Sexual abuse of minors was rife among superiors of the Legionaries of Christ Catholic religious order, with at least 60 boys abused by its founder, Father Marcial Maciel, a report by the group revealed. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, 92, who was secretary of state under John Paul, was for years one of the Legionaries’ biggest protectors in the Vatican. The report says that between 1941 and 2019, 175 minors were victims of abuse by 33 priests in the order. They said Maciel gave huge contributions to the Vatican during the papacy of John Paul, who admired the Legionaries’ orthodoxy and ability to produce vocations. An unseemly, unwise haste to canonise John Paul II | Catherine Pepinster Read moreMaciel, born in a small town in the central Mexican state of Michoacan, came from a distinguished Catholic family, with two great-uncles who were Mexican bishops.

Source: The Guardian December 22, 2019 05:26 UTC