Pope-to-Be Reopened Mexican Sex Abuse Inquiry
Published: April 23, 2005
EXICO CITY, April 21 - During Pope John Paul II's final days, the cardinal who would replace him, Joseph Ratzinger, reopened a Vatican investigation into longstanding allegations that the Mexican founder of an influential Catholic order had molested teenage students under his tutelage.
Cardinal Ratzinger, who was elected Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday, made the decision in early December to open a full-scale inquiry into accusations that the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the 85-year-old founder of the Legionaries of Christ, had sexually abused at least eight young students between 1943 and the early 1960's.
The decision came just days after Pope John Paul II publicly praised Father Maciel and awarded his organization control over an important Catholic center in Jerusalem.
Yet as Pope John Paul II lay on his deathbed in late March, a Vatican investigator, Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna, traveled to Mexico to interview more than 20 people, among them several men who maintain that Father Maciel sodomized them when they were boys, according to two people interviewed.
"It is better late than never," said José Barba Martín, a history professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico and the leader of the group of men who have contended they were sexually abused. "This is a good sign."
The decision to reopen the investigation represented an about-face for the cardinal who was soon to become pope. Cardinal Ratzinger shelved the inquiry in December 1999, and as late as November 2002 he had rejected the pleas for action from Mr. Barba and others who allege they were abused, people familiar with the case said.
It remains unclear why Cardinal Ratzinger changed his mind and reopened the investigation. He has never commented on the matter. Among those who have raised the complaints and others who are closely following the case, one theory suggests that he knew he would be a candidate for pope and did not want the matter hanging over his head when the conclave was held. Another suggests that Cardinal Ratzinger did not want Pope John Paul II's reputation to be tarnished by allegations that the pope had done nothing to pursue charges against a friend. It is also possible that Cardinal Ratzinger received new information.
"Why that happened is anybody's guess," said Gerald Renner, a freelance journalist who with Jason Berry last year published a book, "Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II," about the accusations against Father Maciel. "Of all the cardinals who could have been chosen pope, he certainly knows more about this case than anyone."
- Así es, Ratzinger conoce el caso Maciel mejor que nadie, y quizá por ello decidió que era justo reabrirlo. El nuevo Papa es hombre de claroscuros. Es amable pero sagaz, y sabe jugar como pocos los juegos de poder del Vaticano:
"Late last year, as the pope's health was failing, the Legion was planning a series of ceremonies to pay homage to their founder's 60th anniversary as a priest. Neither Cardinal Ratzinger nor Monsignor Dziwisz attended the main event, held Nov. 26 at the church of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls in Rome.
A few days later, on Dec. 2, Ms. Wegan[la abogada de los acusadores de Maciel] received a message from Cardinal Ratzinger's office asking whether the men who had alleged abuse still wished to give testimony to investigators, Mr. Barba said.
Since Father Maciel founded the Legion here with a handful of students in 1941, it has grown at a furious pace. The order currently has about 500 priests and 2,500 seminarians in some 20 countries, including Spain and the United States. It has a budget of about $60 million.
As news of the investigation rippled through the church, Father Maciel, who lives in Rome, declined to be elected again as general director of the Legion on Jan. 20 at the order's annual meeting. He handed over the reins to a younger priest, the Rev. Álvaro Corcuera...."
Este Papa dará mucho de que hablar por su inteligencia rapaz enfundada en guantes de terciopelo. Su talante lo mostró durante el cónclave según reportan algunas agencias, ya que repartió a los cardenales un documento secreto preparado por su congregación - la de la doctrina de la fe. Reporta Periodista Digital:
"Un misterioso documento sobre los desmanes de los sacerdotes en el mundo despejó el camino de Joseph Ratzinger hacia el trono de Pedro. Así lo asegura en su edición de hoy el diario La Stampa, que revela que el texto circuló entre los cardenales antes del cónclave causando verdadero pavor.
“Me llevé la mano al corazón porque tuve miedo de que me diera un ataque después de leerlo”, ha dicho un purpurado al diario. No es para menos. El documento, de carácter reservado, es un estudio muy detallado sobre la situación en el interior de la Iglesia. En una decena de páginas, se presenta un retrato de la situación del clero en el mundo y sobre todo en Europa, África y América del Norte.
El texto, según La Stampa, pone de relieve la “falta de coherencia” de muchos sacerdotes. En él se mencionan violaciones de las reglas del celibato, problemas legales con la administración de fondos económicos, mal uso de los donativos de los fieles, o falta de respeto al secreto de confesión. “El secreto de confesión fue una vez un baluarte inexpugnable”, lamentó el cardenal entrevistado por el diario.
El informe no está firmado, pero el periódico apunta a que su autor ha de ser alguien con un punto de observación privilegiado y muy bien situado dentro de la institución y, especialmente, en Roma. Además, especula con la posibilidad de que fuera el motivo de las intervenciones tan severas realizadas por Ratzinger antes del cónclave."
Este Ratzinger traía varios ases bajo la manga durante el cónclave. La prensa cuenta lo se filtró, pero qué es lo que no se filtró del documento? Les diré: nombres. Ratzinger usó para ganar una vieja técnica de la mafia italiana: la vendetta, el chantaje. El trono por mi silencio - mientras renuncian o se retiran. Y funcionó.
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