[3] Father Maciel's Sexual Seduction Technique

Pedophile founder of the Legion of Christ, Fr. Marcial Maciel, embraces now Superior General, Alvaro Corcuera, after the latter's ordination



El Puma’s Accusers, flashbacks

[excerpt from Our Father [Maciel] who art in bed, a Naive and Sentimental Dubliner in the Legion of Christ....]

I supported Father Peter Cronin when, in 1992, he

initiated a newsletter to other ex-legionaries whose whereabouts

he knew. We were unaware of the serious accusations of sexual

abuse against Father Maciel at that time and for several years

later. The bomb exploded in the American media in 1997 with

the Hartford Courant articles of Renner and Berry. I had not

read them and was still oblivious.

In 1998 I received a phone call at my home from José

Barba: “Paul, do you remember me? I am José Barba. Do you

believe our testimonies?” It was too point-blank. “Testimonies,

about what?” I was totally at sea. I lacked context and

information. First, we had to catch up on the past twenty-five

years of our lives. Such is frequently the disjointed existence

of ex-Legionaries. I remembered José Barba, known as one of

the most intelligent LC students ever, from a visit I paid him

when he was an ex-Legionary teaching at La Universidad de

las Americas in Puebla, Mexico. Legionary priest Juan Manuel

Amenábar—who would later accuse Father Maciel on his

deathbed—because of the relative freedom his fundraising

activities then afforded him, found a way to visit his old

confrere. I do not know why he took me in tow that day.

Barba now launched into an explanation of his efforts to

bring the testimonies of ten ex-Legionaries accusing Father

Maciel of sexually abusing them to the notice of the Catholic

hierarchy. He mentioned other members I knew personally,

Juan Vaca and Arturo Jurado. I was surprised but the stories

seemed credible. He told me about one of his encounters with

Father Maciel. It was true to the Legion atmosphere, and to

the customs and character of the Marcial Maciel I had come to

know beyond the aura of holiness and the legend of integrity.

One thing I was convinced of regarding Maciel: he had no

concern or respect for people. Nevertheless, I could not roundly

condemn him without knowing more. I would be open to

learning more about the accusations. After that I read the

newspaper articles. They rang true. They were all different,

but said the same thing. Maciel’s method sounded uncannily

authentic; the abuse sickeningly real.



“Dear Arturo (Jurado),

On Tuesday I received the videotapes you sent and started

watching them last night (April 4, 2003; Mexican Canal 40,

Círculo Rojo Program April 15, 2002), beginning with the

first video: the “rough” version of the testimonies of three brave

ex-Legionaries. On the screen appeared the face of Jose Barba

whom I haven’t seen for many years, and there he was, full of

dignity, ruefully talking about his abuse. I was saddened and

angry at Father Maciel listening to Jose’s story. I, who love

to sleep late, did not sleep well. I got up at six; a record for

me. As I follow with the second tape, the Mexican Canal 40

report, I understand better the nature of, and grasp the reality

and seriousness of, this abuse. Hearing and watching Alejandro

Espinoza talk about the recruitment of “pretty” boys I made an

uncanny connection with my own “intuition.” I seem to have

stumbled onto the realization of Maciel being an “ephebophile”,

an adult who loves adolescents, a few days ago when I shared

my reflections with our ReGAIN group.

Memories and names from my own experience come

to mind. When I arrived in Salamanca in September 1961,

I do remember seeing a certain Arturo Jurado. He belonged

to another community, and therefore we were not allowed to

speak or communicate in any way, although we lived under

the same roof. (You told me later, Arturo, that Maciel had

you “quarantined” as a form of punishment.) At the time I

assumed Bro. Jurado was already a Philosophy student in

apostolic practices (i.e., a period when the Legionary takes a

break from studies to get experience in one of the Legion’s

Apostolates or missions). From what I remember, although I

could not talk to him, he did seem to be a particularly gentle

and quiet individual. I certainly do not remember crashing into

him during one of our “friendly” intramural soccer matches.

But maybe that too was forbidden to you during your solitary

confinement.”

Fr, Maciel as Sex Abuser

St Tarcisius from Musee D'Orsay, Paris

From the memoir, a poem by the author


MACIEL’S SEDUCERS IN SEVILLE
I
Approaching the Cristo de Burgos
For you I did penance and cried;
On the corner of Sales-Ferré,
Spied procession of Servite friars;
Amid Trappist’, Jesuit’ suspicions,
First Legionary adolescent needs,
-Bay of Cobreces, story Foundation-
Solace seeking with willowy priest.
In their budding homo-curiosity
-Close I to Granada’s meet,
Home to Federico de Gay-
Their spiritual father in sheets?
Now one was robust and quite virile,
The other with sweet baby face,
A third was a fair-haired blue-eyes,
The next with a delicate grace.
They all had one thing in common
As for the seminary they signed:
To be fondled, aroused and pleasured,
Aye, ravished by their Father benign.


