Neuhaus And Maciel

They are both now dead, but that doesn't mean their alliance is not worth noting. Father Marcial Maciel founded and ran an authoritarian theocon cult within the Catholic church for many years, aided and abetted and celebrated by the Wojtila-Ratzinger papacy. Maciel was credibly accused of molesting and abusing countless young men in his care and is now exposed as someone who also had a secret female lover and even child. The accusations of abuse were made by men who had absolutely no reason to sacrifice their lives and careers in Mexico and any objective review would have led someone to be horrified. But former theocon-in-chief, Richard John Neuhaus, demonized the journalists who uncovered the evidence and wrote the following in First Things:

It is not the kind of stuff you would find in any mainstream media, but then Berry and Renner are not practitioners of what is ordinarily meant by responsible journalism. Berry's business is Catholic scandal and sensationalism. That is what he does. Renner's tour at the Courant was marked by an animus against things Catholic, an animus by no means limited to the Legion.

The usual theocon tack: accuse critics of being anti-Catholic bigots. Then this:

I can only say why, after a scrupulous examination of the claims and counterclaims, I have arrived at moral certainty that the charges are false and malicious. I cannot know with cognitive certainty what did or did not happen forty, fifty, or sixty years ago. No means are available to reach legal certainty (beyond a reasonable doubt). Moral certainty, on the other hand, is achieved by considering the evidence in light of the Eighth Commandment, 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.' On that basis, I believe the charges against Fr. Maciel and the Legion are false and malicious and should be given no credence whatsoever.

He never retracted this to my knowledge. For a remarkable documentary on the truth about Maciel, check this out.