“I feel like I was brainwashed”

A conservative Catholic order with deep roots in Canada and the Philippines is being investigated by the Vatican after several of its consecrated members complained of emotional, psychological and spiritual abuse at the hands of superiors.
The official probe comes after an inquiry launched last March into the Legionaries of Christ and is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Much of it will focus on the lives of the so called consecrated women who belong to the order’s lay wing, Regnum Christi, which has over 70,000 Catholics in more than 30 countries who work in schools, hospitals and other aid projects.
The Associated Press in a report said only about 900 are consecrated — nearly all women, but also a handful of men.
They give up possessions and ties to their former lives much in the way nuns or priests do. They adhere to Vatican-approved statutes that require them to “voluntarily renounce the use of their capacity for decision-making” — pledging unswerving obedience to their superiors.
The news agency said the consecrated women dedicate their lives to the church, making promises of chastity, poverty and obedience similar to the vows taken by nuns.
“I feel like I was brainwashed,” said J., an American who joined the movement shortly after graduation from a Catholic university in the late 1990s and asked that only her middle initial be used. Like most of the women who spoke to the AP, she did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation from the Legion.
“I really thought it was a mortal sin to break any one of the little rules that were laid out by the statutes or the directress,” she said.
Members were told how to eat a piece of bread (tear off small pieces; never bite into it) and an orange (with a knife and fork). They were told how many movies they could see a year (six, selected for content); what television programs they could watch (news, debates, some sporting events, no drama or music shows); and to refrain from reading in the bathroom. Mail and email were screened. Women who made mistakes were often publicly humiliated.
But Regnum Christ supporters denied the movement was a cult and said the rules were designed for uniformity to bring members closer to God.
The Regnum Christi Movement was founded in the Philippines in 2001 by a missionary couple.  
According to the group’s website, Regnum Christi has served the archdioceses of Manila and Lipa, and the dioceses of Parañaque, Pasig, and Cubao with evangelization and humanitarian missions, such as the Helping Hands medical missions. Regnum Christi members with legal expertise have also organized Legal Missions to provide free legal counsel to those in need.
Working with the youth has been a priority since the beginning. In 2004, the first Challenge Club for girls was launched, and in 2005, the first ConQuest Club was started for boys. Both stand out for the formation they give to the adolescents.
In August of 2007, Legionaries and Regnum Christi lay people opened the Philippines´ first international Catholic school, Everest Academy. As it continues to grow, the school will provide boys and girls from grades 1 through 12 with an education based on the method of integral formation used in Legionary schools worldwide.
The Regnum Christi youth sections have launched various apostolates and missionary projects at the service of the poor and of orphaned children, especially through the MissionYouth and Living Dreams (Making Dreams Come True) apostolates.
The Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi Movement established themselves in Canada in 1995 with the opening of the novitiate and apostolic school in Cornwall, Ontario.  
Since then, Legionaries and Regnum Christi members have carried out several programs to assist the Church in Canada through education, evangelization, and the formation of tomorrow´s priests.
Canada´s Regnum Christi members have successfully tailored the Movement´s apostolates to the particular needs and circumstances of their own country, according to the group’s website.
Among its projects is The FAMILIA apostolate of Canada which has assisted thousands of married couples on marriage and the family and The Catholic Kids NET of Canada apostolate which has launched various child programs.
In March 2009 Pope Benedict ordered an inquiry into the Legionaries of Christ priestly order, whose founder  Father Marcial Maciel was discovered to be a sexual molester.
Maciel had died in 2008 after being told to retire to a life of “prayer and penitence”.
His order acknowledged in 2009 that he had fathered at least one child with a mistress, and it formally apologised to his victims in March 2010.
In a May 1, 2010 announcement, the Vatican said it was taking over the order and would rewrite its constitutions. A little-noticed line of that directive also announced an investigation into Regnum Christi’s consecrated members, according to AP.
The movement says it is proposing changes to some rules, such as the screening of emails and how often consecrated women can visit their parents. It also wants to see that women are surer of their vocations before joining.