Legion’s latest admission revives hypocrisy charge

Rev. Thomas Williams

The Legion of Christ religious order, already discredited for concealing the crimes of its pedophile founder, suffered another blow to its credibility Tuesday after its superior admitted he knew in 2005 that his most prominent priest had fathered a child, yet allowed him to keep teaching and preaching about morality.

The admission by the Rev. Alvaro Corcuera is likely to enrage members of the Legion and its lay branch who have endured years of apologies, hypocrisy and explanations for the crimes of the Catholic order’s founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, who sexually abused his seminarians and fathered three children with two women.

The Rev. Thomas Williams, the public face of the Legion in America, admitted last week that he had violated his vow of celibacy and fathered a child several years ago, going public with a statement after The Associated Press presented the Legion with the accusation.

On Tuesday, Corcuera wrote a letter to all Legion members admitting that he had heard rumors of the child before he became superior in 2005, but took Williams’ word that they were false. Williams is a well-known U.S. television personality, author and moral theologian.

Corcuera said that after becoming superior in 2005, he confirmed Williams’ paternity and asked him to withdraw from public ministry. Yet he did nothing to prevent him from teaching morality to seminarians or preaching about ethics on television, in his many speaking engagements or in his 14 books, including “Knowing Right from Wrong: A Christian Guide to Conscience.” [More]

SOURCE

Associated Press