II
So facing the float of Dolores
Descending the narrowing street,
With long brown candles burning
Their hands peak-capped Nazarenes,
I prayed for the Christ of Cotija
Stretched across his mother’s knee,
Grieving for her Jesus Maciel,
Broken, betrayed and bereaved.
They created the Myth of Abuser;
Accused him of tempting to prey;
Their saintly, innocent, Pastor,
True victim of calumnies vain.
Now one was quite strong and most virile;
The other, a round baby-face;
A third was handsome and blue-eyed
The fourth with a delicate grace.
Unbeknownst to their ignorant parents
-What little perverts they had raised! -
Had gone to the order with one plan:
His chaste body defile and debase.

III
The float forced its path through the lane-way,
Fairly crushing all bones to the wall,
My senses bewildered with brocade
Gold and silver, incense and pall.
Through the haze the halting procession,
Wending its way through the throng,
Cavorting, provocative altar boys,
All of eleven years tall.
When I tried to imagine their malice,
Fathom the evil they bore,
I coldly considered the “victim”
And burst into sobs for their souls.
So I wept for the blue-eyed conspirator,
And the boy with the soft baby-face;
For the virile, athletic and strong one,
And the one with a delicate grace.
They had come to the order with one mind:
To deceive the immaculate priest.
Were they wolves in babes’ simple clothing?
Or prey to a Wolf and a Beast?
 ============

In the Glorious City of Seville,
Cradle of Christopher’s Commission
And Torquemada’s Holy Inquisition.
Poetic license provoked
By some Catholics’ view
That sexual abuse by priests can be
Reduced to homosexuality, or gayness;
That the young ones are willing accomplices;
By testimonies of eight seminarians against Father
Marcial Maciel,
Founder and Superior General of the Legion of Christ;
By pro-Maciel defense and adulation of him and his
mother;
By early Legion history in northern Spain where first
rumors arose;
And inspired by walking the streets participating in
Seville’s Holy Week processions, 2003

[3] Fr. Maciel at the Salamanca Foundation, 1953 [ENGLISH VERSION] Micro-history

[Part I; Exclusive First time publishing]

Together with Juan-Jose Vaca, Juan-Manuel Fernandez Amenabar and Angel Saiz, I was one of the four "historical boys" -as they used to call us- who were chosen to accompany [Founder, Fr.] Marcial Maciel and [Fr.] Gregorio Lopez to lay the foundation stone for the college [in Salamanca] on the road to Fuentesauco. We left the Apostolic School in Ontaneda [Santander] for the town of Reynosa after Mass on Sunday February 8th, 1953. St. Paul's Epistle in the Mass spoke of the "snares of false brethren". There was a heavey snowfall at the Puerto del Escudo pass. What happend was that the foundation stone was not laid at that time; bishop Barbado Viejo, Chancellor of the University [of Salamanca] had a heavy cold. On Monday the 9th he received us  at the episcopal palace; it was a sunny morning with clouds and a gusty wind. This leads to the following anecdote: as we awaited the bishop in the reception area, Marcial Maciel looked down from the first floor on some Sisters of Charity and laughed watching the unfortunate nuns battle against the gusty wind on the street outside with their enormous seagul veils .  For his part the bishop had a razor gash on his cheek which he dismissed good humoredly saying he had a fight with Stalin -with a strong accent on the "i". [Stalin was in fact to die a month later].

The night before, Sunday 8th, we had dinner with Maciel and Lopez at "Casa Paco" and then we went to rest at the "Casa Canuto" [Siberia would have been warmer]. Fr. Maciel went to stay at the Gran Hotel [the best in town] ...leaving instructions with Gregorio: while Gregory was saying Mass for the other three Apostolic brothers in the morning at the Church of St. Martin, I was to go to see him at the Gran Hotel. I did. MM invited me to have breakfast with him and later invited me to his neat bedroom. He made me sit on the bed and began reading the newspaper to me about Pope Pius XII reading children's stories to North American children as a way to raise funds for Holland which recently had been hit with a rupture of their dykes. He then went on to try to seduce me to go to Rome before my time with the pretext that Jose Luis Fernandez (Tangancicuaro, Michoacan, Mex; an LC from 1948-54) would be of great help to me with his "Legionary fervor". I did not accept the proposal and told him I preferred to remain with my group of companions. Maybe he thought it better not to pressure me more at that moment.



