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63-704: The network is also affiliated with the international education system of the Legion of Christ called the Education Consortium Anáhuac (CEA) in 18 countries and serving over 100,000 students from kindergarten to graduate school. The university network was founded in 1964 by the Priest Marcial Maciel LC., and has connections to the Catholic church . The motto of the organization is " Vince in bono malum " (Overcome evil with good). The university's goal

126-560: A Legionnaire, over time, becomes in turn an aggressor". The Legion of Christ also singled out former Secretariat of State Angelo Sodano for leading efforts to cover up the reports of abuse. In 1998, nine men lodged formal charges at the Vatican that Maciel had abused them as youths and young men while studying under him; Maciel was initially investigated by the Holy See and suspended from his ministry in 2006. In 2009, an apostolic visitation

189-550: A devout Catholic family—four of his uncles were bishops—during a time in which the Mexican government was fiercely anticlerical . He became a priest after a troubled youth. Maciel was expelled from two seminaries for reasons that have never been explained, and became a priest only after one of his bishop uncles ordained him after private studies. Maciel was ordained a priest on November 26, 1944, in Mexico City, but had already founded

252-569: A life of "prayer and penance" in 2006. Maciel died in Jacksonville, Florida, on January 30, 2008, aged 87, and was buried in his hometown of Cotija de la Paz, Michoacán, Mexico. Immediately following Maciel's death, the Legion's leaders proclaimed "his ascent to heaven". According to the BBC , the 2019 report by the order found that Marcial Maciel had abused at least 60 children, and that another 33 priests of

315-570: A life without scruples or authentic religious sentiment", the Vatican said. After the scandals of Maciel came to light, some priests and seminarians left the congregation. Several schools and centers of formation closed. In 2019, the organization admitted that Father Fernando Martínez Suarez had abused eight minors between 1990 and 1993. A month later, they admitted that members of the organization had sexually abused 175 children between 1941 and 2019. 60 of those were abused by its founder, some of whom were his own children from several relations. Six of

378-608: A list. One month later, Father John again addressed the territory in a letter saying, “We must pray that these victims receive the healing they need and that those who are still trying to find the courage to come forward are able to find it. This is an important part of the healing process for victims and it’s important for the Congregation to listen to the experiences of victims so that we can make reparation and be further purified.” In his letter, Father John also affirmed that facing our history with determination and helping victims heal

441-463: A long time, the Vatican dismissed accusations by seminarians that Father Maciel had abused them sexually, some when they were as young as 12. After years of denial by the Congregation and the Regnum Christi movement and dismissal of accusations made by many former members, an investigation prompted by the Vatican concluded that allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Maciel were true. On 1 May 2010,

504-399: A month later the Legion promised "accountability and transparency" and "vowed to investigate the confirmed cases of past abuse by 33 priests and 71 seminarians". Films Vows A vow ( Lat. votum , vow, promise; see vote ) is a promise or oath . A vow is used as a promise that is solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to

567-758: A passionate way by embracing him as their model of holiness. Their spirituality is Christ-centered with a particular emphasis on the Sacred Heart, which is the patron of the Legion, in their vocation as religious and priests. Love for Mary is seen as arising from the imitation of Christ. In the Legion, Our Lady is venerated as both Mother of the Church and of the individual Legionary's vocation. Legionaries consecrate their spiritual and apostolic lives to her care, and seek to take on her virtues of faith , hope , charity , obedience to God, humility , and cooperation with Christ's plan of redemption and justice. Love for Souls

630-595: A policy that impeded the discovery of wrongdoing by Maciel and other Legionary leaders, according to investigative journalist Jason Berry . This vow was lifted by the pope, and has not been taken by new Legionaries. Love for Christ is, for Legionaries, a personal experience. Through the Gospel , the cross , and the Eucharist , Legionary spirituality teaches that the Legionary should seek to know Christ intimately, and love him in

693-538: A revision of its constitutions, which were approved during an extraordinary general chapter. The entire congregation revised the Constitutional document under the direction of a central committee and presented a final version to the new Pope Francis. On 4 November 2014, after an extensive process of the reform of the Legionaries of Christ, the Vatican approved the congregation's amended constitutions. In December 2019,

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756-418: A sheep, and her companions sing the following words: Here we have a sympathetic rain charm, combined with a prayer to the rain viewed as a personal goddess and with a promise or vow to give her the animal. The point of the promise lies of course in the fact that water is in that country stored and carried in sheep-skins. Secondly, the vow is quite apart from established cults , and is not provided for in

