Tag: Sexual Abuse

1- WOMEN ABUSED BY FORMER, EXITING OR ACTIVES LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST AND REGNUM CHRISTI MEMBERS Seguido de TRADUCCIÓN!

WOMEN ABUSED BY FORMER, EXITING OR ACTIVE LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST AND REGNUM CHRISTI MEMBERS! WOMEN, BEWARE OF LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST ON THE TIGHTROPE! Over the past year a number of women who have been deceived or abused physically, emotionally, sexually or spiritually by Legionary of Christ and Regnum Christi members have approached me:  they have tangled with priests, struggling priests and seminarians, and by exited or exiting members. For me, a former Legionary priest, listening to these “victims” is a sad and frustrating experience. Each case is different. I realize that the roles can be reversed when the LC/RC in question is a woman of whom men need to be wary. But I hope I can put together some ideas which may be helpful to those who choose to heed the following caveats:

 

WOMEN, BEWARE OF LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST ON THE TIGHTROPE!

Do NOT get romantically or sexually involved!

 

BY J. Paul Lennon, STL, MA Counseling, Post MA Marriage and Family Therapy

December 2023 – February 2024

Hello Mr. Lennon,

as we discussed on Facebook. I am writing because my ex-husband was a Legionary of Christ. I know he was in it from 2002 until around 2011.  I knew the seminary he was in was strict, but I didn’t know anything about the (Maciel) scandal until just before our divorce was finalized….  Our whole marriage he was emotionally abusive and financially controlling. Then one day in 2018 I found out he had a massive affair. I discovered he had lots of women hidden on Facebook. I left soon after I found a list of confessions re porn addiction, lusts, adultery, evil in his heart for me, etc.  After that my daughter started making  physical and sexual abuse allegations against him. She was 4.  I also realized he opened 4 credit cards in my name.  The child abuse consisted of burning my daughter with a hot fork and having her witness a voodoo ritual,  as well as sexual abuse according to my daughter. It was a fierce battle in court, but the abuse allegations were so bizarre that the judge did not believe my ex who is a lecturer at a college could have possibly done it. We did everything right: CPS, the police involved, therapist.  The judge just wasn’t for me. I tell you all this to let you know we went to a psychiatrist for evaluation, he asked me what I knew about my ex. I told him he was in the seminary for 9 years and got a degree in Rome. He said that’s weird because he didn’t mention that. I thought it was so odd, so I started researching it. I knew it was in Cheshire, CT. And I dove into the Legionaries of Christ. My ex always told me he met a living saint. I always thought he meant a Pope but maybe he meant Fr. Marcial Maciel, the pedophile founder.

1-   Where is the writer coming from?

Over the past year a number of women who have been deceived or abused physically, emotionally, sexually or spiritually by Legionary of Christ and Regnum Christi members have approached me:  they have tangled with priests, struggling priests and seminarians, and by exited or exiting members. For me, a former Legionary priest, listening to these “victims” is a sad and frustrating experience. Each case is different. I realize that the roles can be reversed when the LC/RC in question is a woman of whom men need to be wary. But I hope I can put together some ideas which may be helpful to those who choose to heed the following caveats:

Be careful! You don’t know what you are getting into. And for the most part the struggling Legionary or Regnum Christi member does not know what the heck is going on with him/her. On counseling one woman, asking how to understand the man she could be falling in love with, the image of a Swirling Dervish came to mind.  The guy is swirling around at such speed that it is dangerous to get within arm’s length! Please do not try to rescue him/her. In Mexico they have a saying: you go in a redeemer and come out crucified.

2-   Many, if not all, former members claim they received little or no SEX EDUCATION

Perhaps this is not a surprise when one considers the reckless sexual life of the founder, pedophile Mexican priest, Fr. Marcial Maciel. When I was a Legionary, 1961-84, Legion training, particularly in the area of sexuality,  seemed to be governed by the same principles as the dysfunctional family popularized decades ago by the ACA Movement: “Don’t talk, don’t trust, don’t feel!” An intellectualized explanation of the vow of chastity/celibacy was imparted once. Period. It was totally forbidden that members discuss any kind of problems or personal issues with their companions. They had to confide in their superiors: the superiors had no idea, or did not know how to broach the subject, except in the most tactless and awkward way. We were not supposed to have any sexual difficulties. Because we had such a lofty calling to follow and embody Christ it was unthinkable that we could struggle with our budding sexuality. “It’s a temptation of the Devil, put it out of your mind.” These were impure thoughts and impulses. Repress and sublimate.

