The difference between Opus Dei and the Legion of Christ
Opus Dei is again in the press, this time because of the release of the movie There Be Dragons, which is somewhat based on the life of Opus Dei’s founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá. Whenever Opus Dei comes up, it seems that strong opinions and even controversy is sure to follow. Some of this is understandable – after all, any organization that quickly grows and becomes as influential as Opus Dei is sure to attract both strong friends and enemies – but some of it is also laughable for those who even have an inkling of knowledge of the group. But one thing I’ve noticed is how often in many minds the scandals involved with another Catholic movement – the Legion of Christ – have impacted Opus Dei.
The reason for this is due to the many similarities between Opus Dei and the Legion of Christ. A few include:
- Both were founded by Spanish-speaking men in the first half of the 20th century.
- Both desired to promote an orthodox understanding of the Catholic faith.
- Both were embraced by the Church hierarchy as a means to reform the Church after the troubles that followed Vatican II.
- Both focused on helping lay people grow in holiness in their daily lives.
- Both dramatically increased in size and influence in a short period of time.
- Both have been strongly attacked by outside forces, as well as by former members.
Because of these similarities, these two organizations have melded in many people’s minds almost into a single entity. So when the Legion faced serious scandals, some held Opus Dei in suspicion as well. I will admit to doing this myself. I personally have felt for some time that the Legion should be disbanded, and my strong feelings towards them seeped into my view of Opus Dei as well. I was suspicious that the failings of the Legion (which don’t just include the failings of its founder) were replicated by Opus Dei.
But over time I realized that my thoughts were an injustice to Opus Dei, which in fact is not in any real way related to the Legion. The similarities I mentioned above are superficial and none really relate to the Legion scandals. So to judge Opus Dei based on the sins of the Legion would be like judging Abel for the sins of Cain. And in fact, there is one big difference between the two organizations, which is:
The Legion of Christ doesn’t offer assassination training to its albino monks.
No, wait a minute, that’s not right (but realize that all articles on Opus Dei are required to have at least on albino monk joke). The real difference between the two groups is:
Opus Dei was founded by a canonized saint. The Legion of Christ was founded by one of the most notorious scoundrels who ever lived.
One cannot overemphasize this point too much. In the Catholic tradition, religious orders and movements are integrally linked to their founders. An authentic movement is faithful to its founder and keeps his or her spirit and teaching alive for future generations. In the case of Opus Dei, its founder has been officially recognized by the Church as living the faith heroically and in a way that can be imitated. In the case of the Legion, its founder has been recognized as a deceiver, an abuser, and an all-around scoundrel of the first order. Not exactly someone whose spirit we should keep alive, is it?
This of course does not mean that Opus Dei is for everyone or that its members have not sinned or done things at times improperly. But it does mean that as Catholics we should treat Opus Dei as we would the Franciscans or the Dominicans: as an authentic movement founded by a holy man whom we can look to as a heroic example of someone who lived the Christian faith well.
I would suggest we wait and see about the Legion of Christ. If Pope Benedict wishes to rehabilitate them, then we should not be so quick to throw them under the bus. God can overcome evil. If there is enough goodness within the Legion, then it is possible that good may still come of it. I know it has never happened before in the life of church, but I for one will not tell the Lord he can not do something. Wait and see what the Lord can do. I am a member of Regnum Christi, their lay movement. I will give them a chance. We have met many a good priest and lay members over the years. So we wait. A lot of good is still coming out of the movement.
I have been blessed to come to know a Legion of Christ priest lately who holds retreats in our area. He has blessed my family in countless ways through his constant prayers, which are visibly efficacious. His example of holiness and reverence is notable. Now I’m sure this must be, in part, because, as he put it, people “recoil a little bit” when they learn he’s with the Legion of Christ. What a cross to bear…and there is an ongoing gift there to offer to the Lord. Either way, he submits to whatever the Holy Father will conclude in the end. I agree as well–don’t throw them under the bus.
I am a member of Regnum Christi in Mexico. I have been a member for 11 years now. I am 29 years old. And I wouldn’t change anything of the more-than-a-decade long experience in the movement and the relationship with the Legion of Christ priests. What happenned with the founder is undoubtely very serious and embarassing, but the Legion and the movement are not his deeds, they are God’s deeds, so there is no excuse in criticizing something just because you are trying to defend other thing. I invite the author to spend some time experiencing the work of the Legionaries and the Regnum Christi members in different parts of the world and after that to come up with a conclusion.