819-519: A spiritual army." Legion culture has been described as "insular" and "cultlike". The Legion began in Mexico where its largest base remains. It is said to have created "a vast network" of private schools and universities for the children of the elite in that country, which provided funding for his movement’s worldwide expansion. Houses of formation were established in Spain and Italy within its first decade. In

882-569: A visitation by the Vatican and a process of renewal through a series of discussions revolving around the charism of the movement, the relationship of the congregation to the lay movement, and the place of both within the Church. In 2006, Maciel was investigated by the Holy See and suspended from his ministry, initially over breaches of celibacy. This followed public revelations that he had sexually abused minors, which were later confirmed. The Legion's additional vow of "charity" had been used to induce secrecy, promising not to criticize superiors. This

945-506: A vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, then it shall be that whosoever cometh forth out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering." In the sequel it is his own daughter who so meets him, and he sacrifices her after a respite of two months, granted so she could "bewail her virginity upon

1008-442: A vow, which must also be fulfilled by reason of the virtue of religion. The god is usually expected to grant, on entering into contracts or covenants with man, the claims his vow establishes on their benevolence, and valuing of his gratitude. Conversely, in taking a vow, the petitioner's piety and spiritual attitude have begun to outweigh those merely ritual details of the ceremony that are all-important in magical rites. Sometimes

1071-404: Is "to form leaders of positive action". The mission is "to facilitate the process of formation and development of people of integrity who, with their excellent preparation by professional and cultural exchanges, with their deep human and moral formation, inspired by the perennial values of Christian humanism, for their genuine social conscience and for their leadership of positive action, promote

1134-507: Is an important part of our mission as a Congregation, not a distraction from it. It is what God is calling us to at this point in our history. We are committed to transparency about the abuse that has been perpetrated by Legionaries of Christ, to working towards a culture in which all our priests deeply understand the effects of sexual abuse and their role as spiritual fathers dedicated to nourishing God’s people, and to helping those who have been harmed to heal from their wounds.” In early 2009,

1197-538: Is defined in the Legion as an ardent desire to spread Christ's kingdom in this world. Legionaries focus on helping the greatest number of souls know and love Christ. In Legionary theology, time is a gift given by God which he wants to maximize to spread the Gospel and help bring the love of God to many souls. According to the National Catholic Reporter , the Legion or Legionaries of Christ was founded so early in

1260-532: Is the practice in many religious congregations of the Roman Catholic Church, Legionaries may visit their family according to their superiors' discretion and the norms of the Congregation, the average being for about 4–7 days a year not counting special occasions. Regular contact with their families is encouraged with respect to written, verbal, and video communication. The apostolate of the Legionaries (i.e. organizations "directed to serving and evangelizing

1323-605: The Book of Judges or the Bodhisattva vows . In the Roman Catholic Code of Canon Law , the vow and the oath are not considered acts of worship ( cultus ) like the liturgical celebration. However, they are considered acts of religion due to their sacred character, including the religious obligations they entail. Here, an important characteristic of the vow involves the manner by which non-Catholics are recognized to be capable of making

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1386-404: The 1950s and finally had to be hospitalized. Cardinal Valerio Valeri received reports "from an older seminarian in Mexico City" and the head of the one Legion high school at the time (Cumbres Institute), who were concerned about Maciel's drug use and "overly affectionate behavior with boys". Valeri suspended Maciel but in 1959 he was reinstated by Clemente Micara, the interim vicar of Rome. For

1449-624: The 1960s, chapters of the organization were founded in Ireland and then in the United States. In the 1970s and 80s the congregation expanded throughout Latin America . In the 90s it expanded to France and Central Europe . The Legion presents itself as dedicated to advancing the Church's mission in the world, and to this end claims to submit candidates to a rigorous formation of four dimensions: human, spiritual, intellectual, and apostolic. Critics accused

1512-556: The Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ from its Founding to the Present Day.” According to the report, “the report was the result of an extensive study carried out by an internal commission that, within the limits of a study of this nature, verified the various accusations of sexual abuse of minors throughout the history of the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ. It collected the global statistics of cases of abuse by its priests between 1941 and 2019 and included an appendix with

1575-558: The Hebrew Nazarite , whose strength resided in his flowing locks, only cut them off and burned them on the altar when the days of his vow were ended, and he could return to ordinary life, having achieved his mission. So in Acts 18:18 Paul had shorn his head in Cenchreae , for he had a vow. In Acts 21:23 we hear of four men who, having a vow on them, had their heads shaved at Paul's expense. Among

1638-487: The Holy See issued a communique on its year-long investigation of the Legionaries, condemning "system of power" created by Marcial Maciel, that hid "true crimes" and a private life "without scruples or authentic religious sentiment." The communique called for the Legionaries to follow a "path of purification," including a "sincere encounter" with Maciel's abuse victims. The superiors of the congregation did not officially inform

