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- Political life in a modern African country
- acute observations and beautiful prose
- Beautifully written, if challenging for this American
- where is my country today?
- An Evocative Return to the Themes of Things Fall Apart
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Anthills of the Savannah
Chinua Achebe
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Achebe, Chinua
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ASIN: 0385260458
Release Date: 1997-02-04 |
Customer Reviews:
Political life in a modern African country.......2006-12-03
The story in this book is set in the fictional modern-day African country of Kanga. The action revolves around three central characters. Chris holds the position of "Commissar of Information" in the president's cabinet; he basically has the final say in what gets printed in the country's newspapers and broadcast on the airways. Ikem is the editor of the country's leading newspaper. He and Chris are friends have been friends since school. Finally, Beatrice is a mutual relation of both of these men. She and Chris are romantically involved, while she and Ikem have a close but strictly platonic relationship.
The story revolves around how these three and their relationships are affected by the creeping authoritarianism that has been taking place in Kanga. We learn that both Chris and Ikem are boyhood friends of the president, whom his obsequious ministers address as "His Excellency." His Excellency took power in a military coup that was intended to quash instability and then restore democracy, but as in most real-life African military governments, it stayed on after this original mandate had expired and turned into a full-fledged dictatorship. His Excellency is the archetypical African ruler. Trained in a European military school, he quickly rose up through the ranks because of his loyalty to his superiors, and when he seemingly accidentally gets installed as the new ruler, expects similar obedience from his aides. Like all authoritarian rulers His Excellency feeds off playing his subjects against each other. Eager to curry his favor, His Excellency's ministers spread rumors about each other and attempt to sow discord.
In such a cynical, amoral, power-driven world, Chris and Ikem are clearly sympathetic characters. Achebe does a good job of describing what it is like to be a reform-minded, idealistic politician in contemporary Africa. Both Chris and Ikem received their college education in the U.K. and returned to Kanga hoping to build a vibrant democratic nation, only to get sucked into the web of corruption and authoritarianism that has been so typical of post-colonial Africa. Both try to deal with the situation in their own ways. Chris is more pragmatic; rather than open insubordination to His Excellency, he thinks that he can try to reform the situation from the inside. Ikem, on the other hand, openly criticizes the government's policies in his editorials.
For me, Ikem was the most convincing and sympathetic character. While he openly criticizes the regime, he is no naïve revolutionary. There is a great scene in which he gives a lecture to a group of university students. While he urges them to vigilantly pursue their convictions, he also takes a few jabs at Marxist theories of imperialism. I think Ikem's character is probably closest to Achebe's own views; while he faults the West for its general neglect of Africa and frequent embrace of its authoritarian leaders, he also places much of the blame for its predicament at the feet of its own corrupt, self-interested leaders. The character of Beatrice, while sympathetic, did not seem as instrumental to the story as that of the two men. Achebe clearly intended for this character to represent an educated African woman, and there is even a chapter written in the first-person from her point of view. While the chapter is interesting in itself, it seems somewhat disconnected from the larger story.
Overall, I think that Achebe portrays an intriguing and realistic portrait of contemporary Africa. Although the book was written nearly 20 years ago, it did not seem dated at all. While Achebe accurately portrays the venality and corruption of African political leaders, he also depicts the genuine humanity and indomitable will of both ordinary people and leaders who are trying to bring about change.
acute observations and beautiful prose.......2006-09-12
After reading excellent non-fiction about the situation in Africa by Ryszard Kapuscinski, I felt ready for Chinua Achebe. "Anthills of the Savannah" is his first novel I've read. At first, I thought I would be disappointed. In the first half of the novel, the political topic combined with very dense prose, constant changes in the narrators and frequent use of pidgin English from the region made the mix for me hard to swallow and requiring very much undisturbed attention. Luckily, the second half of the book is the prize for patience, the action starts to develop very fast, the plot is engrossing and the book is difficult to put down until the end.
The novel, set in the imaginary African country of Kangan, ruled by the military regime established after the coup, is built around three main characters: Ikem, the editor of the national newspaper, an idealist from the remote province, who identifies with the problems of the nation and seeks solutions (to his peril); Chris, the Commissioner for Information in the current government, suffering from critical attitude, but also somehow soft-hearted; and Beatrice, a thoroughly modern, intelligent and beautiful woman, a girlfriend of Chris and friend of Chris and Ikem. All three had the luck to get the best quality education in Europe, speak excellent English, but in reality only Ikem is not removed too far from his native people to feel what needs to be done in the country.