For your amusement you may view my video[i]

A glaring example of the lack of psychosexual development knowledge, exploration and guidance is portrayed in Kevin O’Sullivan’s recent memoir, A Good Boy. Outliving the Legion of Christ[ii]

3-   The religious congregation’s approach to the fundamental issue of “vocation” is seriously flawed.

Former members joke about how recruiters, directors, “formators”, spiritual directors -the group uses a variety of names referring to those who train the seminarians and priests- embrace a simplistic philosophy: “you have a vocation until I say you don’t!”. Those of us who lived under the Maciel regime can attest to this. Later generations explain how the Territorial Directors now seem to possess this charism in the reformed Legion.

There are numerous stories of how a superior or female director will shaft a member at the blink of an eye: “Patricia, the territorial director and I have determined that you are no longer fit for the Movement. Pack your bags quietly and discreetly this evening. A taxi will be waiting to take you to the airport early tomorrow morning. Please do not share this information with the other Señoritas, as this might imperil their vocation. And by the way, Fr. X and I do firmly believe you have a vocation for marriage. Hopefully, you will find another person who shares your religious and moral principles.” The exiting member will be given a plane ticket and a couple of hundred dollars for her expenses. Little or no care is provided for the exiting member’s well-being and recovery from what is often a harrowing experience.

4-   That is why those of us who care about exiting members and their prospective partners urge caution.

  • Some exiting members can be physically, mentally, psychologically and emotionally damaged.
  • Experts in the field speak of them suffering from Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many of us also suffered from Co-dependence on the order, unable to make decisions for ourselves and for our well-being.
  • Do no rush into a relationship with a former Legion of Christ or Regnum Christi member.
  • Make sure they have taken the time to heal.
  • Some may believe that a former priest, nun, consecrated man or woman is a good candidate for marriage. The religious life and solitude is not necessarily good preparation for marriage.
  • Hurried, rash or impulsive liaisons can lead to abuse, exploitation, failure and divorce.
  • “Love at first sight” and having children is OK in the movies but not recommended in real life.
  • Do your homework!
    • Keep tabs on exiting members of the priesthood and religious life. Follow their trajectory.
    • Research their recent lives, relationships and careers.
    • I can tell you from personal experience that we need time to recover our real personality, settle down, learn to be independent, and create a new career and livelihood.

5-   This order & movement has been accused of being cult-like, If so, it will possess many of the harmful features

associated with such groups; one of which is the tight control the leadership exerts over the members which limits their emotional, psychological and mental development. The new member will change their usual self and  acquire his/her “cult personality”. In some cases, the so-called “Legion formation” composed of a multitude of minute rules- may accentuate their defects and mental illnesses. Some members can exhibit repressed emotions, cruelty, obsessive compulsiveness, while others experience depression and anxiety. As the group’s goal is to strictly retain members, superiors will often refer suffering members to “professionals” who are in league with the superiors or otherwise influenced by the organization, or to its own home-made psychological institute[iii]. Thus, there is no one who truly looks out for the members’ well-being and emotional health. Often, members are controlled through ill-advised psychotropic medication.

I have spent thirty years trying to prove that the institution known as Legion of Christ/Regnum Christi is cult-like[iv]. I am not sure how successful I have been. Many believe that because the organization is approved by the Catholic Hierarchy it cannot be cult-like. I will not belabor the point.  But if I and other cult experts such as Steven Hassan, Janja Lalich, Brian Ross and Gillie Jenkinson[v], who have treated ex-LCs and ex-RCs, are correct, we can save you a lot of grief. See me being interviewed by the then International Cultic Studies Association director, Michael Langone[vi]. And save your family, friends and counselors much time, effort and expense. And grief.