1701-490: The Holy See took over the Legion, in an address directed to Legionaries during their General Chapter of 2020 and to the General Assemblies of Regnum Christi held during the same period, Pope Francis recognized the progress made in their renewal saying: "The new Constitutions and the new Statutes are truly 'new,' be it because they reflect a new spirit and a new vision of religious life, consistent with Vatican Council II and

1764-501: The King". It has been described as a "conservative" religious institute whose ability to attract large numbers of "young Catholics to religious vocations" and large financial donations once made it "a favorite" of the Vatican ( New York Times ); and one whose focus is on "evangelizing society's leaders ... the wealthy and powerful", in the hope that this would multiply "the beneficial impact on society" ( Wall Street Journal ). As of 2019 ,

1827-489: The Legion as minors) had abused at least another 115 minors. The Director General John Connor has said that responding to these sexual abuses is an important part of the mission of the congregation. The Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ is a Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men that forms part of the Regnum Christi Federation, founded by Maciel in 1959, which includes

1890-402: The Legion of producing priests and religious who all spoke and behaved in the same way. The Legion's defenders argued that, just as members of a family receive similar upbringing, so the members of the Legion were formed in like ways, but still respected the freedom of the individual. The new constitutions approved by Pope Francis present a more balanced approach to the formation of members. As

1953-600: The Legion/Regnum Christi does as a whole, with brand-name-type recognition. The youth wing of Regnum Christi, offering spirituality for youth 11 to 16, is called ECYD . The commitments in ECYD vary over time, adapting to the ages of the members. Many ECYD members are involved in clubs run or overseen by Legionaries or consecrated members of Regnum Christi . Marcial Maciel was born in Cotija, Michoacán on March 10, 1920, into

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2016-618: The Legionaries of Christ had religious communities in 21 countries. Its members included four bishops , 970 priests and 481 seminarians (not including minor seminarians ). The order is part of the Regnum Christi Federation , which is composed of Legionary of Christ priests, Consecrated Women and Men and lay members of Regnum Christi. In 2019, the congregation published an extensive report on abuse by Marcial Maciel , finding Maciel himself had abused at least 60 children, and 33 Legionaire priests (many of whom had been abused in

2079-575: The Legionaries of Christ, the Society of Apostolic Life of the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, the Society of Apostolic Life of the Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi, and other Catholics who associate individually. Its members add the nominal letters (LC) after their names to indicate their membership in the Congregation. The "larger culture" is often referred to as "the movement" within

2142-494: The Regnum Christi Federation. Members of the Legion take vows of humility, poverty, chastity, and obedience . The vow of humility, which is not one of the 3 vows taken by all major Catholic religious institutes, obligates Legionaries not to seek positions of power within the Legion or the Church as a whole. In addition, until 2007, all Legionaries were compelled to take "private vows", never to "speak ill of Maciel or any superiors, and to report to their superiors anyone who did",

2205-402: The United States, and Canada . In 2006, the Legion launched a test phase of Mission Network in the United States. Catholic Mission Network, Inc. , is the umbrella organization that oversees and approves Legionary-endorsed apostolates that are not stand-alone like a school or retreat center. Its purpose is to provide both structure and supervision of the apostolates, and an overview as to what

2268-496: The Vatican ordered an apostolic visitation of the institutions of the Legionaries of Christ following disclosures of sexual impropriety by Maciel. Vatican authorities named five bishops from five different countries, each one in charge of investigating the Legionaries in a particular part of the world: They met with the pope to report on the visitation in April 2010, and the Vatican issued a statement on 1 May 2010. The Legion underwent

2331-421: The ancient Chatti , as Tacitus relates ( Germania , 31), young men allowed their hair and beards to grow, and vowed to court danger in that guise until they each had slain an enemy." In Christianity, the vow has more weight than an oath when approached from the view that it binds one to God whereas the oath binds one to man. This was explained further by St. Thomas Aquinas, who said: The obligation both of

2394-651: The authentic development of man and society.” The name Anahuac literally means “near the water”. The name is derived from the location of the first university in the network, the campus "Universidad Anahuac Mexico Norte" located in the area of Lomas Anahuac in Interlomas in Mexico City . The name refers to "the lake region that gave central place at the Aztec capital: Tenochtitlán, Central America's most populous and largest cultural development, where Mexico City now stands and in it,

