More Secrets About Bad Catholic Clergy Disclosed

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

RI records spotlight double life of Legion founder

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Newly unsealed documents in a lawsuit brought against the Roman Catholic order Legion of Christ show the group's former second-in-command testified he discovered the order's founder, the late Rev. Marcial Maciel, had fathered a daughter in 2006, but never confronted him about his double life and didn't share the news with the group's broader membership.

The documents, previously sealed in a lawsuit in Rhode Island, include thousands of pages of testimony from high-ranking leaders at the Legion, its members, and relatives of Rhode Island widow Gabrielle Mee, who bequeathed $60 million to the Legion before her death at age 96 in 2008.

The Legion, founded by Maciel decades ago in Mexico City, was taken over by the Vatican in 2010 after a church investigation determined that Maciel had sexually molested seminarians and fathered three children by two women.

The scandal, which tarnished the legacy of Pope John Paul II, has been cited as an especially egregious example of how the Vatican ignored decades of reports about sexually abusive priests because church leaders put the interests of the institution above those of the victims.

The documents released Friday, at the request of The Associated Press and other news organizations, include the first-ever depositions made available of high-ranking Legion officials, including the Rev. Luis Garza, the Legion's former No. 2.

In a deposition December 2011, Garza says he became suspicious while visiting Maciel in 2006 at a Jacksonville, Fla., hotel about two women he saw there. He later learned they were Maciel's daughter and her mother, a fact he confirmed with both women.

Garza said he obtained the daughter's birth certificate as proof — listing the father as "Jose Rivas." Later, it was revealed that Maciel used the "Jose Rivas" pseudonym with his other hidden family, a Mexican woman with whom he had two sons.

Yet Garza said he never asked Maciel about his daughter or discussed it with him, and he didn't think it was necessary to share the news with the Legion's membership or its lay movement, Regnum Christi. He said he only told the Legion's superior and two other priests.

"I didn't think at the time that the fact that fathering a child would change in any way the way we needed to behave vis-a-vis Father Maciel or the actions that we needed to do," Garza said in the deposition. "Because we needed to comply with indications of the Holy See and also because there was an issue of privacy and respect for the mother and the daughter."

The Legion didn't acknowledge Maciel's children or the sexual abuse allegations against him until February 2009, about a year after he died.

Mee's niece, Mary Lou Dauray, filed the Rhode Island lawsuit after her aunt died, saying Mee was defrauded by an order whose leaders orchestrated an effort to hide its founder's misdeeds from her aunt. A Superior Court judge ruled in September that Dauray did not have standing to sue.

But the judge noted that the documents filed under seal raised a red flag. He referred to the Legion's top officials as "clandestinely dubious religious leaders," and said there was evidence that Mee had been unduly persuaded to change her trusts and will.

Bernard Jackvony, the lawyer for Mee's niece, said taken as a whole, the depositions expose how the Legion knew by 2004 that the Vatican was investigating Maciel for sexual abuse and by 2006 that he had a daughter yet kept the information private. He argued that Mee never would have given the Legion her money had she known of Maciel's true nature.

"In terms of fraud, when you withhold information from people, that's the same as if you said something to them that's not true," he said.

The Legion said Friday it didn't exert undue influence over Mee's decision-making and she made her gifts of her own will.

"Our actions with regard to Mrs. Mee and her estate were appropriate and honorable," Legion spokesman Jim Fair said. "We were respectful and diligent in carrying out her wishes in the handling of resources provided to the Legion."

Among other documents released Friday was 2001 testimony from Mee in a separate lawsuit, showing her complete trust in the Legion.

"I know they needed money and what their dealings were, and I have complete confidence and trust. I know it's all above board. It's all very honest," she said. "I know no details and I don't ask."

The documents in Dauray's lawsuit were kept under seal until the AP, The New York Times, the National Catholic Reporter and The Providence Journal intervened, arguing that the documents were in the public interest. The Legion argued that media coverage of the documents could taint prospective jurors if there was a trial.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20130216/US.Legion.of.Christ/

[X Factor 1,112]

Why don't they let the priests marry and it will solve so many sexual problems. They ignore the scriptures that they are supposed to follow.

1 Timothy 4:1-3

New International Version (NIV)

4 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.

[Danno 1,228]

Why don't they let the priests marry and it will solve so many sexual problems. They ignore the scriptures that they are supposed to follow.

Most of-the offenses where with young men, teens and not small children, how does marriage solve that inclination?

The church has already revisited their policy regarding gays in the priesthood but there are still many many in the field who shouldn't be. And I don't know if they have yet closed down the gay seminaries.

I think your idea of "allowed to marry" as the solution is knee-jerk.

Many people who are married have affairs, many of the people who even molest children are married.

Can even a week go by without some new story of a teacher doing students?

In fact per capita teachers have a higher incident rate yet for some reason we don't taint all of them.