Junto con Juan Jose Vaca, Juan-Manuel Fernandez Amenabar, Angel Saiz, yo
forme parte de los cuatro 'chicos historicos' (dixerunt) que acompaniamos
a MARCIAL MACIEL y a [l Padre] Gregorio Lopez para poner la primera piedra del colegio de la
carretera a Fuentesauco. Salimos de Ontaneda a Reinosa, despues de misa,
el domingo ocho de febrero de 1953. La epistola de San Pablo, en la misa
del dia, hablaba de las 'insidias de los falsos hermanos'. Una altura de nieve considerable por el Puerto del Escudo. Lo que pasa es que la primera piedra no pudo ser puesta entonces: el obispo Barbado Viejo y gran
canciller de la Universidad tenia una fuerte gripe. El lunes nueve nos recibio en su palacio: una maniana luminosa pero con nubes que barria un fuerte viento. Por ello, mientras esperabamos al obispo en su sala, MM,  desde el segundo piso se reia a la vista de tres pobres monjas de la Caridad,que, por sus enormes cofias blancas de gaviotas voladoras, no lograban avanzar en la calle. El obispo tenia una cortada de navaja en la mejilla, y nos dijo que estaba asi porque se 'habia peleado con Stalin, con acento en la 'i'. (Stalin murio al mes siguiente)

La noche del domingo ocho, cenamos con M. Maciel y Gregorio en la "Casa Paco" y nos hospedamos en la "Casa Canuto" (Siberia es mas calida). MM fue a hospedarse al Gran Hotel que dices y dio instrucciones a Gregorio para que, al dia siguiente, mientras Gregorio dijera misa en la iglesia de San Martin a los otros tres apostolicos, yo me fuera a buscarlo a el al Gran Hotel. Asi fue. Me invito a desayunar ahi. Despues me llevo a su bien ordenada habitacion. Me hizo sentarme en su cama y de un diario me leyo la noticia de que Pio XII, por Radio Vaticana, estaba leyendo cuentos a los ninos norteamericanos para reunir fondos de ayuda para la gente de Holanda, agobiada por la ruptura de los diques... Despues trato de seducirme para llevarme a Roma antes de mi tiempo, con el pretexto de que Jose Luis Fernandez (Tangancicuaro, Michoacan; LC 1948-1954) podria ayudarme mucho 'con su fervor legionario'. Yo no acepte y le dije que deseaba seguir con el grupo de mis companieros. Tal vez no creyera tactico presionarme mas.

Jose Barba Martin, Ph.D
=================================
[to be translated later]
En los ultimos dias de Abril del anio anterior MM habia separado a Armando Arias Sanchez (Zamora, Michoacan; LC 1947-1959) de su grupo y se lo habia llevado a Roma. A Ramiro Fenandez se lo llevo tambien antes de la edad debida. A Juan Jose Vaca trato de hacerle lo mismo y meterno en lun Liceo de Roma desde Diciembre de 1950. (Desde Noviembre de 1949, en Cobreces, MM ya venia abusando sexualmente del pobre muchachito).

Lo que dices de Ontaneda, de Jose Ma. Sanchez, etc. parece querer hacer entrever varias cosas. De los abusos (clonacion de abuso sexual transgeneracional -Scicluna dixit-) de Jesus Martinez Penilla a los
apostolicos estamos al tanto por la carta de 1976 de Juan Jose Vaca Rodriguez a MM. Penilla fue desterrado a la Siberia tropical de Chetumal, (MM nunca se autodesterro); y, como de Alfonso Valencia Castellanos (Cotija, Miachoacan; LC 1949-...) y de otros de alli no ha vuelto a saberse mas. Lo narrado en el libro de 1955 de Torcuato Luca de Tena "Embajador en el Infierno" (capitan Palacios: campania de la Legion Azul en Rusia) posee mas luces y menos sombras que ciertos recuerdos recogidos de muchos de nosotros.

De Alfredo Torres (Oakland, USA - Jacona, Michoacan; LC 1942-...) varios
podemos decir que de MM sabe todo y mas, pero que no ha tenido el valor de
poner su alma sobre la balanza, y, virilmente, decir la verdad ante los hombres. Psicologicamente 'no puede'. Como entre las algas de un obscuro lago fangoso, el y otros han quedado atrapados.

Que Dios nos de fuerza y nos sostenga. Por la verdad y por la justicia hay mucho que hacer aun. La historia (la grande y la chica) no ha terminado.