Maciel’s Son Is Charged With Aggravated Extortion By Legion and Jailed

Jose Raul Gonzalez Lara, who is believed to be one of Father Marcial Maciel’s children has been jailed according to Associated Press in an article in the Washington Post Click Here

According to the article, the Legion laid criminal charges of aggravated extortion charges against Maciel’s alleged son Gonzalez, because he had asked for $26 million in exchange for his silence.

In 2010, Catholic News agency had released a story through EWTN Click Here that a Mexican lady named Blanca Estela Lara Gutierrez had met Fr. Maciel in 1970, when she was only 19 years old and Maciel was 56 at the time. He told her that his name was Raul Rivas and that he was a widower. Although they did not officially marry, they reportedly lived together at times and raised children, including Gonzalez.

ReGAIN Comment:

Assuming that Gonzalez’s claims were accurate, he was victimized in a horrendous manner. Based on his story, he grew up believing that his father was a widower named Raul Rivas (who was really Maciel). He claimed that he had been sexually abused by Maciel over a period of years starting when he was only seven years old. He claimed that his father had mentioned that his will was to leave a legacy of $6 million for Raul, his younger brother, and his mother.

Imagine his shock to later discover that his father was actually the founder and head of a Roman Catholic religious order and of Regnum Christi, a religious movement with thousands of members.

Although ReGAIN does not agree with the son’s attempt to profit by demanding money from the Legion, we empathize with him in his current situation of once again becoming a victim. It is unfortunate that both sides could not have acted in a better way.

In the EWTN article, Legionary spokesperson, Fr. Skertchly had expressed that the Legion’s intention was to do whatever is possible to uncover the truth about our founder’s life, to look for the best solutions in a spirit of gospel charity to the complex situations that are presenting themselves, and to reach out pastorally to all of the people who have suffered or who may be affected by it.

So far, we continue to wait to see real evidence of openness or gospel charity from the Legion.