon, national director of the Legionaries of Christ.

In that letter he expressed concern that, in meetings and correspondence with Father Bannon over several years, his efforts to learn more about the Legionaries and Regnum Christi and their ministry in St. Paul-Minneapolis brought responses that "tended to be vague and ambiguous, characterized by generalizations about intent and policy."

While the Legionaries' written materials speak of cooperation with local churches, he said, in his archdiocese "practice has not seemed to match theory in that regard. ... Our pastors continue to sense that a 'parallel church' is being encouraged, one that separates persons from the local parish and archdiocese and creates competing structures."

"As a result," he wrote to Father Bannon, "I have decided that Legionary of Christ priests are not to be active in any way in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis."

The October letter said lay Catholics "have a canonical right to join associations of the faithful, such as Regnum Christi, (but) not all such associations are officially approved or supported" in every diocese.

Since the organization operates outside normal church structures such as parishes and schools, "there is no opportunity for me to exercise appropriate vigilance in their regard," the archbishop wrote.

He said the archdiocese therefore "does not endorse or support Regnum Christi itself or activities sponsored by that movement." To prevent any confusion on the matter, he added, Regnum Christi activities must be "completely separate" from any parish and archdiocesan activities and cannot take place on any parish or archdiocesan property.

Legionaries spokesman Jay Dunlap told Catholic News Service Dec. 21, "We wish to continue communicating with the archbishop, to listen to him and continue to dialogue."

He declined further comment, saying the Legionaries' primary concern was to keep lines of dialogue open.

Dennis McGrath, archdiocesan spokesman, confirmed the authenticity of the archbishop's letters. They were posted on the Internet at: www.regainnetwork.org, a Web site whose stated purpose is "to outreach, unite and support those touched or adversely affected by the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi." "Legion of Christ" is an alternate name the order uses.

Also posted on the Web site are copies of a letter from Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, La., warning parents about the Legionaries and a 2002 church bulletin from St. Joseph Cathedral in Columbus, Ohio, announcing a diocesan policy of barring the Legionaries from the diocese and barring Regnum Christi from the use of diocesan or parish facilities for any of their activities.

The Legionaries have a Web site, www.legionaryfacts.org, which is devoted to countering negative claims about the order and its lay movement. Many of the criticisms come from former Legionaries priests or seminarians.

Robin Miller, Columbus diocesan spokeswoman, confirmed by telephone that the 2002 policy remains in effect. She said the restrictions on use of church facilities by Regnum Christi also apply to Familia, the Legionaries' family life apostolate.

Dunlap said that as far as he knows the nearly identical Columbus and St. Paul-Minneapolis policies are the only ones of the kind in the country.

Father John Carville, vicar general of the Baton Rouge Diocese, was cited as a diocesan consultant in the letter from Catholic High School last June to its students' parents.

He told CNS in a telephone interview that when Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans was bishop of Baton Rouge in the 1990s he had concerns about the Legionaries that were similar to those expressed by Archbishop Flynn.

He said that after discussions with Father Bannon then-Bishop Hughes established a protocol that if the Legionaries wanted to operate in the diocese "they had to keep us abreast of everything they did."

"Frankly, they didn't adhere to it," he added.

He said Bishop Robert W. Muench, who became bishop in 2002, also had concerns and met with Father Bannon and Father Patrick Murphy, a Legionaries priest from Atlanta who visits the Baton Rouge Diocese at times.

Bishop Muench recently established a "stiffer protocol" requiring written quarterly reports from the Legionaries on all Legionaries and Regnum Christi activities in the diocese, he said, and the Legionaries have complied.

Asked to describe the concerns of the two Baton Rouge bishops, Father Carville said, "The problems we have found with the Legionaries specifically are that they seem to hide their identity, they somehow convey to their followers that what is being taught in parishes in the diocese is inadequate Catholicism and they have an adverse effect on the morale of local clergy, who are then badgered with questions" suggesting that they aren't doing their job right.

The Baton Rouge priest also raised the "parallel church" issue, saying the members of Regnum Christi, under supervision of the Legionaries, have organized various ministries, such as youth ministry and small faith communities, that parallel the ministries of the local parishes.

The Legionaries of Christ was founded in 1941 by a Mexican priest, Father Marcial Maciel Degollado. Its U.S. headquarters are in Orange, Conn. It has about 600 priests and 2,500 seminarians worldwide, including 75 priests in the United States and a seminary and novitiate in Connecticut.

So, the Legionaries have problems in two dioceses? Out of about 200?

And in how many dioceses is it embraced by the Bishop (as by the Holy Father), and doing a work that is building up the local Church? I know of many.

[b:2484d10f01]Moderator note:

"wquercus" appears to be what is often called an "Internet Troll." His only purpose posting here was apparently to subvert the message board.

