Jay Dunlap

            At the same moment the Holy See made public its plans for an apostolic visitation of the Legionaries of Christ, the Legionary leadership announced its gratitude for the move. The Legion and members of Regnum Christi, like myself, have every right to be grateful, though of course this is just the beginning of a process which could at times be painful, as any purification would be.

            After the public acknowledgement of misdeeds by Father Maciel, founder of the Legion and Regnum Christi, a flood of suggestions came forth for how the Church should respond. The suggestions fit four general categories: (1) the Legion should be disbanded and a core of priests untainted by scandal should be brought together to re-found the congregation as a new canonical entity; (2) the Holy See should intervene in the Legion, appoint outside visitors to observe it and to recommend any changes they see as beneficial, and the Legion would thus be reformed; (3) the Legionary leadership, which has been noted for its obedience to the Holy See, should be allowed to continue its own investigation and reflections and make any changes it sees fit; (4) Father Maciel is dead and gone, so the problem is gone, therefore no additional changes are necessary.

            Obviously, the Holy See has chosen option number two. It is the right choice for several reasons.

            Many high-profile North American Catholics advocated option number one: shut down the Legion and re-start it with a clean slate. George Weigel, biographer of John Paul II and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, stands out as an advocate of this position, as well he might. Weigel is one of many well-known Catholics whom, over the years, the Legion and the Movement approached and sought to win over as public supporters. In the face of criticism, the Legion could point to the favor of people like Weigel – and especially of Pope John Paul – as evidence that “we’re good guys.” Weigel would have every reason, therefore, to be upset when the scandal was revealed; he and others, especially the great pope whom he knew and loved so well, would be sullied by their defense of Father Maciel. It is not surprising, therefore, that Weigel’s response (and that of many others) was sharp and strong.

            That their response was justified does not make it correct. I am no expert in canon law, but others who are have explained that the “re-founding” of a religious congregation tends to happen under two sets of circumstances. First, it happens when a congregation has died out, but at a later date (typically centuries later) persons seek to revive the charism and start the congregation anew. Second, it happens when there is a split within a religious congregation and some members seek to start a reformed branch of the religious family, such as the Franciscans of the Renewal have done under Father Benedict Groeschel. To date, there is no movement I know of among Legionaries to break off and create a reformed version of the congregation. Consequently, the idea of “re-founding” the Legion doesn’t seem to fit.

            The third option – letting Legionary leadership handle it – is especially problematic in our media culture. When perception so often becomes reality, leaving the reform to the Legion itself would create the perception that little or maybe nothing is being done to address whatever may be flawed in what the founder created. Moreover, Legionaries themselves are so close to the charism, it is fair to say they may lack the objectivity an outside observer could bring to help them better understand what in their norms is truly in step with the Church and what it would be better to change. Indeed, many Legionaries look forward to outside help to sort things through.

            The fourth option – leaving things be – again doesn’t fit the circumstances. Within the Legion and Regnum Christi, members are struggling to understand how a charism given through a flawed founder can be such a blessing to them. We also have to come to grips with the fact that there are so many disaffected former members. There are some parallels among other organizations that are relatively new to the Church, but among the new movements the LC and RC sadly stand out as attracting the strongest criticism. Objective observers evaluating the criticisms of former members can only help strengthen the Legion and the Movement in the long run.

            So that brings us to where we are: the Holy See has chosen option two, the apostolic visitation. What will come of it ultimately is an entirely open question, though Legionaries and Regnum Christi members remain confident that they have been blessed by the spirituality we share and we remain determined to be true to our word: to love Christ, serve people, and build the Church. 

March 25, 1998, the Feast of the Annunciation, I was hired to be the first communications director for the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi movement in North America. The premise of the job was to help respond to the furor caused by the publication in February, 1997, of a series of articles in the Hartford Courant and later in the National Catholic Reporter detailing allegations of sexual abuse against the organization’s founder, Father Marcial Maciel.

