Legion of Christ Protects Pedophile and Abandons Faithful Ailing Missionary: Abuse of Human Rights (see appendix)
Double Standard Legion protects accused pedophile Novice Master, Fr. William/Guillermo Izquierdo, while refusing to pay hospital bills of ailing and now deceased missionary Fr. Raymond Comiskey.
June 3, 2015
On June 1st 2015 Fr. Guillermo/William Izquierdo, LC, the pedophile, dies in a residence in Madrid where his treatment is paid by the Legion. A week earlier, Fr. Raymond Comiskey, LC, a priest of impeccable moral behavior and forty years of generous service to poor Catholics of Quintana Roo, is left to vegetate with family friends in Merida and struggle with multiple illnesses (pace maker, diabetes leading to amputated toes, etc.).
As of this writing the Legion is refusing to rescue the care-taking family from debt due to medical expenses. The Legion is punishing all involved and making an example of Fr. Raymond because he refused to return to the Legion house in Cancun where he was not being taken care of.
The two contrasting stories have already been told:
http://neuhausdupedbylegion.blogspot.com/2015/06/legionary-pedophile-fr-guilllermo.html
http://regainnetwork.org/2015/02/22/2420/
Fr. Guillermo (William) Izquierdo, a once fair-skinned blond seminarian from the Canary Islands, Spain, was recruited by Fr. Marcial Maciel, notorious Legion of Christ pedophile, in the 1940s, together with his twin brother, Gustavo, who also joined the Legion. It is believed that Guillermo was a victim of Maciel’s sexual abuse. Unfortunately, Guillermo, was one of the victims who turned perpetrator. Testimonies by former members confirm that as Novice Instructor (Master) he took advantage of their innocence and obedience in Ireland and in the United States.
- Maciel and Legion superiors’ praxis was to move abusers from once country or continent to another. So, Fr. Guillermo who abused in Dublin, Ireland was sent to Cheshire. CT. USA to continue his abuse there. There was no proper Legion investigation, no punishment and no treatment prescribed for Fr. Guillermo, a victim perpetrator.
- Another diabolic strategy of Maciel was to reward his victims with posts in the Legion: in this case, Guillermo, as novice master, had access to and power over young innocent and vulnerable adolescents. He could do to them what Maciel had done to him: sexually initiate them.
Early accusations against Izquierdo were deftly managed to prevent the tracks leading to the then untouchable saintly founder of the Religious Order.
When about five years ago then Vicar General, Luis Garza finally recognized the abuses committed by Fr. Izquierdo, he decided not to proceed against him “because of his health and advanced age”. A decision that echoed eerily with the May 6, 2006 Vatican slap on the wrist for Fr. Maciel. It seems the policy was:
- deny and stonewall;
- delay and hold out until the perpetrator grows old;
- then tear your garments regarding the abuses,
- apologize to the victims;
- lament the fact that the perpetrator is too old to be made accountable for his actions.
A few words about Fr. Raymond Comiskey, LC. Raymond joined the Legion in September 1961 two months after his friend Paul Lennon. Raymond had been a staunch member of the Legion of Mary from adolescence. He was a true believer and wanted to be a missionary to bring pagans to the true faith, baptize them and save them from eternal salvation. He was a no nonsense guy and –instead of being recruited by Fr. James Coindreau, he approached the recruiter asking to be admitted.
We was trained quickly by the Legion and sent to the missions soon after ordination. He never rested and took the most difficult, obscure and less attractive assignments. The other padres poked fun at Raymond’s passionate and unambiguous preaching about sexual mores, repentance and conversion. But Fr. Raymond told it like it was. He spent silent years in remote towns and became pastor of Santa Cruz parish, spending long hours traveling to small villages in the area of Carrillo Puerto town, preaching and administering the sacraments in the Mayan language.
Because he did not take good care of himself and/or the Legion did not take good care of him, Fr. Raymond began in his fifties with a series of illnesses. Diabetes got him about fifteen years ago and whether through his own stubbornness or through Legion carelessness and misguided austerity the illness reached his extremities and he had some toes amputated. Around 2010 he developed heart failure and had to be fitted with a pacemaker. He must have had pulmonary problems too because pulmonary failure was given as the cause of his death.
Raymond was by no means a rebellious or disrespectful religious. Indeed, for most of his life he was a scrupulously observant member who practiced the prompt, blind, heroic and joyful obedience preached but not practiced by founder Marcial Maciel.
It will remain a mystery why Fr. Raymond spent his latter years with a housekeeper in a popular barrio on the outskirts of Merida. Apparently he felt that he would be better taken care of there than in the Legion house. Legion enforcer, Fr. X., went to visit him a couple of years ago to bring him back into the fold but Fr. Raymond refused –the second time he had strayed from strict obedience. He must have had some serious reasons to refuse.
Fr. Raymond disclosed to Lloyd Stephens in January of this year that his housekeeper had contracted a large debt due to medical expenses. Stephens gave him a paltry offering but he was confused by the fact that retired Bishop Mons. Jorge Bernal had told him that the Legion was supplying Fr. Raymond with generous financial support to cover his medical bills. As of this writing the caretaker is complaining to anyone who will listen. Two Irish born missionaries, friends and confreres of Fr. Raymond, are demonstrating they care. The Legion financial “officers” are stonewalling….
May his holiness, Pope Francis, have the time, energy and courage to complete the Herculean task of cleaning out the Legion Augean Stables –Please, let him not assign Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Religious (orders), who should be doing it. He has demonstrated that he does not want to get involved. He was outspokenly critical of the Legion before becoming Prefect. Once in the Vatican he no longer takes an active part in monitoring the Legion-maybe they did not allow him- He may also be resentful that Pope Benedict XVI went over his head and appointed Mons. Velasio De Paolis, to do the renewal job. De Paolis treated the Legion superiors with the same kid gloves as Pope Benedict XVI and went through the formal motions of change.
Enough reasoning. Two very different Legionaries died recently: one in the Legion womb, the other outside the fold. One treated carefully, the other treated carelessly. Let God sort it out. May they Rest in Peace.
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See ReGAIN article re Abuses of Human Rights in the Legion of Christ using Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Legion of Christ Extraordinary General Chapter documents (February 2014)
http://regainnetwork.org/2015/01/06/are-there-abuses-of-human-rights-in-the-legion-of-christ/
5. Legion of Christ failed to provide for its sick and elderly
UDHR, Article 25 (1) : Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate …. and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
LCECG: Re Provision for (Consecrated Persons’ Senior Years): The Legion structure has failed to make adequate provision for their elderly and sick members. “The central government was asked to attend to the following tasks: seek to increase the fund for the sustenance of elderly and sick members.”
The above admission needs to be prefaced by the following facts. Video and written testimonies exist of Legionaries being denied medical care and being accused of hypochondria by their superiors when reporting symptoms. Legionaries and members of the Regnum Christi Movement were not enrolled in Social Security or in any bona fide medical insurance services. For decades the Legion has depended on the kindness of friendly doctors to take care of the sick members. On more than one occasion a terminally ill member was returned to their family for appropriate care. The Legion also lacks clear legislation regarding support for those leaving the institute. Up to now financial support has depended on vague guidelines and ultimately on the will of the superiors. There are no material provisions made for those leaving the institute and transitioning back to the lay state. This has given the superiors the power to control the when, where and how a members leaves the group –another cult-like characteristic.