2457-706: The career of Marcial Maciel, he was ordained as a priest after he was leading the order. The Legion has been described as "conservative" and focusing on "ministering to the wealthy and powerful in the belief that by evangelizing society's leaders, the beneficial impact on society is multiplied". Today the Legion purports its priests "are the confessors and chaplains to some of the most powerful businessmen in Latin America". Legionaries have been described as "easy to spot in Rome, young men with close-cropped hair in traditional cassocks or double-breasted blazers, walking two by two like

2520-489: The commonest. Wherever individuals were concerned to create or confirm a tie connecting them with a god, a shrine or a particular religious circle, a hair-offering was in some form or other imperative. They began by polling their locks at the shrine and left them as a soul-token in charge of the god, and never polled them afresh until the vow was fulfilled. So Achilles consecrated his hair to the river Spercheus and vowed not to cut it until he should return safe from Troy ; and

2583-465: The congregation in 1941, with the support of Francisco González Arias, Bishop of Cuernavaca . Two years later in 1946, he presented a donation to the Vatican for $ 10,000, “a huge sum in a city reeling from the war.” Pope John Paul II praised him in lavish ceremonies and called him an "efficacious guide to youth". In general, the Holy See held Maciel "up as a model of sainthood for the faithful" in large part "because he brought in money and vocations to

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2646-472: The congregation announced the congregation's Extraordinary General Chapter in Rome in January 2014, for a "total restructuring". Apologies to the victims were issued and a compensation commission established. In 2019, new statutes were adopted introducing collegial leadership and more transparent community life to prevent possible abuses in the future. The Legion completed a five-year renewal process that included

2709-414: The directions of the Holy See, be it because they are the product of a three-year endeavor, in which all your communities were involved and which has led to a change in mentality." However, a report emerged around January 2020 alleging that the papal envoy in charge (the by then deceased Cardinal Velasio De Paolis) "refused to punish or even investigate" a case where a Legion priest, who had direct links to

2772-510: The divine being is the recipient of the promise and is not merely a witness . Therefore, in Acts 23:21, over forty men, enemies of Paul , bound themselves, under a curse, neither to eat nor to drink till they had slain him. In the Christian Fathers we hear of vows to abstain from flesh diet and wine . But of the abstentions observed by votaries, those with no relation to the barber's art were

2835-459: The founder, raped "little girls aged 6 to 8 or 9" in front of their classmates at an elite Catholic school in Cancun , Mexico, and noted a "high-level cover-up by superiors who are still in power". According to a former Legion priest, Rev. Christian Borgogno, "De Paolis' decision to leave in place Legion superiors, many of whom were close to Maciel, 'made reform' of the Legion 'impossible'". In response,

2898-503: The god. In the Jewish religion , the latter, under certain conditions, defined in Leviticus 27, could permit it to be redeemed. But to substitute an unclean for a clean beast that had been vowed, or an imperfect victim for a flawless one, was to court with certainty the divine displeasure. It is often difficult to distinguish a vow from an oath . A vow is an oath, but an oath is only a vow if

2961-419: The mountains." A thing or person thus vowed to the deity became holy and sanctified to God. (Jephthah could not have lawfully burned his daughter in sacrifice as it would constitute human sacrifice - something that God explicitly forbade. Some have suggested that his daughter remained unmarried and was given to serve the Lord in the temple.) It belonged to once to the sanctuary or to the priests who represented

3024-515: The old magical usage survives side by side with the more developed idea of a personal power to be approached in prayer. For example, in the Maghreb (in North Africa ), in time of drought the maidens of Mazouna carry every evening in procession through the streets a doll called ghonja, really a dressed-up wooden spoon, symbolizing a pre- Islamic rain-spirit. Often one of the girls carries on her shoulders

3087-544: The order abused minors, bringing the total number of children abused by the order since its founding in 1941 to at least 175. One of the first English language public reports of abuse came in 1997 exposing abused that happened in the 1950s. Juan Vaca and seven other early victims of Maciel "gave graphic accounts" in the Hartford Courant of how they watched Maciel inject himself with a morphine painkiller in Spain and Rome in

3150-486: The organization accepted responsibility for 175 cases of child sexual abuse by 33 priests, including 60 minors who were abused by Marcial Maciel. However, Archbishop Rogelio Cabrera López , head of the Episcopal Conference of Mexico , said on December 22, 2019, that the report is "late and incomplete": "How is it possible that the founder committed crimes for 70 years and no one ever said anything?" 10 years after

3213-495: The other during a wedding ceremony . Marriage customs have developed over history and keep changing as human society develops. In earlier times and in most cultures the consent of the partners has not had the importance now attached to it, at least in Western societies and in those they have influenced. Protestants , for instance, consider marriage vow as an unchangeable divine law since it needs not only "conciliar assertion" but also

