VATICAN CITY. The recently declassified archives from Pope Pius XII’s papacy have not only illuminated the debate over the World War II-era pope’s response to the Holocaust but have also shed new light on the long-standing scandal involving the Legionaries of Christ.
For decades, the Vatican had faced criticism for its delayed response to the misconduct of the Legion’s founder, Rev. Marciel Maciel. The newly available documents from Pius XII’s era, covering his papacy from 1939 to 1958, reveal further insights into the Vatican’s internal struggle with Maciel, who was accused of numerous offenses including drug use, financial mismanagement, and the sexual abuse of seminarians.
Despite abundant evidence of Maciel’s misconduct that had reached the Holy See in the 1940s and 1950s, it took over 50 years for the Vatican to impose sanctions on him. The recent archives confirm that Pius XII’s Vatican took initial steps to address Maciel’s transgressions, only to have those measures undermined by the subsequent papal transition.
Key documents reveal that in 1956, the Vatican’s Congregation for Religious, which oversaw the Legion, was preparing to take severe action against Maciel. A draft memo from October 1, 1956, authored by Rev. Giovanni Battista Scapinelli, indicates that the Vatican considered barring Maciel from contact with seminarians as part of a broader sanction. The memo, published in Sunday’s Corriere della Sera cultural supplement La Lettura, demonstrates that by 1956, some officials were ready to impose strict penalties on Maciel for his alleged abuses.
Scapinelli’s original draft called for Maciel to be prohibited from interacting with seminarians until he received treatment for his morphine addiction. The draft memo included an ultimatum: “Either you go get treated or you will remain suspended a divinis.” However, subsequent revisions of the memo, including a final version dated October 2, 1956, omitted the call for barring Maciel from seminarians and focused solely on his medical treatment.
The documents also highlight the influence of Cardinal Giuseppe Pizzardo, a high-ranking figure in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who was a significant protector of Maciel. This protection, along with other interventions, appears to have stymied further action against Maciel.
Scapinelli’s notes suggest that Pius XII was aware of the situation and had endorsed Maciel’s temporary removal as the Legion’s superior. In September 1956, the Congregation for Religious submitted a comprehensive file on Maciel to Pius XII, accompanied by concerns about the Legion’s approval status.
Following Pius XII’s death in October 1958, the Vatican experienced a period of upheaval that allowed Maciel’s supporters to regain influence. By early 1959, Maciel was reinstated as the Legion’s superior. The Legion was later recognized as a pontifical religious order, despite the ongoing controversies.
Maciel passed away in 2008, and the Legionaries of Christ later admitted some of his wrongdoing. The Vatican took over the Legion in 2010, initiating a process of reform and purification in response to the scandal.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