 

[i] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fB3PiIi0wg&t=27s

[ii]  A Good Boy: Outliving the Legion of Christ: O’Sullivan, Kevin: 9780645487909: Amazon.com: Books

[iii] To avoid revealing the ill effects of  the Legion’s repressive methods on the members, superiors will avoid sending them to bona fide and independent therapists. The Legion, like a cult, prefers to “wash all its dirty linen at home” and so attempts to train its own,  homemade, psychotherapists. The order has gone to great lengths to create its “Psychological Institute” to treat troubled LC and RC members:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_the_Psychological_Sciences

[iv] See http://www.regainnetwork.org, ReGAIN Facebook, Catholic Orders and Movements Accused of being Cult-like: https://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Orders-Movements-Accused-Cult-like/dp/B084QL33YZ

[v] Several Spanish psychotherapists such as Carmen Almendros, Miguel Perlado and others are also familiar with the predicament and have treated Legionaries of Christ exiting seminarians and priests and Regnum Christi male and female “consecrated” members. English cult expert and psychotherapist Gillie Jenkinson at Hope Valley has also been contacted by troubled former members.

[vi]  https://regainnetwork.org/2020/12/19/dr-michael-langone-director-of-international-cultic-studies-association-interviews-paul-lennon-re-his-legion-of-christ-involvement/

1- ¡MUJERES ABUSADAS POR MIEMBROS DE LOS LEGIONARIOS DE CRISTO Y DEL REGNUM CHRISTI QUE HAN SIDO MIEMBROS SALIENTES O ACTIVOS!

 

MUJERES, CUIDADO CON LOS LEGIONARIOS DE CRISTO EN LA CUERDA FLOJA

¡NO te involucres romántica o sexualmente!

 

POR J. Paul Lennon, STL, MA Consejería, Post MA Terapia Matrimonial y Familiar

Diciembre 2023 – Febrero 2024

Hola Sr. Lennon,

como comentamos en Facebook. Escribo porque mi ex marido era legionario de Cristo. Sé que estuvo en ella desde 2002 hasta alrededor de 2011.  Sabía que el seminario en el que estaba era estricto, pero no supe nada del  escándalo (Maciel) hasta justo antes de que finalizara nuestro divorcio.  Durante todo nuestro matrimonio, él fue emocionalmente abusivo y financieramente controlador. Entonces, un día de 2018 me enteré de que tenía una gran aventura. Descubrí que tenía muchas mujeres escondidas en Facebook. Me fui poco después de encontrar una lista de confesiones sobre la adicción a la pornografía, la lujuria, el adulterio, la maldad en su corazón por mí, etc.  Después de eso, mi hija comenzó a hacer acusaciones de abuso físico y sexual contra él. Tenía 4 años.  También me di cuenta de que abrió 4 tarjetas de crédito a mi nombre.  El abuso infantil consistió en quemar a mi hija con un tenedor caliente y hacerla presenciar un ritual vudú, así como el abuso sexual según mi hija. Fue una batalla feroz en la corte, pero las acusaciones de abuso eran tan extrañas que el juez no creía que mi ex, que es profesor en una universidad, pudiera haberlo hecho. Hicimos todo bien: CPS, la policía involucrada, el terapeuta.  El juez no me ayudó. Te cuento todo esto para que sepas que fuimos a un psiquiatra para que me evaluara, me preguntó qué sabía de mi ex. Le dije que estuvo en el seminario durante 9 años y que se graduó en Roma. Dijo: es raro porque no me lo mencionó. Pensé que era muy extraño, así que comencé a investigarlo. Sabía que estaba en Cheshire, Connecticut. Y me sumergí en los Legionarios de Cristo. Mi ex siempre me decía que había conocido a un santo viviente. Siempre pensé que se refería a un Papa, pero tal vez se refería al padre Marcial Maciel, el fundador pedófilo.

 

1-   ¿Por qué el autor escribe sobre un tema tan escabroso?

 

Durante este último año, varias mujeres que han sido engañadas o abusadas física, emocional, sexual o espiritualmente por miembros de la Legión de Cristo y del Regnum Christi se han acercado a mí: se han enredado con sacerdotes y seminaristas problemáticos, y por miembros que han salido o están saliendo. Para mí, ex sacerdote legionario, escuchar a estas “víctimas” es una experiencia triste y frustrante. Cada caso es diferente. Me doy cuenta de que los papeles pueden invertirse cuando la LC/RC en cuestión es una mujer de la que los hombres deben desconfiar. Pero espero poder reunir algunas ideas que puedan ser útiles para aquellos que elijan prestar atención a las siguientes advertencias:

¡Ten cuidado! No sabes en lo que te estás metiendo. Y en su mayor parte, el miembro del Legionario o del Regnum Christi que lucha no sabe qué diablos está pasando con él/ella. Al aconsejar a una mujer, preguntándole cómo entender al hombre del que podría estar enamorándose, me vino a la mente la imagen de un derviche arremolinado.  ¡El tipo se arremolina a tal velocidad que es peligroso acercarse al brazo de distancia! Por favor, no intentes rescatarlo. En México tienen un dicho: entras como redentor y sales crucificado.

