Doctrinal Clarity, Not Change: Unpacking the Note on Marian Titles

The visit of the Legionaries of Christ to the Vatican has provided a good example of someone allowing themselves to become the focus rather than God. Fr. Macial, the founder of the Legionaries, obviously lost his way and allowed the devil to overtake him. The comments from the Vatican are stinging and include the follow, "The serious and objectively immoral behavior of Fr. Maciel, supported by incontrovertible evidence, at times constitutes real crimes, and manifests a life devoid of scruples and of genuine religious feeling. The large majority of Legionaries were unaware of that life, particularly because of the system of relations created by Fr. Maciel, who had skilfully managed to build up an alibi, to gain the trust, confidence and surrounding silence and strengthen his role as a charismatic founder." I am not sure about a life devoid of scruples as I assume he was walking the right path at one point. How astonishing is it that someone as revered as Fr. Maciel can make so many wrong choices? It certainly is an example to us that we must be very vigilant in our walk with God. In addition, we must pass judgment when we know something is not right. Judgment is very different from condemnation, of which Jesus says we must not do. That task is best left to our Lord and Savior. But we must be able to assist our brothers and sisters when we feel they are being led astray. The report from the Vatican goes on to say, "Not infrequently the lamentable disgracing and expulsion of those who doubted his upright conduct, and the misconception of not wanting to harm the good that the Legion was doing, had created around him a defense mechanism which made him untouchable for a long time, thus rendering knowledge of his real life difficult." This illustrates perfectly what I am talking about. Our Church became lax in being vigilant and it happened during the seventies. At that time, people were urged to go with the flow and look the other way. Many of our leaders refused to tell people that there was a difference between right and wrong. It has brought us to this watershed moment in time. We, the followers of Christ, must reclaim His Church and move forward. We must be vigilant and understand that all men can sin regardless of their title or station in life. But we must do all of this with compassion and empathy, especially for the victims. No one can be untouchable unless God proclaims them to be.