Miami bans Legionaries of Christ & Regnum Christi

Another archdiocese driven to solitary action. Archbishop Favalora of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami has banned Legionaries of Christ (LC) and Regnum Christi (RC).

Thomas Peters reports:

Sources close to the situation tell me that this decision took place on Wednesday of this week, and that it was prompted largely by the letters of parents concerned that their children were being approached by members of Regnum Christi without parental consent and knowledge. These episodes, it was claimed, had mostly taken place in an affluent Archdiocese of Miami parish and school.

The notice on the Archdiocese of Miami Web site said:

Disclaimer

The Legionaries of Christ are prohibited from functioning in the Archdiocese of Miami. Furthermore, Regnum Christi – a group of lay Catholics related to the Legionaries of Christ – is not and has never been approved by Archbishop Favalora to work in any parish, school or other Archdiocesan entity.

Unauthorized attempts to recruit young people are a continuation of the cult-like behavior which is the hallmark of LC/DC. Related behaviors have led one U.S. archdiocese after another to ban or restrict LC and/or DC.

John Allen of the National Catholic Review and Peters of American Papist together suggest that nine of the U.S. 32 Roman Catholic archdioceses have either banned or restricted LC and/or RC.

They are:

• Baltimore, MD.
• Baton Rouge,LA.
• Columbus, OH.
• Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN.
• Los Angeles, CA.
• Miami, FL.
• Richmond, VA.
• Seattle, WA.
• St. Paul and Minneapolis, MINN.

Provinces and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States

LC is the subject of an investigation, called an “apostolic visitation,” is being conducted by Basque Bishop Ricardo Blazquez in Spain and by Archbishop of Denver Charles Chaput in the United States. The order was founded by Marcial Maciel, who fathered several children, and it is clear that Legion of Christ superiors knew about the children at least 15 years ago. He also abused young seminarians over whom he had authority.

Vatican intervention was belated and reluctant although certainly appropriate. It is, however, so slow to action that archbishops are being driven, one-by-one, to individual measures. None of which will substitute, of course, for an overarching solution, like dissolution or refounding of LC/RC.

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Update

• Vatican may have first visitation report in hand