2-   Muchos, si no todos, los exmiembros afirman que recibieron poca o ninguna EDUCACIÓN SEXUAL

 

Tal vez esto no sea una sorpresa si se tiene en cuenta la desenfrenada vida sexual del fundador, el sacerdote mexicano pedófilo, el padre Marcial Maciel. Cuando yo era legionario, de 1961 a 1984, el entrenamiento de la Legión, particularmente en el área de la sexualidad, parecía estar regido por los mismos principios que la familia disfuncional popularizada hace décadas por el Movimiento ACA: “¡No hables, no confíes, no sientas!” Una vez se impartió una explicación intelectualizada del voto de castidad/celibato. Periodo. Estaba totalmente prohibido que los miembros discutieran cualquier tipo de problema o cuestiones personales con sus compañeros. Tenían que confiar en sus superiores: los superiores no tenían ni idea, o no sabían cómo abordar el tema, excepto de la manera más indiscreta y torpe. Se suponía que no debíamos tener ninguna dificultad sexual. Debido a que teníamos un llamado tan elevado a seguir y encarnar a Cristo, era impensable que pudiéramos luchar con nuestra sexualidad en ciernes. “Es una tentación del diablo, sácala de tu mente”. Eran pensamientos e impulsos impuros. Reprimir y sublimar.

Para su diversión, puede ver mi video[i]

Un ejemplo flagrante de la falta de conocimiento, exploración y orientación sobre el desarrollo psicosexual se retrata en las recientes memorias de Kevin O’Sullivan, A Good Boy. Sobrevivir a la Legión de Cristo[ii]

 

 

3-   El enfoque de la congregación religiosa sobre el tema fundamental de la “vocación” es seriamente defectuoso.

 

Los antiguos miembros bromean sobre cómo los reclutadores, los directores, los “formadores”, los directores espirituales -el grupo usa una variedad de nombres para referirse a los que forman a los seminaristas y sacerdotes- abrazan una filosofía simplista: “¡tienes una vocación hasta que yo diga que no la tienes!”. Quienes vivimos bajo el régimen de Maciel podemos dar fe de ello. Las generaciones posteriores explican cómo los Directores Territoriales parecen poseer ahora este carisma en la Legión reformada.

Hay numerosas historias de cómo un superior o una directora machaca a un miembro en un abrir y cerrar de ojos: “Patricia, la directora territorial y yo hemos determinado que ya no eres apta para el Movimiento. Haz las maletas de forma tranquila y discreta esta noche. Un taxi te estará esperando para llevarte al aeropuerto mañana por la mañana temprano. Por favor, no comparta esta información con las otras Señoritas, ya que esto podría poner en peligro su vocación. Y, por cierto, el P. X y yo creemos firmemente que usted tiene vocación para el matrimonio. Con suerte, encontrarás a otra persona que comparta tus principios religiosos y morales”. El miembro saliente recibirá un boleto de avión y un par de cientos de dólares para sus gastos. Se brinda poca o ninguna atención para el bienestar del miembro saliente y la recuperación de lo que a menudo es una experiencia desgarradora.

4-   Es por eso que aquellos de nosotros que nos preocupamos por los miembros que se van y sus posibles socios instamos a la precaución.

  • Algunos miembros salientes pueden padecer de daños físicos, mentales, psicológicos y emocionales.
  • Los expertos en la materia hablan de que sufren de Trastorno de Estrés Postraumático Complejo. Muchos de nosotros también sufrimos de codependencia de la orden, incapaces de tomar decisiones por nosotros mismos y por nuestro bienestar.
  • No te apresures a entablar una relación con un ex miembro de la Legión de Cristo o del Regnum Christi.
  • Asegúrese de que se hayan tomado el tiempo para sanar.
  • Algunos pueden creer que un ex sacerdote, monja, hombre o mujer consagrado es un buen candidato para el matrimonio. La vida religiosa y la soledad no son necesariamente una buena preparación para el matrimonio.
  • Las relaciones apresuradas, precipitadas o impulsivas pueden conducir al abuso, la explotación, el fracaso y el divorcio.
  • “Amor a primera vista” y tener hijos está bien en las películas, pero no se recomienda en la vida real.
  • ¡Haz tu tarea!
    • Esté atento a los miembros salientes del sacerdocio y de la vida religiosa. Sigue su trayectoria.
    • Investiga sus vidas, relaciones y carreras recientes.
    • Puedo decirte por experiencia personal que necesitamos tiempo para recuperar nuestra verdadera personalidad, establecernos, aprender a ser independientes y crear una nueva carrera y medio de vida.

