The Legionaries of Christ and the estate of the priest who once led the Roman Catholic order, the Reverend Marcial Maciel Degollado, are being sued by a man who says he is one of several children fathered by Degollado, and that he was subsequently and repeatedly sexually molested by him.
A lawsuit was filed in Connecticut on behalf of Jose Raul Gonzalez Lara against the Legionaries of Christ and the estate of the priest who once led the Roman Catholic order, the Reverend Marcial Maciel Degollado. Lara says that he is one of several children fathered by Degollado, and that he was subsequently and repeatedly sexually molested by him.
The Vatican last month ordered an overhaul of the Legionaries after an investigation into decades of sexual abuse complaints against Degollado and alleged efforts to cover up the crimes. Degollado engaged in “very serious and objectively immoral behavior,” the Vatican said, and led “a life devoid of scruple and of genuine religious sentiment.” That conduct included fathering at least one child and sexually molesting boys and seminarians into the 1990s. Degollado died in 2008 at age 87.
Lara’s mother, Blanca Gutierrez Lara, gave birth to two children with Degollado, who used the alias Raul Rivas, according to the lawsuit. The biological sons — and another boy whom Degollado did not father — claim that Degollado sexually abused them, according to a report in the National Catholic Reporter. Only Lara is bringing a suit, however.
At a June 21, 2010 press conference in Minnesota, Lara said that Degollado explained his long absences from the family by saying he was a CIA operative and an oil company executive. Lara said that he did not know his father’s true identity, or that he was a priest, until 1997. Lara further stated at the press conference that the abuse began when he was seven and continued over the next nine years. Degollado would ask Lara’s mother to send him on trips with Degollado, Lara said.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed a special envoy and commission to oversee “purification” of the order and to deal “sincerely with all those who, within and outside the Legion, were victims of sexual abuse and of the power system devised by the founder.” Critics have described the order as secretive, controlling and cult-like, with seminarians largely cut off from contact with their families and the outside world.
The lawsuit claims that by allowing Degollado to remain as its leader, the Legionaries of Christ “intended to represent to children, including [Lara], that [Degollado] was fit, qualified and competent in all respects” and that the Legionaries “were aware that was using the power and resources gained from the Legionaries to meet with children around the world, including [Lara].”
Alexandra Reed writes for Connecticut personal injury law firm, Stratton Faxon. Contact Stratton Faxon to speak with a Connecticut accident lawyer about your personal injury, wrongful death, or Connecticut malpractice case. To learn more, visit Strattonfaxon.com.
