Stunning reporting from the National Catholic Reporter’s Jason Berry about how the drug-addicted pedophile Father Marcial Maciel funneled payoffs to very high-ranking members of the Roman curia — including his great protector, for Vatican Secretary of State Angelo Cardinal Sodano — to buy influence for him and his very conservative, and highly corrupt, religious order. This helps explain why John Paul II was such a patsy for Maciel — his No. 2 in the Vatican hierarchy, as well as his trusted personal assistant, Msgr. Dziwisz, were on the take. As a Catholic friend who forwarded the link wrote to me, “Good God, it will be a feature movie soon from either Coppola or Scorsese.”
Note well the name of one cardinal who refused to take money from these pious scoundrels: Joseph Ratzinger. The same cardinal who moved against Maciel and his shysters as soon as John Paul weakened substantially. People who think Benedict’s resignation would help resolve scandal matters had better seriously reconsider.
UPDATE: Don’t forget about Jason Berry’s documentary film version of his book on the Legion, “Vows of Silence.” It makes me so joyful to see him and his reporting vindicated, especially after the verbal abuse he suffered from prominent conservative Catholics for telling the truth about Maciel. The trailer for the film is on the site.