 

5-   Este orden y movimiento ha sido acusado de ser un culto, si es así, poseerá muchas de las características dañinas

 

uno de los cuales es  el férreo control que el liderazgo ejerce sobre los miembros, lo que limita su desarrollo emocional, psicológico y mental. El nuevo miembro cambiará su yo habitual y adquirirá su “personalidad de culto”. En algunos casos, la llamada “formación de la Legión”, compuesta por una multitud de reglas minuciosas, puede acentuar sus defectos y enfermedades mentales. Algunos miembros pueden exhibir emociones reprimidas, crueldad, obsesividad compulsiva, mientras que otros experimentan depresión y ansiedad. Como el objetivo del grupo es retener estrictamente a los miembros, los superiores a menudo remiten a los miembros que sufren a “profesionales” que están aliados con los superiores o que están influenciados por la organización, o a su propio instituto psicológico casero[iii]. Por lo tanto, no hay nadie que realmente vele por el bienestar y la salud emocional de los miembros. A menudo, los miembros son controlados a través de medicamentos psicotrópicos mal aconsejados.

He pasado treinta años tratando de demostrar que la institución conocida como Legión de Cristo/Regnum Christi es una secta[iv]. No estoy seguro de qué tan exitoso he sido. Muchos creen que debido a que la organización está aprobada por la Jerarquía Católica no puede ser como una secta. No me extenderé en este punto.  Pero si yo y otros expertos en sectas como Steven Hassan, Janja Lalich, Brian Ross y Gillie Jenkinson, [v]que han tratado a ex-LCs y ex-RCs, estamos en lo cierto, podemos ahorrarte un montón de dolor. Véanme siendo entrevistado por el entonces director de la Asociación Internacional de Estudios Cultuales, Michael Langone[vi]. Y ahorre a su familia, amigos y consejeros mucho tiempo, esfuerzo y gastos. Y el dolor.

 

 

[i] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fB3PiIi0wg&t=27s

[ii]  Un buen chico: Sobrevivir a la Legión de Cristo: O’Sullivan, Kevin: 9780645487909: Amazon.com: Libros

[iii] Para evitar revelar los efectos nocivos de los métodos represivos de la Legión en los miembros, los superiores evitarán enviarlos a terapeutas independientes y de buena fe. La Legión, como una secta, prefiere “lavar toda su ropa sucia en casa” y por eso intenta formar a sus propios psicoterapeutas caseros. La orden ha hecho todo lo posible para crear su “Instituto Psicológico” para tratar a los miembros problemáticos de LC y RC:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_the_Psychological_Sciences

[iv] Ver http://www.regainnetwork.org, ReGAIN Facebook, Órdenes y Movimientos Católicos Acusados de ser Sectarios: https://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Orders-Movements-Accused-Cult-like/dp/B084QL33YZ

[v] Varios psicoterapeutas españoles, como Carmen Almendros, Miguel Perlado y otros, también están familiarizados con la situación y han tratado a seminaristas y sacerdotes salientes de los Legionarios de Cristo y miembros “consagrados” del Regnum Christi, hombres y mujeres. La experta en sectas y psicoterapeuta inglesa Gillie Jenkinson de Hope Valley también ha sido contactada por ex miembros con problemas.

[vi]  https://regainnetwork.org/2020/12/19/dr-michael-langone-director-of-international-cultic-studies-association-interviews-paul-lennon-re-his-legion-of-christ-involvement/

CONFERENCIA EN BARCELONA JULIO 2024 DE LA INTERNATIONAL CULTIC STUDIES ASSOCIATION E INFO-SECTE

Propuesta de Comunicaciones: CONGRESO INTERNACIONAL ICSA 2024, JULIO 3-6 , ESPAÑA
Wed, Oct 25 at 1:00 AM

Jean Vanier, the other Maciel; l’Arche, the other Legion of Christ: Sexual Abuse, Secrets, Cover-up and Catholic Authority Negligence

“A nearly 900-page report released Monday found that Mr. Vanier, who in 1964 founded the international network of homes to support adults with intellectual disabilities, sexually exploited at least 25 non-disabled women until his death in 2019, 19 more cases than originally known.”

