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(Catholic Caucus) Vatican taps Chaput to investigate order (Legionaires of Christ)
Denver Post ^ | 7/17/2009 | Electa Draper

Posted on 07/17/2009 3:36:35 AM PDT by markomalley

The Vatican has asked Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput and four other prelates to investigate institutions of the Legionaries of Christ, a conservative religious order whose deceased founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, had been accused of sexual improprieties.

Chaput is to investigate Legionaries centers in the U.S. and Canada, two of the 22 countries where the order has been active since it was established in 1941.

Archdiocese spokeswoman Jeanette DeMelo said she could not speculate why Chaput was selected for this "significant responsibility."

Although a few of the order's priests are in Colorado, she said, the state is not a center of Legionaries activity.

Maciel, who died Jan. 30, 2008, at age 87, had been accused of sexually abusing more than a dozen seminarians and young priests. Pope Benedict XVI removed the Mexican priest from public ministry in 2006 but did not confirm that sexual abuse had occurred.

It was revealed last year that Maciel had fathered a daughter. The Catholic News Service reported the order also was looking into alleged financial irregularities.

The Legionaries' headquarters in Rome said each prelate will conduct an investigation on his own time frame and program, then submit a report to the Vatican.

The Holy See then will provide directives for the order.

Critics of the Catholic Church's past handling of sexual improprieties by clergy issued a statement saying such internal investigations are not credible.

"We have even less faith in this one because the Legion is so extreme and secretive and because Chaput has shown a stronger commitment to preserving church doctrine from dissenters than protecting church members from predators," said Barbara Blaine, spokeswoman for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.


TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events; Religion & Culture; Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS: catholic; chaput; visitation
Well...this really helps my confidence toward the visitation. Not just Chaput's being tapped for the job, but SNAP's disapproval of that appointment!
1 posted on 07/17/2009 3:36:36 AM PDT by markomalley
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To: markomalley
Chaput has shown a stronger commitment to preserving church doctrine from dissenters

You can really judge the good guys by what their enemies say about them!

2 posted on 07/17/2009 3:44:49 AM PDT by iowamark (certified by Michael Steele as "ugly and incendiary")
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To: markomalley

This is outstanding news. Chaput will be stern — exactly what the Legion has coming to it.


3 posted on 07/17/2009 5:22:37 AM PDT by austinrepub
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To: markomalley
Chaput has shown a stronger commitment to preserving church doctrine from dissenters than protecting church members from predators

This is a bizarre and irresponsible comparison of apples and oranges. Preserving church doctrine from dissenters is distinct from protecting church members from predators.

SNAP is hinting that Chaput is guilty of coddling predators. If such an accusation is true, they should be clear and provide examples, otherwise they have committed calumny.

4 posted on 07/17/2009 8:20:29 AM PDT by Kells
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