Rome, Italy, May 22, 2012 / 18:25 pm
Father Alvaro Corcuera, the general director of the Legion of Christ, has asked forgiveness for his failure to act firmly enough towards a prominent Legion priest who fathered a child and has insisted that the Legion is improving its efforts to hold wayward clergy accountable.
The general director wrote a May 21 letter to the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi members in North America about the situation "not to excuse my ineffectiveness, but to explain it -- and beg your forgiveness."
Father Thomas Williams, a television broadcaster, prolific author, and theology and ethics professor at the Legion's Regina Apostolorum University in Rome, issued a May 15 statement admitting that he had a relationship with a woman "a number of years ago." He apologized for the "grave transgression" and said he will leave active public ministry for a year.
Fr. Corcuera, the Regina Apostolorum University's former rector, provided new information about the timeline of the events. He said that he had heard rumors about Fr. Williams' misbehavior during his time as rector and inquired about them, but he believed Fr. Williams' denial.