VATICAN CITY
WSLS
By: NICOLE WINFIELD | Associated Press
Published: February 17, 2012
VATICAN CITY (AP) The pope’s envoy to the disgraced Legion of Christ religious order is scrambling to contain fallout from the resignation of the head of the Legion’s women’s branch and the decision of 30 members to split from the movement.
In a letter released Friday, Cardinal Velasio De Paolis urged those leaving not to “try to persuade or proselytize” others to come along with them, and confirmed that the exodus wasn’t just of rank and file members but included senior directors as well.
Pope Benedict XVI tapped De Paolis to take over the Legion in 2010 after a Vatican investigation determined that its founder, the Rev. Marciel Maciel, was a pedophile and fraud who had created a cult-like movement where members endured emotional, spiritual and psychological abuse. The revelations were particularly scandalous given that the Legion was one of the fastest-growing religious orders and that Maciel was revered in the Vatican for his ability to attract priests and money.
De Paolis has insisted that to survive, the Legion must reform itself from the inside out and he has refrained from imposing major changes from the outside. But he has faced criticism that he is moving too slowly, that the Legion’s problematic internal culture hasn’t changed, and that the same superiors who covered up Maciel’s crimes remain in positions of authority.
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.