He posted information elsewhere on the board about the Mankind Project, which he admitted attending. Subsequently, more than a year later "wquercus" returned to delete all his posts regarding the Mankind Project. However, portions of his statements remain as quoted/noted by other members posting here.

Apparently, "wquercus" came to realize that his statements provided proof concerning what goes on inside the Mankind Project and he therefore decided that he didn't want that information to remain here publicly visible.

Subsequently "wquercus" was banned from the board.[/b:2484d10f01]

The Legion of Christ, like the Opus Dei cult, exists only to build up itself, not the larger Catholic community. For a Catholic cult to be banned in 2 dioceses is extremely suspect. Note the Jesuits, Franciscans or Dominicans are not banned in any diocese.

Apparently the Legionaires of Christ are selling their U.S.A. Headquarters and moving to some other place....

[www.nhregister.com]

Great. I guess we need to move somewhere where children and priest-acolytes can be raped "less".

That rules out Washington, D.C., I guess (SNARK...off/)

Here is the article in text format incase (as always happens) the article gets eventually taken down:

From the New Haven Register, New Haven, Connecticut USA
By Brian McCready, Milford Bureau Chief



Click to enlarge


Legionaries of Christ property at 393 Derby Ave. in Orange is on the market. (Peter Hvizdak/Register)

ORANGE — The one-time U.S. headquarters for the Legionaries of Christ, a conservative order of the Catholic Church that has come under fire after its founder had fathered a child and allegedly molested seminarians, has been vacated and is on the market, town leaders confirmed.

Town Plan and Zoning Enforcement Officer Paul Dinice said he recalls at one time 20 people living at the site, but over the years, the average was around 10 students. He said people were still living there less than a year ago.

“It’s a very nice piece of property. It has paved trails and a pond,” Dinice said. “It may not be ideal for a development proposal, but it’s aesthetically pleasing.”

The Legionaries of Christ was founded by the Rev. Marcial Maciel of Mexico, who has been criticized for fathering a daughter and allegedly sexually abusing seminarians. Those allegations against Maciel began to circulate in the mid-1990s, but did not result in any definitive findings. The initial investigation was headed by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, and by the time he became Pope Benedict XVI, new allegations were lodged against Maciel, who was forced to retire. He died in 2008.

In 2009, the pope ordered an investigation into the Legionaries of Christ, which is still pending. One of Maciel’s accusers in the 1990s was Juan Jose Vaca, who was superior of the Legion of Christ in Orange in the mid-1970s. As a 65-year-old college professor in 2002, Vaca told ABC News he was one of about 30 boys abused by Macial during his studies at the Legion in Rome many years before.

Dinice said the 10-acre Orange parcel is on the market, as a “for sale” sign is located at the front of the 393 Derby Avenue property.

There are four residential buildings on the site, used as dormitories and a school for seminarians who wanted to enter the priesthood.

Dinice said his office has received a number of phone calls from people interested in the property. The land is zoned residential and could accommodate about a handful of single-family homes. Each lot must be situated on at least 1 1/2 acres of land. A Legionaries of Christ spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

According to the Legionaries of Christ Web site, the order’s first home was in the Milford borough of Woodmont in 1965. The order relocated to Orange in 1971, and a few priests from that seminary began to spread into large cities including New York, Washington and Los Angeles in the 1970s and 1980s. Currently, the Legionaries of Christ has 800 priests and 2,600 seminarians worldwide.

The Legionaries operate 120 seminaries, universities, schools and Catholic newspapers. The group was formed in 1941 and rose to prominence within the Roman Catholic Church. The order was known for its strict discipline, but was a favorite of Pope John Paul II because of its ability to recruit priests at a time when numbers were waning. People have criticized the Legionaries of Christ for its secrecy vows including a prohibition on criticizing superiors.

Dinice, who has been employed by the town for 30 years, said he visited the monastery about five times and found the occupants to be “very quiet.”

Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Paul Grimmer said the property has been on and off the market for years, and is once again for sale. Grimmer said because the property is strictly residential, the corporation will not play an active role in its future development. He said the site served as a monastery for years but has been dormant recently.

Former First Selectman Mitch Goldblatt, who is still a selectman, said he has limited knowledge of the site except the land is for sale and was known to be a residential place for priests.

Goldblatt said when he was first selectman, he remembers going to the site because the priests had not received a permit to construct a bridge over a pond.

He said the exchange was pleasant, and that was his only trip there. Goldblatt said the site is set back from the road and is located off Route 34 and Racebrook Road.

“It was a nice piece of property, but it’s hilly,” Goldblatt said.

Contact Brian McCready at 203-789-5719.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2010 08:01AM by Sparky.