we have already published a Spanish language post yesterday.
Here is a link to the VOA article reporting on how the Legion of Christ and the priest, previously rector of the Legion´s Maria Mater Ecclesiae international seminary in Rome (training priests sent by their bishops from all over the world) revealed that the padre, Fr. Oscar Turrion, had just had a daughter out of wedlock/vows and -almost an afterthought- a boy from a few years previously. According to his very recent contrite letter, he felt it was time to come clean. His superiors have been very understanding and did not reveal the slip until the padre was ready to leave and start his new life.
Events were originally reported by Associated Press
UK Daily Mail quotes full AP article
As I wrote in a comment on the Spanish language version of this story:
So here we go again – yet another high-ranking priest within this discredited organisation shown to have been leading a double life. What I find striking are two things from Turrión’s personal statement. First he seems to be seeking to throw some of the responsibility for what he did on to the Legion and indeed the Catholic Church when he writes:
“Due to certain circumstances in the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ and many other circumstances in the Church, I began to lose my grounding and became more and more disillusioned… During this time I reestablished contact with the woman and bit by bit fell in love with her.”
Actually I feel I can sympathise to some extent with what what he is saying here and with the torment he must have gone through.
Then later he claims that “I am resolved to continue ‘doing the truth’ in my life.” Surely this is rather an unfortunate choice of words from someone who has in a sense been living a lie since at least nine months before the birth of the first child several years ago!
So now we have (at least) three senior priests in the Legion who have had secret children, surely trashing its reputation even further. Surely Pope Benedict made a big tactical error when he sought to reform the Legion rather than just closing it down.
have to agree. and there may be more to come…
The conservatorship should have lasted longer to root out problematic parts of the culture. Openness with superiors is really not the most highly encouraged reality to be honest. Also, advancement or nice assignments rests in being seen as part of the “team” (i.e., not disagreeing with the superiors’ party line). Even with the former private vow “not to seek authority”, the same guys are in charge over and over. On top of that, they almost never return to non-leadership ministry. It’s like a clique no one wants to leave once they’re there! But no one’s seeking authority, right?