R. J. Neuhaus Duped by the Legion of Christ: His "Feathers of Scandal" defense of Legion of Christ Sexually Abusive Founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel Correspondence

By J. Paul Lennon

The cause of Fr. Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legion of Christ, was greatly enhanced by Fr. Richard J. Neuhaus' defense in First Things. The lion of Catholic Conservatism went to the aid of Fr. Maciel, an accused pedophile, in a forceful and eloquent essay. Using a metaphor from St. Philip Neri, RJN debunked Maciel's "attackers", chastising them for spreading "feathers of scandal". Because of his prestige and influence RJN's interpretation of the facts became the gold standard of priestly defense, and a bulwark against the National Conference of Catholic Bishops' "zero tolerance" policy towards clerical pedophiles . There is no doubt that Neuhaus' defense enabled Fr. Maciel to live out his later years in freedom, and won the Legion of Christ time in its efforts to stem the tidal wave of truth that would finally wash Fr. Maciel's defenses away.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1452819955
• ISBN13: 9781452819952
• Release Date: May 2010
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 92 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.2" x 5.3"