Vanier, who had fallen under the spell of  Fr. Thomas Phillipe, founded L’Arche to reunite a (Phillipe’s) religious sect with ‘mystical-sexual’ practices.

I admit that I was a great admirer of Jean Vanier, founder of l’Arche communities, where members lived with mentally challenged individuals and accompanied them in their loneliness and abandon. I fervently read one of his books full of attractive spirituality.

My admiration was shattered on learning that French layman Jean Vanier also had feet of clay: he had been seduced by  Dominican priest Thomas Phillipe to accompany him in a sect that sexually exploited women.

“A nearly 900-page report released Monday found that Mr. Vanier, who in 1964 founded the international network of homes to support adults with intellectual disabilities, sexually exploited at least 25 non-disabled women until his death in 2019, 19 more cases than originally known.”

Worse still, recent investigations show that Vanier founded l’Arche to  enable the continued  false mystical sexual exploitation perpetrated by his mentor Fr. Thomas who had been censured by Catholic authorities but not  controlled and stopped.

“The report further stated that Mr. Vanier created L’Arche as a “screen” to reunite a religious sect called L’Eau Vive, which had been disbanded for their exploitive “mystical-sexual” beliefs and practices that included “sexual abuse, collective delirium…[and] incestuous representations of relationships between Jesus and Mary.” These practices did not spread beyond the first L’Arche community where Mr. Vanier in Trosly-Breuil, France, according to the report.The report further stated that Mr. Vanier created L’Arche as a “screen” to reunite a religious sect called L’Eau Vive, which had been disbanded for their exploitive “mystical-sexual” beliefs and practices that included “sexual abuse, collective delirium…[and] incestuous representations of relationships between Jesus and Mary.” These practices did not spread beyond the first L’Arche community where Mr. Vanier lived in Trosly-Breuil, France, according to the report.”

An independent commission has confirmed claims of sexual abuse by Jean Vanier and unearthed evidence that sexual exploitation was his primary motivation for founding L’Arche.

“The primary intention, which from December 1963, pushed J. Vanier and the former members of L’Eau Vive to plan to settle in Trosly-Breuil, was to gather around [Thomas] Philippe,” the French Dominican priest who founded L’Eau Vive and served as Mr. Vanier’s spiritual father, the report states.

Now I wonder: Vanier, another Maciel: l’Arche, another Legion of Christ?
The exploitative founder, the ambivalent motivations, the secrecy, the mistico-spirituality

Let the reader find the parallels and reach their own conclusions

Father Maciel’s Vatican Godfather Dies: Cardinal Angelo Sodano goes to meet his Creator

Pope Francis once stated, when questioned about Fr. Maciel and how he had succeeded in deceiving so many people, including Vatican officials, for such a long time and always came out smiling, that Maciel “must had had a godfather in there”.
That Godfather was Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the man behind Pope John Paul II’s throne for many years.

Pope Francis once stated, when questioned about Fr. Maciel and how he had succeeded in deceiving so many people, including Vatican officials, for such a long time and always came out smiling, that Maciel “must had had a godfather in there”.

That Godfather was Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the man behind Pope John Paul II’s throne for many years.

As his death is announced, several important news media, including Reuters’ Philip Pullella, pull no punches

Rampant Legion of Christ Pedophile, Jesús (Martínez) Penilla, went Undeterred for Decades

They tell me Fr. Penilla is currently living at the Legion of Christ house for retired priests in Cancun, Avenida Bonampak 91,  Quintana Roo, Mexico. Supposedly he is mentally ill. The Legion wants to protect him. He is another bomb, revealing their long history of cover-up regarding wide-spread sexual abuse in the ranks and among the faithful. Legion keeps him out of the public eye until he dies.

RAMPANT LEGION OF CHRIST PEDOPHILE, JESÚS MARTÍNEZ PENILLA, WENT UNDETERRED FOR DECADES

ReGAIN comments: I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart (Romans 9,2)

 

 

Photo of Fr. Jesús Martínez (paternal) Penilla (maternal surname); because Martínez is such a common name in Spanish, he is known in the Legion and in his pastoral work as “Padre Penilla’.