One of the things I find interesting about the vermin Priests who are discovered to have damaged the lives of innocent young men: Without pause they all remind us of how they did such good works in so many other areas.

How their work towards "social Justice" was second to none.... meanwhile they were preying on 15 year old boys.

Takes a special outlook to get there.

[james&olya 1,121]

Most of-the offenses where with young men, teens and not small children, how does marriage solve that inclination?

The church has already revisited their policy regarding gays in the priesthood but there are still many many in the field who shouldn't be. And I don't know if they have yet closed down the gay seminaries.

I think your idea of "allowed to marry" as the solution is knee-jerk.

Many people who are married have affairs, many of the people who even molest children are married.

Can even a week go by without some new story of a teacher doing students?

In fact per capita teachers have a higher incident rate yet for some reason we don't taint all of them.

One of the things I find interesting about the vermin Priests who are discovered to have damaged the lives of innocent young men: Without pause they all remind us of how they did such good works in so many other areas.

How their work towards "social Justice" was second to none.... meanwhile they were preying on 15 year old boys.

Takes a special outlook to get there.

Only you, Danno, could somehow find a way to blame "social Justice" for sex abuse by the pedophile priests of the catholic church!

[Danno 1,228]

Only you, Danno, could somehow find a way to blame "social Justice" for sex abuse by the pedophile priests of the catholic church!

Yeah I know the myths are more fun than reality but I just got finished pointing out that the vast majority of the offending priests were not pedophiles, they were molesting young boys and teens.

I also did not blame social-justice, I just had a little fun pointing out that was their source of redemption (in their minds).

Next?

[decocker 7,198]

Yeah I know the myths are more fun than reality but I just got finished pointing out that the vast majority of the offending priests were not pedophiles, they were molesting young boys and teens.

gonna have to correct the all knowing danno on this one..

a priest who molests young boys and teens is a pedophile.

a priest who has a sexual relationship with another adult male is homosexual or bisexual.

Edited February 17, 2013 by val erie

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

gonna have to correct the all knowing danno on this one..

a priest who molests young boys and teens is a pedophile.

a priest who has a sexual relationship with another adult male is homosexual or bisexual.

Actually, a pedophile is attracted sexually to prepubescent children of either sex, or both.

Hebephilia and ephebophilia are the more correct terms for sexual attraction to pubescent and post-pubescent teenagers, respectively.

[decocker 7,198]

Actually, a pedophile is attracted sexually to prepubescent children of either sex, or both.

Hebephilia and ephebophilia are the more correct terms for sexual attraction to pubescent and post-pubescent teenagers, respectively.

that's lovely - i was using danno's terms since danno is of the notion that homosexual men prey on children by default.

[Danno 1,228]

that's lovely - i was using danno's terms since danno is of the notion that homosexual men prey on children by default.

No no, I never said that nor do I think it.

There were lots of Gay priests who never thought to do such a thing.

But when the vast majority of cases involved male victims and many were long past puberty, one can't help but take notice, I mean just look at the numbers

Though gay males are only 1.5% of the population (U.S census) over 80% of the victims were boys,

over 70% of them were like middle school age or older.

Since going in the priesthood is so unusual, one can not assign blame to gays at large..... it rests with the gay Priest population.

It's rather odd people can connect the dots with extreme militia groups and pit bulls but when the topic is politically incorrect, we close our eyes.

[decocker 7,198]

No no, I never said that nor do I think it.

it is most certainly what you think - we've had this conversation before. and i'm not going to have it again.

[JensJrny2Ray 367]

The problem and why it is so prolific in the Catholic church and other organizations such as Boy Scouts, is the secrecy and cover ups. Instead of going immediately to the police and arresting the person in question and removing them from their position, it's just kept quiet and the offender is transferred. It doesn't have anything to do with being gay, it has to do with the level of cover-ups and protection of the institution as a whole as if it were more important than our children. Many of these priests have molested and abused boys AND girls.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Just skimming thru it, all I got was he fathered a daughter(s) and kept his double life secret.

No where did I see that anyone was under aged or raped.

Although Hypocritical and probably of very poor ethics, what exactly did he do that was illegal ?

This does not appear to be your standard run of the mill priest molest boys church covers it up story.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

[Danno 1,228]

it is most certainly what you think - we've had this conversation before. and i'm not going to have it again.

It's hard to respect a coward.

[Danno 1,228]

The problem and why it is so prolific in the Catholic church and other organizations such as Boy Scouts, is the secrecy and cover ups. Instead of going immediately to the police and arresting the person in question and removing them from their position, it's just kept quiet and the offender is transferred. It doesn't have anything to do with being gay, it has to do with the level of cover-ups and protection of the institution as a whole as if it were more important than our children. Many of these priests have molested and abused boys AND girls.

You pointed out a troubling part of the crime but your opinion never answered why over 80% of the victims were boys....the few girls involved got the cover up treatment too.