The central complication and the fact which is the starting point of all the subsequent events is that Chris, Ikem, and the dictator, His Excellency (or Sam) are former colleagues from the same school.
The country is in chaos, the permanent drought and poverty in the Northern province of Abazon causes destabilization, His Excellency is not popular in that region, his insecurity grows and with it his destructive tendencies. He wants to stay in power by al means... Even if it includes persecuting his friends and loyal collaborators.
Achebe managed to include in his novel powerful insights into the reality of many African republics, struggling with corruption, natural disasters, poverty, illiteracy, lack of national consciousness and influence of former European colonizers, at the same time making the novel an interesting story, evoking the images of vast African savannahs and rainforests, the humor of the people and the deep love.
Beautifully written, if challenging for this American.......2006-05-24
Our library book club read this book last month,and I'm grateful, for it's not a book I'd likely have picked up on my own. It's a story about a group of friends from a fictional African country who attended an elite school in England and then later found themselves all with roles in the country's postcolonial government, with one friend becoming a reporter. The tale seems to have many layers: exploring the effects of their education abroad on the way they view their country; the corrupting properties of power; losing and regaining connections to their homeland; shifting dynamics of friendships in the face of power; and much more.
I was able to appreciate the poetic writing style, the shifting point of view, the nonlinear narrative (without telling us we're flashing back or forward), the references to folk stories, the proverbs that were unfamiliar to me, and the use of pidgin English in some of the dialog. I enjoyed being exposed to a writing style different from what I'm accustomed to. However, this made the book very difficult for this book devourer to get through. Still, if you'd like to expand your horizons, read this book. Just be prepared to maybe feel a little disoriented, but keep reading; you'll be rewarded in the end!
where is my country today?.......2001-10-12
Achebe wrote three classic books in the 1950's and then after a long hiatus returned to the novel with the publication of Anthills in 89. The earlier books dealt with the effect of modern civilization on traditional African life. This book uses one nation as an example of what is happening with many nations as they struggle to find their own version of modern life without altogether letting go of tradition. The characters are all educated, many in the west, but strictly western modes of rule do not work in third world conditions quite as smoothly as they do in industrial conditons. Big changes are needed and a big leader is needed to effect those changes quickly and successfully but that age old maxim applies here as elsewhere: power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. A great book showing how good intentions can quickly go wrong. Achebe tells the story through the personalities playing a part in it and so you never feel he is making abstract points. He shows the human side of these dramas we so often see played out on the 6'o clock news. A touching and tragic book. Achebe is a fascinating person to see interviewed as well, perhaps the most articulate and insightful spokesman on modern Africa as it searches to find its shape.
An Evocative Return to the Themes of Things Fall Apart.......2000-07-31
This splendid short novel demonstrates Achebe's continuing ability to depict the challenges posed to African societies by modernism and Western influence. It details the plight of three educated, upper-class Africans attempting to survive in an atmosphere of political oppression and cultural confusion. Set in the fictional African country of Kangan, it is clearly patterned after Achebe's native Nigeria, though one can also see elements of Liberia and Ghana.
This was the first Achebe novel I had read since his classic Things Fall Apart. At first, I thought that Anthills suffered in comparison with that masterpiece, arguably the best known and most influential African novel. After finishing the book, though, I realized that Achebe had very deftly returned to and updated the themes raised in that book.
His protagonists are Ikem, a courageous and opinionated newspaper editor; Chris, his friend and predecessor as editor, now the somewhat-reluctant Commissioner of Information in a military-led government; and Beatrice, a brilliant, beautiful mid-level civil servant, also Chris's lover. Each studied abroad and is comfortable tossing off literary references and cultural cues from the West. At the same time, each is proud of and clearly shaped by his/her African heritage.
Kangan is ruled by a smart but narrow-minded military officer who rose to power following a coup. "His Excellency" is also coincidentally and not at all implausibly an acquaintance of all three main characters, bringing a very personal dynamic to the struggles they face as Ikem sharpens his already bitter criticism of the government, to the professional discomfort of Chris and the personal alarm of Beatrice.
I found the first half of the book a little hard to get through at times. The prose is often overwrought and the narrator changes from chapter to chapter, making it difficult to follow. Further complicating things is the frequent use of West African dialect, especially in dialogue between the lead characers and their less-westernized compatriots. While this brings a ring of authenticity to the work, it also requires close attention by non-African readers to divine the literal meaning of the deceptively familiar words. As the novel progresses, though, the confusing switch-off of narrators ends, the prose becomes sharper, and the storyline clearer.