But to those who say the Legion is God’s work how do you reconcile the fact that Maciel NEVER intended to use the movement for holiness? The Legion themselves have said that he had “no genuine religious sentiment”. Maciel is not a man who was seeing God, and stumbled on his fall. He was a seriously ill man who used affluent men and women seeking holiness, so he could gain power, money, and access to victims.
-Seriously Struggling RC member
taad; Mindyleigh; Martin:
I am glad that your experiences are good but please keep in mind the people who have been taken advantage of and/or abuse?
But people were abused in the Catholic Church. Does that means we shut down the church? There needs to be some discernment. My personal experiences with both these groups has been nothing but positive. We don’t have many orthodox orders in the church. So we should not shut then down to quickly.
…speaking as one who taught for Legion of Christ schools for 6 years, I can truthfully say that I never felt abused, taken advantage of, or was on the receiving end of anything negative from Legion priests.
Quite the opposite, in fact; during a two year crisis of faith that I suffered, it was very often the example of the LoC priests that kept me hanging on to my belief in God, Christ and the Church with a set of spiritual fingernails.
God, it ought to be remembered, can bring phenomenal good out of evil things. The first and greatest Pope denied Christ, and one of the first 12 priests of the Church betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver, and committed suicide rather than repent and ask forgiveness.
As such, I do not see it as anything like an impossibility that the LoC could be redeemed, and eventually be seen as such a threat to the SecHume estabilishment that they are one day given their own version of the 8-foot tall, self-flagellating, albino hitman.
I agree with many here. Had it not been for The Legions Of Christ we would not have that many more good priests.
Out of the “Original” 12 Apostles, Jesus picked came “a” devil too….in Judas Iscariot. That didn’t make Jesus’ Movement False, did it?
As a former Legionary of Christ who just published an autobiography (in English and in Spanish) about my experiences with them, I agree with those who suggest it may not be time to throw them under the bus. Why? Because the Holy Father seems to want them to continue and reform. He has offered his assistance to achieve this. Knowing the Legionaries, I will be very surprised if, ultimately, they do not give their full cooperation. loyalty to the Pope is in their DNA.
I worked with Fr. Maciel when he was starting his first Irish Institute schools in Mexico (I was the first Irish born LC to set foot on Mexican soil) and later I was assigned to help start Regnum Christi in New York. The Founder had extremely serious flaws and it is still a mystery to me how he managed to deceive so many people while still founding a congregation so loyal to traditional Church teachings. Of course he passed on some dysfunctional traits to his Legionaries – they can be fixed since they refer mostly to an unhealthy understanding of the vow of obedience. And it’s quite pathetic how they treat former members.
Maciel felt a sense of sibling “rivalry” with the Opus Dei – I lived that during my 20 years with him. The organizations seem to be similar in many positive ways; I think it’s fair to say they also share some “negative” traits. The fact that the OD founder is canonized is a powerful differentiator. But religious congregations – at least from an organizational point of view – can be seen as entities distinct from the founder. They can be reformed, and others can help define the distinctive charism. One can separate the Church from the Borgia Pope and his antics. The Legion has produced excellent priests; Regnum Christi has amazing results.
As I’ve written in my book (“Driving Straight on Crooked Lines”), I repudiate Fr. Maciel and his despicable conduct. Few if any of us would have followed him had we known about his “double-life”. If he had died a few years earlier perhaps we might have taken much longer to learn of his misdeeds. And, perish the thought, he might have been a candidate for canonization… had the Lord not intervened!
If I was the Holy Father; after weeding out the bad influence of the Legionaries of Christ, I would have the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross,which is part of Opus Dei refresh their integrity and change their name to:
Legionarios Christi.
Thanks for this article. I have been the beneficiary of wonderful formation thanks to many friends in my area that are part of Regnum Christi. In fact, I have discerned if I had a calling to join Regnum Christi, as it is so prevalent in my area, and many friends are involved. But the call never came.
I was put off a bit by how some I knew overemphasized how cool it was to be part of a movement in which the founder was still alive – I had by then already heard of the accusations and was not even concerned with the founder, as much as with the orthodoxy and community I had experienced.
So, of course, I find now that I am being called to Opus Dei – which is not very prevalent in my area (southeast Michigan)but which I am benefiting from anyway. Though much a novice myself, I want to correct you, as I have been corrected, that Opus Dei is not a “Movement”, but it’s own entity set up in the Church called a prelature (I’m sure you know that, but they do not like the term “movement” simply because it is inaccurate, I guess. While its members (which I am as yet not – I am a cooperator) do have a loyalty to the Prelate in Rome (the current one (and second) is Monsignor Javier Echevarria), they are also to remain loyal to their local Bishop, and work in their secular surroundings to bring holiness to the world.
