Father Marcial Maciel, founder of the ultraconservative congregation Legion of Christ, cannot rest in peace. But then again, neither can dozens of people who were touched by him, and not necessarily through his holy virtues.

 A recent report claims that the Mexican priest, who passed away early last year at the age of 87, fathered a child with an undisclosed woman some 22 years ago. It also has come to light that he might have been channeling large amounts of money from the order to the family of the woman whom he allegedly kept as his mistress. But that would have been the least serious of his many alleged sins.

 Father Maciel has been for decades a controversial figure. A personal friend of Pope John Paul II, Maciel headed a Catholic congregation dedicated to spreading the word of Christ and supporting the Catholic Church. And for that he was well-regarded by the Vatican hierarchy and revered almost at a cult status by his followers.

 But there are those who see Maciel in a very different light. In the seminary run by the founder of the Legion in the late '50s and early '60s, there was at one point close to 100 young seminarians. Jose Barba, now a university professor, was 12 years old at the time. The years gone by have not been able to erase the memories of the horrific and shameful episodes of those days.

 Barba claims that Father Maciel sexually abused him. He says he was told by his spiritual leader that he was in pain and had authorization from the Vatican to have his genitals massaged by nuns to relieve that pain. The young man could surely do him the favor. The priest would show him how it was done. He believes that possibly up to one-third of the seminarians at the time could have been victims of the abuses of their leader. 

 By 1997, almost four decades after the alleged incidents, Barba and seven other former seminarians could no longer keep quiet. They sent a letter to the Vatican denouncing the sexual abuse that had transpired. However, not only was the Holy Father not willing to hear their plea for justice, but he publicly showed his support for Father Maciel.  

 It was not until 2004 that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- headed by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- opened up an investigation into the allegations against Father Maciel. Two years later, Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, announced the investigation had been dropped and invited Maciel to retire into a life of “prayer and penitence.”

 The tepid condemnation by the Vatican and the passing away of the leader of the Legion of Christ has not put to rest the controversy surrounding his alleged sins, considered crimes by some. There have been additional allegations of drug addiction and possible links to drug traffickers, among other things.

 While any of the allegations against him can hardly be proven, they do leave the tens of thousands of members of the Legion of Christ and its lay organization Regnum Christi, with presence in 22 countries around the world, in a bind. The Legionaries, as they are known, have always defended Father Maciel and denied the allegations against him, suggesting that if there were any truth to them, they are sins that can be forgiven.

 However, some church leaders are concerned that reverence to Father Maciel continues to be the foundation of the religious order. Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of Baltimore, the oldest diocese in the United States, recently warned Catholics against joining the Legion of Christ or Regnum Christi. He claimed he does not want to encourage the cult of Maciel, given the extent of the allegations against him.

 Meanwhile, faithful Legionaries ask that the mission of the Legion and the work it has accomplished since its foundation in the early 1920s should not be overshadowed by the sins or alleged crimes of Father Maciel. It is now an organization in search of a new identity that needs to recognize the extent of the damage left behind by the not-so-holy life of its founding father.

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 (Maria Elena Salinas is the author of “I AM MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER: LIVING A LIFE WITHOUT SECRETS.” Reach her at www .mariaesalinas.com)

© 2009 by Maria Elena Salinas

Distributed by King Features Syndicate