Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Was Fr. Marcial Maciel a Vampire?

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I write as I travel on business. Some of my postings have been mentioned or commented on at blogs such as life-after-rc and ex-lcblog.  When I get back to the office I hope I have time to address some of them. Amongst them are thoughtful comments ranging from people who are hurt, outraged, and disappointed by Marcial Maciel the founder of the Legionaries of Christ. I saw one comment comparing Maciel to the "undead" vampires of medieval fame!

When I learned of the dark side of Maciel, I found myself remembering that even in the ranks of the Popes we Catholics have produced there were some nasty specimens. How quickly we forget!

For instance, Pope John XII was Pope from December 16, 955 to May 14, 964. He was accused of multiple diabolical acts by his enemies. He was said to have given lands to his many mistresses that include his father’s concubine and even his niece. He made the sacred palace into a whorehouse and ordained many incompetent people into a bishop that include a 10-year old boy. His enemies accused him further of committing multiple murders. Pope John XII was eventually killed by a man who caught him in bed with his wife according to allegations. Albeit, the pope was never seen to have done such evil acts but his accusers confessed with certainty. Scholars remain uncertain regarding the true story of this beleaguered Pope.

Christians follow Jesus, the manifestation of the Triune God, who is pleased to work through fallible human beings. I believe He also works through these flawed human beings without making them perfect. After all, to make a human perfect, whether he wills or not to be perfect, is to make him not free and not human.

God works through sinful people whether no matter how we flawed humans judge them. Such is life. That's as much as I have time for now!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have thought for years that Fr. Maciel is akin to a vampire.

The Legion has a long history of surviving and growing based on the good ideas and good reputation of others. More dramatically, the Legion sucks good people dry, manipulating them to giving more than a healthy person should, conning them into giving the Legion ownership over their life's work, then discarding them when they are no longer useful, but a dispirited, embittered, disillusioned husk.

St. Augustine famously teaches us that evil has no life force of its own, but feasts on the good that God has created and perverts it. Of such things, I am convinced, did Fr. Maciel construct the fabulously successful, and famously deceitful, Legionary machine.

Anonymous said...

I suppose that if Maciel had a few moments in his life where he called upon God, then God would "work through him" like he would work on any human being who called upon Him. It doesn't make Maciel special. Maciel is diabolical not a vampire.