When I came aboard, the Legion had prepared a 32-page executive summary which it had distributed throughout the church hierarchy, especially to bishops, making the case for Father Maciel’s innocence. Suffice it to say that, while there always remained some holes in the argument, there seemed to be adequate evidence to support these claims.

It is now clear that Father Maciel did in fact abuse his power and abuse young people in his charge. I personally apologize to his victims and to anyone who was misinformed by statements I made, in this forum and in others. How awful for victims to be taken from their families as children, suffer such abuse, and then to be disbelieved!

There are thousands of additional victims in this sad tale. The good Legionary priests who honestly strive to serve the Church and many Regnum Christi members who join them have all suffered betrayal. As Christ himself showed us, betrayal leads straight to the cross.

Last month, Cardinal Franc Rode, prefect of the Vatican office that oversees religious congregations like the Legionaries, appeared in several Latin American countries encouraging Legionaries and Regnum Christi members to carry on their service to the Church. He did so fully aware of what Father Maciel had done and what the Legionary leadership was doing in response.

The Holy See has the extremely difficult task of trying to keep numerous Legionary institutions from collapsing: a dozen universities, several seminaries, well over a hundred schools, missionary and humanitarian outreach to the poor in several countries, and many faith formation programs for children and adults. The survival of these institutions and the good work they have done depends now upon the sustenance of the Holy Spirit, if the organization can be purged of any elements of the culture of deception which enabled Father Maciel to get away with so much for so long. That purging appears to be underway.

For my personal failings in this horrid series of events, I ask forgiveness.

Jay Dunlap

Dunlap.james@sbcglobal.net

Naturally Speaking

BY PETER SONSKI

September 14-20, 2008 Issue | Posted 9/9/08 at 10:45 AM

RAISING KIDS IN THE MEDIA AGE

By Jay Dunlap, Circle Press, 2007, 96 pages, $12.95. To order: circlepress.org, (888) 881-0729

A list of modern technology terms that would have resulted in blank stares only 25 years ago includes TiVo, HD, Xbox, RSS, iPod, DVR, pop-up blocker, text message, Wii, Digg, avatar, YouTube, Wiki, Wi-Fi hotspot, del.icio.us, etc.

To some degree, these terms (and others) have wended their way into the common daily experience. Their associated services keep people informed and amused like never before, but they can also result in monopolizing one’s time and attention, which is a particular concern for parents.

Jay Dunlap has developed a concise yet thorough treatise on the topic, Raising Kids in the Media Age, which gives perspective to these trends, as well as suggestions for avoiding or mitigating the potential harm of media overexposure. Calling on his own TV news experience, Dunlap traces the rapidly increasing progression of communications media and its consequent changes in society and human interaction.

While profiting us in some ways, the new media are changing common experiences of human interaction for the worse. That is: The human relationship with the media and electronic devices is increasing, while individual, face-to-face interactions are seemingly decreasing and becoming more superficial or perfunctory.

In the case of parents, Dunlap writes, this is deserving of attention: “The modern family is so saturated by high-speed communications media that I firmly believe parents need to take a step back and look at what is the natural way for humans to interact, and what is a natural communicative environment for the development of a child. We as parents need a refresher course in what is natural in human relations. Just as parents can be rightfully concerned about the effects on a child’s diet of prepackaged, artificial, heavily sweetened junk food, so too we need to be critical of a child’s environment that is excessively dominated by prepackaged artificial, heavily edited communications media. Eating fruit is akin to children playing together spontaneously outdoors; a steady diet of those gooey, dinosaur-shaped ‘fruit snacks’ is akin to children being glued nonstop to ‘Sponge Bob’” (emphasis in original).

Among many topics, Raising Kids in the Media Age, has lengthy sections on TV viewing and the pervasive and dangerous threat of pornography. It also offers practical suggestions on managing media exposure and using media and technology to enhance social interaction in the family setting. An appendix of useful books and Internet sites is included, as well. An unspoken admonition is the need for parental vigilance in keeping abreast of technological advances, which constantly pose new opportunities — and threats.

A quick and thought-provoking read, Dunlap’s book is worth the review, even for parents already striving to control media exposure in their homes.

