Vatican reportedly drops probe of Mexican cleric

[emad]

Legion of Christ says priest won't be tried on abuse allegations
By Marion Lloyd, Globe Correspondent | May 23, 2005

MEXICO CITY -- The Mexican founder of the Legion of Christ, an influential Roman Catholic order, will not face a church trial on allegations that he sexually abused young seminarians in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, according to the Legion and news reports citing a Vatican spokesman.

In December, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith opened a full-scale investigation into the allegations by eight former seminarians against the Rev. Marcial Maciel, the 85-year-old founder of the Legion of Christ. In April, a Catholic Church prosecutor, Charles J. Scicluna, traveled to the United States and Mexico to take testimony from dozens of former Legionaries, according to the co-accusers.

But on Friday, the Legion announced that it had been told by the Holy See that no charges would be brought against Maciel, adding that the priest ''unambiguously affirmed his innocence." A Vatican spokesman confirmed yesterday that the investigation had ended, and that there were no plans to reopen it, according to the Associated Press. Efforts by a Boston Globe reporter to obtain comment from the Vatican yesterday were unsuccessful.

''Father Maciel is exonerated, and the Holy See has found nothing upon which to begin any kind of canonical process," Jay Dunlap, the Legion's spokesman, said yesterday. He added that Maciel was ''just grateful for the victory of truth and to be able to get on with the business of his priesthood."

http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2005/05/23/vatican_reportedly_drops_probe_of_mexican_cleric/

[madrchsod]

1. another pedophile given the

church`s blessing..raping in the name of the lord.

[Solly Mack]

2. I'll never understand the thinking behind allowing a church to

investigate itself for a criminal action. Rape is a criminal action. To allow a church to investigate itself is just plain wrong.

Just use Bush Administration in the place of the word Church...and say the Bush Cabal is investigating one of it's own for whatever crime...but then finds no such crime had been committed. Oh, how people would howl in outrage...ranting bout how foxes were investigating the fox who guarded the hen house, and who now stands accused of murder.

But just because it's a church I'm supposed to believe they would be honest about an investigation? Considering the history of rape and cover-up within that church? I don't think so.

It's a criminal act and should be investigated by the proper authorities....of which a church is not.

[bobthedrummer]

3. The Vatican is a Church State.

Headed by a German now, a German with baggage.
:puke:

[Lerkfish]

5. no disagreement here, the same with the AMA, self-policing does not work

especially in light of KNOWN history of coverups in the Catholic church, they should never again even be allowed to self-investigate.

[shawn703]

4. Vatican: No Plans for Degallado Probe (sexual abuse allegations)

The Vatican said Monday there was no investigation under way of allegations that the Mexican founder of a conservative religious order sexually abused seminarians more than 30 years ago, and the Holy See had no plans to bring a church trial against the priest.

The Legionaries of Christ said Friday that the Vatican notified them a day earlier about the status of the case involving the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degallado. In the late 1990s, nine former seminarians alleged Maciel had abused them when they were young boys or teenagers in Roman Catholic seminaries in Spain and Italy. The alleged abuse occurred in the 1940s-1960s.

Maciel, 85, has denied the allegations and said his accusers plotted to defame him.

"There is no investigation under way and it is not foreseen that there will be one in the future," a Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini, said Monday.

Earlier this year, news reports surfaced that the Vatican had reopened the sexual abuse case against Maciel. But Vatican officials at the time said the reports resulted from a misunderstanding.


more...
http://www.heraldsun.com/nationworld/international/23-610008.html

[Zhade]

6. Kick

Fucking Ratzinger.