They tell me Fr. Penilla is currently living at the Legion of Christ house for retired priests in Cancun, Avenida Bonampak 91,  Quintana Roo, Mexico. Supposedly he is mentally ill. The Legion wants to protect him. He is another bomb, revealing their long history of cover-up regarding wide-spread sexual abuse in the ranks and among the faithful. Legion keeps him out of the public eye until he dies.

The last time Fr. Penilla was mentioned by the Legion of Christ was on the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination. The cover-up Legionary bishop of Cancun feted him on the occasion.  At that time, the Scourge of the Legion of Christ, Father Pablo Pérez G., R.I.P.,

Open in Spotify

introduced a newpaper article with the words:

A principios de julio 2014, los legionarios de Maciel se ríen del Papa Francisco entonando un canto de albanza al sacerdote pederasta Jesús Martínez Penilla.

“In early July 2014, the Legionaries mocked Pope Francis singing the praises of pedophile priest, Jesús Martínez Penilla.”

Fr. Pablo Pérez, Scourge of the Legion of Christ, in Quintana Roo (Cancun, to you) called Penilla, the Pedophile of Isla Mujeres. Around the year 2014 Penilla was removed from Isla Mujeres and transferred to Cancun on the mainland.  Fr. Pérez was incensed and published the article: “In Praise of the Isla Mujeres Pedophile”

The transfer and continued cover-up seems to be a common strategy in the Legion of Christ, morphed into Regnum Christi Federation:

  • the abuser is immeditately sent away from the place he is abusing; to another country or continent;
  • the victims are placated, bribed or silenced,
  • there is no notification of local civil authorities, sometimes the Legion does not even inform Church authorities -only if necessary, “if convenient” .
  • there is no serious independent psychological care for the victims
  • there is no serious independent psychological care for the abuser
  • Cover-up is the best policy

I was in very bad shape myself when I left the Legion of Christ Mission in Quintana Roo -you think Cancun- in 1984. I had to lick my own wounds after confronting Maciel in his home town of Cotija, Michoacán, Mexico and sought refuge in the Washington DC diocese.

Years later I learned about the Maciel scandal of him abusing his own seminarians. José Barba reached out to me and asked me whether I believed the victims’ story which had hit the headlines in the USA, thanks to the Hartford Courant on February 23, 1997. If that article had not appeared, Maciel’s “classical” victims would never have been heard about in the English-speaking world. The article had repercussions in the Mexican press too. I replied to José that, knowing deceitful and manipulative Maciel, I would not be surprised.

I got to know the ten-nine-eight survivors personally. I had known Juan José Vaca in the Legion. He was a supervisor of mine during my stint taking care of Mexican bishops during Vatican II,  1962-65 and later during my brief stay in Connecticut 1970-71. We respected each other and I heard his testimony of abuse first hand at an International Cultic Studies Association conference in Enfield, CT, in 2002. He told me about “el Padre Penilla” ( he is known in the Legion by his maternal cognomen).

Shortly after ordination, Juan José was assigned by Maciel to oversee the Legion’s junior seminary (Apostolic School) in Ontaneda, Santander, Spain. Several of the young – eleven to fifteen- year-old –  Spanish boys at the Escuela Apostólica complained about Fr. Penilla sexually abusing those under his supervision. Juan José informed Maciel, Maciel dispatched Fr. Arumí, the rector in Salamanca, and Arumí sent Penilla immediately to Madrid, where Fr. Alfredo Torres, another Legionary, put Penilla on a plane to the city of Chetumal, Mexico. There he would be under the supervision of Monsignor Jorge Bernal, LC, who was the Catholic bishop of Quintana Roo, then a Mexican “territory”.[i]

Penilla would fade into the jungle undergrowth. When I got there shortly after that he was pastor of the parish of Isla Mujeres. I did not know about his background at that time and nobody in the Legion ever told me. Besides, I had known Penilla from the time I entered the Novitiate in Salamanca, Spain. He was the male nurse in the community. Fr. Rafael Arumí rector, superior and spiritual director – holding three offices in contravention of Canon Law- made me Penilla’s understudy. We took care of the brothers who would fall ill. I remember taking care of several of my Irish confreres who entered Salamanca in 1961 who had come down with a variety of ailments. I now know that many illnesses were psychosomatic. At that time I was just naïve Brother Pablo, being a good Legionary. Penilla, without any proper medical training -he was Maciel’s nurse too!- adminstered pills without consulting doctors.