Peter Sonski is based in

New Haven, Connecticut.

Click here to purchase Raising Kids in the Media Age

National Catholic Register, August 17-23, 2008 Issue

Consider some astonishing facts leading to two powerful and timely conclusions.

Fact one: When Jesus Christ decided to spread devotion to his Sacred Heart, he revealed himself from 1673-1675 to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a holy, sweet, obscure, young nun described by The Oxford Dictionary of Saints as “patient and charitable, but also clumsy and impractical.”

Fact two: When Jesus Christ decided to spread devotion to his Divine Mercy, he revealed himself in 1931 to St. Faustina Kowalska, a holy, sweet, obscure young nun with only three years of schooling.

Fact three: Indeed, when Jesus Christ came into the world as God made flesh, he came through a holy, sweet, obscure young woman we now venerate as our Blessed Mother, Mary.

First conclusion: Jesus makes himself known in a special way through holy, sweet, simple young women.

Second conclusion: the Holy Spirit, working through what would seem to be the least likely of human instruments, is truly the original mass medium. Consequently, the Holy Spirit is in competition with our man-made mass media.

Regarding that first conclusion: How do we help a girl today to stay holy and sweet? In the world of MySpace and Facebook, is anyone really obscure any more?

Take, for example, my 10-year-old daughter, who is involved in Challenge, a girls’ club that emphasizes faith, charity and service. She aspires some day to participate in our local Pure Fashion program, an eight-month program of faith formation that culminates in a modesty fashion show. These programs are excellent, and she enjoys them.

But what really gets her excited are the Disney movies and music aimed precisely at her age group: “High School Musical I & II,” “Camp Rock,” and of course, the omnipresent Hannah Montana.” We don’t even have cable television, yet in our home, these productions are all the rage.

The two “High School Musical” productions quadrupled the Disney Channel’s profits in its first year; “HSM II,” when it debuted in August 2007, became the highest-rated basic cable program in history. And, as a parent, what’s not to like about good, clean fun with upbeat music?

And yet … there are indiscretions — not in the movies, but around them. When the actress who played Gabriella, the female lead, suddenly became over-exposed on the Internet due to her own immorality and bad judgment, I felt angry, as if my own daughter had been violated. Because, in a sense, she had: here was her innocent, sweet-as-pie heroine, suddenly splashed across computer screens as a lust object.

If our daughters are to grow up to be the next generation of holy, sweet, simple young women that bring Christ to the world as only they can, must they have no part of the media universe?

Consider again “Hannah Montana.” Here is life turned upside down and inside out. Miley Cyrus plays a character who gets “the best of both worlds” (as her theme song proclaims), because during the day, she’s Miley Stewart, ordinary neighborhood girl, and only a few know that at night she puts on a blond wig to become pop sensation Hannah Montana. Who is it who doesn’t get the best of both worlds? The real-life Miley Cyrus. Not only is she an over-exposed media darling at age 15, but her parents consented to the egregious bad judgment of allowing her a semi-nude publicity shoot for Vanity Fair. The girl has repeatedly apologized for the photo shoot. Hmm. It seems to me it’s the parents who need to apologize to us and our daughters.

So, on to conclusion two: The Holy Spirit is the original mass medium. Is there anyone in all of history besides the Holy Spirit who has been able to take the small, obscure and holy and make it known throughout the world? To spread a message of love and mercy without song, dance, and glitz?

Isn’t it true that in a basic way, the other mass media compete directly with the Holy Spirit for a place in our day, a place in our souls? The point is not that we need to shut out all the modern media. After all, a cloistered nun, Mother Angelica, created what is today the largest religious media empire in the world. The point is that we need a proper balance between modern media culture and our life of faith. We need the time and space for our hearts - and those of our daughters and sons - to be filled with the Holy Spirit and his unique messages.

Who knows in what way Christ will come to us through our daughters, if we can keep them holy, simple and not overexposed?

Jay Dunlap is a teacher in South Bend, Ind., and the author of Raising Kids in the Media Age.