Achebe sprinkles humor liberally throughout the book. The characters serve up a steady stream of clever, expressive African aphorisms. The most memorable of these are delivered by a tribal elder from Abazon in an impromptu tribute to Ikem. Achebe also paints vivid and funny accounts of a monstrous traffic jam, a confrontation with soldiers at a checkpoint, and an up-country bustrip. those who have spent any significant time on the continent will nod their heads and chuckle at these uniquely African scenes.
As in Things Fall Apart, the insidious influence of the West is depicted mostly indirectly. While there are no major European characters, the cynicism of Western expatriates and the cluelessness of Western journalists are reflected quite well in two minor characters, a British doctor who administers the local hospital and a visiting American reporter. More often, though, the specter of Western influence hovers in the background. One sees it in the alienation of the lead characters from their roots, most vividly in Beatrice's reminisces of her village childhood and university days in Britain.
In the end, Achebe seems not so much to be blaming the West for Africa's problems as pointing out the ways in which, years after independence -- and even longer since things first "fell apart" -- African societies continue to struggle with the legacy of colonialism. The villains are not Europeans but the opportunistic soldiers, politicians, and businesspersons who came to power afer the departure of the colonists.
Achebe's perceptiveness and skillful sketches of characters make this an important work, a period piece as representative of contemporary, post-independence Africa as Things Fall Apart was of colonial Africa.
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2 Book Set ; Things Fall Apart , Anthills of the Savannah
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Trilogy of three favorite stories by Chinua Achebe.
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Term paper due tomorrow? Need to bone up for a test? Or just looking for the best information about a favorite literary work?
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This digital document is an article from Studia Anglica Posnaniensia: international review of English Studies, published by Adam Mickiewicz University Press on January 1, 2003. The length of the article is 5292 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Different story, different strategy: a comparative study of Achebe's style(s) in a man of the people and Anthills of the Savannah.(Literature)
Author: Oyeniyi Okunoye
Publication:
Studia Anglica Posnaniensia: international review of English Studies (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2003
Publisher: Adam Mickiewicz University Press
Volume: 39
Page: 289(13)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful stories by great authors.......2006-06-19
All three stories were wonderful reads, with great writing and story lines. All three were so good that i can't decide which one i like best.
The first story The Way Home by linda howard is about a woman who learns more of and becomes closer to her lover after becoming pregnant.
A Stranger's son by emilie richards a famous rock star finding out he has a child and trying to become a father out of the public eye while also trying to get the love of the mother.
The Paternity Test by sherryl woods is about a woman who gets pregnant by her ex who she still loves but who is completly committed to his job in another city. Can they work it out and be a family?
they are all sweet heart warming stories.
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- Wild, Crazy and Fun!
- This is the Superman I grew up with!
- Nice for nostalgia's sake, but stories a little bland
- Rick Phillips
- Great Stories
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Superman in the Sixties
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Superman in the Fifties
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Batman in the Fifties
ASIN: 1563895226 |
Customer Reviews:
Wild, Crazy and Fun!.......2004-05-30
In the 1960s, the greatest entertainment in the world can be gotten for a mere 10 cents between the pages of the various Superman comics published. You get everything from grand space-opera, soapy romance, mythical adventures, sci-fi, fantasy, tragedy, etc. in these stories. This volume is a great sample of some of those great tales.
Mort Weisinger was the man behind the Superman titles at DC comics in the 1950s and 1960s. He hired writers like Jerry Siegel (yes, the original creator himself) and Otto Binder (the greatest "Shazam" writer ever) to recreate Superman's world. Firstly, Supes' origin story is more fully fleshed out, Krypton is described in detail and then came the creation of the "Superman Family" (Supergirl, Krypto, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, Bizarro, Superboy, Legion of Superheroes, etc. etc.) - all of it giving us the richesh fantasy dreamworld in serialized fiction.
Get this volume to relive the magic of Superman and rediscover the reason why he is still the foremost heroic-icon of our times.