Both have daily prayer plans which are beautiful and very beneficial. This is something I have benefited from most from both.
I agree with the others here to continue to pray for our Catholic brothers and sisters who are in Regnum Christi – and look to the Holy Father, as they loyally do, as to what the next step is for them.
And thanks for the clarification about Opus Dei. The detractors out there are laughable…I don’t understand where they are coming from, but they are so far from what I have experienced in joyfully following this call that way! I recommend “There Be Dragons” to all…
To Randy
You have done what causes many ex-RC members ( including me ) to cringe – you have equated the Legion, founded by Maciel, with the Church, founded by our Lord Jesus. And we say “There they (Legion supporters) go again!
Of course we do not shut down the Church – she is the bride of Christ.
Shutting down the Legion does not mean losing priests and lay people who want to be holy. These graces come from the Lord, not the Legion. The Legion is structured to be self-serving. (If we benefit the Legion we benefit the Church). Not so. It is backwards, and unless truly reformed it will die.
When I see RC members serving and supporting their parishes with the same gusto they have given RC I will know they are on the path of reform.
Opus Dei does not abuse people’s conscience and seek monetary gain above all else. They also do not view their charism, and it could be argued that RC does not even have a particular charism, as the only true expression of Catholicism and a vocation to their movement as the only legit vocation.
Ditto, SQ – the Church is not the Legion, and Regnum Christi is not a movement. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Legionaries. RC is not a movement like Focolare that was started by a lay person. No layperson I ever heard of was the founder of RC.
And this situation goes much deeper than what is presented here. I advise that all read Fr. Richard Gill’s (former LC for 29 years) letter on what the Legionaries must do to even begin the long crawl back. It gets to the heart of the matter, and it is much more complex than the “true believers” understand.
One last thing – Cardinal DePaolis, who is basically in charge of the Legionaries now, is an accountant. He will doggedly follow the money even if it takes years. As a former RC, I can only wonder where my family’s substantial donations went.
I am a member of Opus Dei and I must say there are, indeed, substantial differences with the Legion of Christ. This being said, this article made me feel uncomfortable. I don’t like and I don’t make negative comments about particular institutions or movements within the Catholic Church. Many of these institutions and movements throughout history (Opus Dei included) have suffered the incomprehension and unfair attacks from Catholics and non-Catholics. It is particularly painful when coming from fellow Catholics. I would be very cautious in condemning an institution before hearing what the Church has to say about it. Notwithstanding the deplorable acts of the founder of the Legion of Christ, who are we to say God cannot pull out good from negative circumstances? Again, I would be very cautious. Personally, I neither canonize nor condemn the Legion of Christ. I rather pray for it and all of its members. This is my strictly personal view.
By the way… “There be Dragons” is a great film! Very positive. Must see!
To Taad, Mindyliegh, and other LC & RC,
Keep in mind that the article in general, and especially at the end, was comparing the proven holiness of the founder of Opus Dei with that of the founders of other religious orders, i.e. the Dominicans and the Franciscans, whose founders (like that of Opus Dei) are canonized (I admit to being suspicious of Opus Dei a number of years ago).
This stands in stark contrast to that of the founder of the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi. I don’t doubt that there are good people in these two groups, but that is clearly in spite of its founder, and rather proof that the Holy Spirit can protect innocence -even while evil is raping (no pun intended -honest!) innocence.
I believe there is just too much unfortunate name recognition to the LC & RC for either group to continue on. I do believe there are good people attached to both, but there must be a complete break from their founder, and that the only way to do that is to purge all tracts and trace of its founder.
In short, disband or re-brand. And pray, pray, pray. That goes for all of us too -they need our prayers- in full charity, as much as they need to pray because of “the sins of their father”. And we (I) need to remember we all belong to the same Catholic Church. We all hurt from that scandal.
Perhaps you all better read Deacon Greg Kandras page on the new advent site today. Particularly the second comment made by Henry about Opus Dei.
I know any positive comment about LC or RC makes many cringe. So what? I don’t equate the church with an order. I am just saying that organizations with serious problems can still be worth saving. The church is one obvious example. That does not make them the same. It just means they might share this one property. Not saying they do. Just that it has not been shown that they don’t.
I think you would lose a lot. People are human. They get disillusioned when they embrace holiness and get attacked for it. You expect it from some quarters. You don’t expect it from the church hierarchy. So I don’t buy that if someone is holy then you don’t have to worry about treating them unfairly or destroying the things they built.
People see what they want to see. Lots of RC members serve our parish well. Some priests and bishops don’t like the RC and LC. Those parishes likely don’t get much help from their members. But how many of those priests and bishops are liberal? Are they really on the same side?