8 Mexican victims pursuing damages from Legion of Christ
VATICAN CITY — Eight victims of the Roman Catholic Church’s most notorious pedophile are pressing the Legion of Christ religious order to compensate them for the sexual abuse they endured and the psychological harm they say resulted from the order’s prolonged campaign to discredit them.
The men sent a letter to the Legion’s leadership seeking public recognition of their status as victims of the Rev. Marcial Maciel and the Mexico-based order, which was once one of the fastest-growing congregations in the church but suffered a credibility crisis over Maciel’s crimes and cover-up.
The letter is the latest indication that clergy abuse victims are increasingly demanding recognition and apologies not just for their abuse, but for the retaliation inflicted on them by church leaders after reporting allegations.
Just this week, Pope Francis acknowledged making “grave errors” in discrediting abuse victims in Chile, and he begged their forgiveness.
There was no comment Thursday from the Legion.
The letter underscores the still-unfinished business surrounding the scandal over Maciel. The charismatic priest beloved by the Vatican turned out to be a drug addict who sexually abused his seminarians, fathered three children and created a cult-like order to hide his double life. The Vatican knew of allegations against him since the 1950s but only took action against him in 2006. He died in 2008.
In the letter, the victims asked that a compensation commission be reopened to consider their cases.