VATICAN CITY
WTOP
Thursday – 10/11/2012
VATICAN CITY (AP) – The superior general of the troubled Legion of Christ religious order has stepped aside unexpectedly, saying he simply doesn’t have the energy to oversee the radical reform of the congregation ordered by the Vatican.
The Rev. Alvaro Corcuera said in a letter obtained Thursday that his vicar general, the Rev. Sylvester Heereman, would run the order until a planned general assembly 2013 or 2014 to elect a new superior. Corcuera retains his title, but no longer will run the order.
The legion has been in turmoil ever since it acknowledged in 2009 that its founder, the late Rev. Marcial Maciel, sexually abused seminarians and fathered three children. The Vatican took it over in 2010.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.