He also gave injections when he thought it necessary: vitamin C and B12 were his favorites. I remember see phials of Largactil (Chlorpromatize) in the medicine cabinet. They must have been for Fr. Maciel and his plethora of complaints. Some of the injection were in the gluteus maximus. One victime told me that Penilla would take advantage of the unclothing to fondle the boys genitals. I forgot to mention that Penilla had been abused by Maciel! We know that Maciel’s original especialization was in the exploration of the genitalia of pubertal boys.

Back to Quintana Roo, Mexico. After many years of “ministry” in then very isolated Isla Mujeres[ii], Penilla was moved to the mainland: then capital city and bishop’s residence, Chetumal, on the border with Belize; he was assigned to an obscure town in the countryside, again as unsupervised pastor; he may have spent another period in Cozumel, and finally landed in Cancun as he got older.

Penilla’s unsupervised freedom in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, and my later knowledge of the Ontaneda debacle through a bona fide eye-witness, has been a source of anguish for me for the past decades. I once tried to get a friend of mind on the ground in Chetumal to do something  about it. But that was to no avail. I fell I was negligent and should have done more to stop Penilla -because I know that pedophiles don’t stop until they are stopped. One dissident Legionary, Fr. Pablo Pérez Guajardo, did all he could to name the sins and sinncers of the Legionaries on the Quintana Roo (you know it as Cancun) State Mission.

If my suspicions are true, I lament the plight of the many boys -and maybe girls and women- in my beloved Quintana Roo, who may have been abused by this Legionary of Christ. Heavenly Father, forgive my sins of negligence and omission and pour your healing balm on those who were abused. Above all, prevent the victims from becoming abusers.

&&&&&

 

Psychological Note:

Not every victim becomes a abuser.

But there is widespread lack of knowled in this regard. Some of the information smacks of old-wives-tales, simple ignorance, and machismo panic. What surpried me in the abstract below is the impact of “parental loss in childhood”.  This lead me to reject the rational and existence of junior seminaries where children abandon their families of origin at the early age or ten or eleven. For me this is the equivalent of parental loss in childhood and it could be a factor in clergy sexual abuse. I am heartened by the Vatican’s intervention in the case of the Heralds of the Gospel, a conservative and old fashioned new religious order founded in Brazil and now widely spread. The order has been told to send all the children in their boarding schools to be sent back home[1]. As their leaders have opposed the Vatican order, many parents have prevailed on local judges to intervene and demand compliance.

 

Here is the result of one psychological study:

Abstract

Background: There is widespread belief in a ‘cycle’ of child sexual abuse, but little empirical evidence for this belief.

Aims: To identify perpetrators of such abuse who had been victims of pedophilia and/or incest, in order to: ascertain whether subjects who had been victims become perpetrators of such abuse; compare characteristics of those who had and had not been victims; and review psychodynamic ideas thought to underlie the behaviour of perpetrators.

Method: Retrospective clinical case note review of 843 subjects attending a specialist forensic psychotherapy centre.

Results: Among 747 males the risk of being a perpetrator was positively correlated with reported sexual abuse victim experiences. The overall rate of having been a victim was 35% for perpetrators and 11% for non-perpetrators. Of the 96 females, 43% had been victims but only one was a perpetrator. A high percentage of male subjects abused in childhood by a female relative became perpetrators. Having been a victim was a strong predictor of becoming a perpetrator, as was an index of parental loss in childhood.

Conclusions: The data support the notion of a victim-to-victimizer cycle in a minority of male perpetrators but not among the female victims studied. Sexual abuse by a female in childhood may be a risk factor for a cycle of abuse in males.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11731348/#:~:text=The%20overall%20rate%20of%20having,a%20female%20relative%20became%20perpetrators

[i]   https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248938/vatican-minors-living-in-homes-of-heralds-of-the-gospel-must-return-to-their-families

 

[ii] https://pedrojuarezmauss.wordpress.com/2014/07/11/obediencia-perfecta-en-isla-mujeres/

Spanish language article written by Fr. Pablo Pérez Guajardo in 2014. Fr. Pablo died prematurely a few years later after being silenced by acting Legionary bishop, Monsignor Pedro Pablo Elizondo.

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