Cincinnati Residents Speak Out against Legionaries of Christ
Cincinnati parents have come together to use their voices and influence to protect their children from one of the world’s most abusive Catholic orders. We applaud these residents for pushing back against a plan that could put young lives in danger. We hope that their example will inspire other parents and parishioners across the country.
The Legionaries of Christ was founded by the prolific abuser Marcial Maciel. The group's abuse problem was so bad that their order was taken over directly by the Vatican. Given this history, it is no surprise that Cincinnati residents and parents have an issue with the order moving into their city. We are glad that parents and parishioners are pushing back against this move by Catholic officials, especially given the issues that the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has faced in recent years over abuse and cover-up.
The fact is, Church leadership can promise that the order has reformed all they want, but too many promises from bishops and cardinals have been broken in the past for those words to carry any weight. To us it seems much better to protect children from an order that was responsible for the abuse of hundreds of children than to put stock in promises of reform. We hope that these parents and residents are successful in their fight against the Legionaries of Christ and that their example will encourage others across the country to use their voices to protect children in their own communities.
CONTACT: Dan Frondorf, SNAP Cincinnati ([email protected], 513-706-7403), Michael McDonnell, SNAP Communication Manager (267-261-0578, [email protected]), Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
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