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3276-506: The priesthood." In the Legion of Christ, Maciel was called "nuestro padre". Members of the congregation were taught "the Legion message"—that Maciel "had his enemies, but that he was a living saint for his leadership as an evangelist, drawing the church back from liberal abuses of the Second Vatican Council and attracting young men to a strict religious life." After Maciel's abuses came to light, Pope Benedict XVI sentenced him to

3339-401: The priests have died, eight have left the priesthood, one left the Congregation, and 18 continue in their posts but have been removed from tasks where they interact with the public or with children. The 2019 report by the Legion noted that 14 of the 33 priests who abused minors had been victims themselves when they were young, thus highlighting what it called "chains of abuse", where "a victim of

3402-501: The religious calendar. The Roman vow (votum), as W. W. Fowler observes in his work The Roman Festivals (London, 1899), p. 346, "was the exception, not the rule; it was a promise made by an individual at some critical moment, not the ordered and recurring ritual of the family or the State.' The vow, however, contained so large an element of ordinary prayer that in the Greek language one and

3465-629: The rest of the congregation until a year after his death, during which time, they continued to permit an internal culture of revering him as a saint. The Legionaries of Christ eventually acknowledged their founder's "reprehensible and objectively immoral behavior" as head of the congregation. As a result of the scandal, Pope Benedict XVI also removed the vow of charity, which required members to maintain secrecy, impermeability, and refrain from criticism of superiors. The "very serious and objectively immoral acts" of Maciel, which were "confirmed by incontrovertible testimonies", represented "true crimes and manifest

3528-702: The same word ( Ancient Greek : εύχή ) expressed both. The characteristic mark of the vow, as the Suda and the Greek Church Fathers remark, was that it was a promise either of things to be offered to God in the future and at once consecrated to Him in view of their being so offered, or of austerities to be undergone. For offering and austerity, sacrifice and suffering, are equally calculated to appease an offended deity's wrath or win his goodwill. The Bible affords many examples of vows. Thus in Judges xi. Jephthah "vowed

3591-411: The steps taken to prevent future abuse and guarantee safe environments. On the same day, Father John Connor, LC, then North American territorial director and currently the general director of the Congregation worldwide, released a communication compiling the previously released names of Legionaries of Christ who were active in ministry with substantiated sexual abuse allegations in the United States into

3654-460: The support of the Scripture , making marriage a form of divine ordinance. Within the world of monks and nuns, a vow is sometimes a transaction between a person and a deity , where the former promises to render some service or gift, or devotes something valuable to the deity's use. The vow is a kind of oath , with the deity being both the witness and recipient of the promise . For examples, see

3717-521: The university. The Anahuac University Network consists of the following institutions: México: Spain: Italy: United States: Chile: Legion of Christ The Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ ( Latin : Congregatio Legionariorum Christi ; also Legion of Christ ) is a Roman Catholic clerical religious order made up of priests and candidates for the priesthood established by Fr. Marcial Maciel , LC in Mexico in 1941. Maciel

3780-785: The world") has many aspects, but focuses on the following: In the US, the congregation runs four schools. In 2012, all three of its high schools (Everest Collegiate High School, The Highlands School and Pinecrest Academy) were named in the list of top 50 Catholic High Schools developed by the Cardinal Newman Society . In Mexico, the Legionaries administer the Anahuac University Network . Legionaries operate centers of education (minor seminaries, seminaries, schools and/or universities) in Mexico, Venezuela , Colombia , Brazil , Korea , Ireland , Spain , Italy , France , Germany ,

3843-414: Was also Director General of the congregation for over 60 years until forced to step down in January 2005 as a result of grave sexual scandals against seminarians and children. The Legionaries of Christ describes itself as being made up of men "driven by the desire of Jesus' heart to set the world ablaze" and lead others to "transform their hearts, their families and their world" with "the love of Christ

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3906-458: Was lifted by Pope Benedict XVI in December 2007. Cardinal Velasio De Paolis was delegated to examine the Legionaries' constitutions and conduct a visitation of its lay affiliate Regnum Christi in 2012. On October 19, 2012, De Paolis published a cover letter for a summary of the Regnum Christi's charism which he had approved as a working document. Under the guidance of Cardinal Velasio De Paolis,

3969-492: Was ordered by Pope Benedict XVI and shortly after Cardinal Velasio De Paolis was delegated to impose "structural changes.” In 2014, the five-year renewal process was completed with the approval of amended constitutions; five years later, Pope Francis referred to the new Constitutions approvingly. On December 21, 2019, the Legionaries of Christ released the “Report 1941-2019 on the Phenomenon of Sexual Abuse of Minors in

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