This is the Superman I grew up with!.......2004-04-17
As far as I'm concerned, this one graphic novel sums it all up when it comes to the excitment and singular superiority that is Superman. It would've been great as a book with no artwork, in my opinion. But, of course, the artwork really made it that much greater. However, being a true lover of sci-fi books, by the Old Masters and the Newcombers (especially cyberpunk), I really think lovers of graphic novels should also check out such greats as "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Childhood's End", "I,Robot", "Ringworld", "Redezvous with Rama", "Neuromancer", "Mona Lisa Overdrive", "Cryptonomicon", "Prey", "Snow Crash", "Cyber Hunter", and so forth. These would all make great graphic novels as well, but are great as just what they are in my opinion. Check some out.
Nice for nostalgia's sake, but stories a little bland.......2000-09-05
Having grown up in the 70s, this book features Superman stories which were new to me. These are the stories prior to Clark Kent's move to television and the creation of Morgan Edge. As the preface to the book says, many of the stories were told time and time again. It's interesting to see a time when comic books weren't always trying to be some dark statement. After all, Metropolis isn't Gotham City. This book helps you get a grasp of the changes the Superman franchise went through in the 60s, with dozens of new survivors of Krytpon, endless robots, an incredibly naive Jimmy Olsen, and a not-yet-liberated Lois Lane. Each story is "safe." Nice to look at, but if you're expecting anything of substance that you could, perhaps, ponder, hopefully a "Superman in the Seventies" volume will be coming out soon. Here you will see Clark, Lois, Jimmy, Morgan, Steve Lombard, and a less-important Perry White take on more human characteristics. Until then, this book will give you lots of super-simplistic stories that may or may not help you relive your youth.
Rick Phillips.......2000-03-12
This was a great book with only a sample of how great the 60's were to the Man of Steel. It showed how comics should be adventuresome, fun and innocent. Many famous stories like the Superman-Batman Revenge Squads and works by the greats like Jerry Siegal, Wayne Boring, Curt Swan and Neal Adams. All future comic writers & artist should have this book. Don't just sit there. Buy this book!
Great Stories.......2000-01-05
Being a comic book fan who has lost interest in the "new" post-Crisis Superman, I found these older stories to be lots of fun. A more honest and innocent hero, and a great flashback to my impression of the character when I was younger. A great peice of pop-history.
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This digital document is an article from Proceso, published by CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V. on February 8, 1998. The length of the article is 4438 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Ya sesentón Batman se convierte en un héroe para público adulto. (incluye artículo relacionado)(TT: All ready in his sixties Batman turnes into a hero for the adult public) (TA: includes related article)
Author: Roberto Ponce
Publication:
Proceso (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 8, 1998
Publisher: CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V.
Issue: n1110
Page: p70(4)
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SUPERMAN IN THE SIXTIES
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GKQVU2 |
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Authors Jason Berry (Lead Us Not into Temptation) and Gerald Renner (retired reporter for the Hartford Courant) team up for this highly accusatory report on the sex abuse scandal within the Catholic Church. The "vows of silence" speak to the Church's self-protective secrecy that made it possible to ignore the rampant abuse, despite all the early accusations and red flags. To reveal the history and scope of this problem, Berry and Renner expertly researched the parallel lives of two key players. The first one is Thomas Doyle, portrayed as an American hero priest. Doyle first heard about priests sexually abusing children in the early 1980s. Doyle immediately started to confront his superiors and blow the whistle at every turn. As early as 1983 Doyle wrote that the Church's secrecy caused any and all wrongdoings to be "denied, covered up and rationalized with equal zeal." Years later he became an advocate for! victim restitution, testifying against the Church in numerous court cases. The second character is more like the antichrist: Father Marcial Maciel, who was the influential founder of the cult-like order of Legionaries of Christ and accused of being a particularly cruel and long-term sexual predator.
This parallel lives approach makes for compelling storytelling, but it also creates a disjointed approach with much skipping around in time. What sets this apart from yet-another-expose about the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal is the in-depth reporting on the militaristic Legionaries of Christ, an extremely powerful and conservative order of priests and laymen that are affiliated with a worldwide web of prep schools and universities. Berry and Renner offer a fascinating conspiracy theory about how this international legion managed to protect its abusers and contribute to the long-term secrecy and cover-up. The bold accusations eventually land in the lap of Pope John Paul II, who seemed more invested in protecting the legion and the vow of silence than addressing the abuse. --Gail Hudson
Book Description
Going deep behind the headlines about scandals in the Catholic Church, Jason Berry and Gerald Renner's Vows of Silence follows the staggering trail of evasions and deceit that leads directly to the Vatican -- and taints the legacy of Pope John Paul II. Based on more than six years of investigative reporting and hundreds of interviews, this book is a riveting account of Vatican cover-ups and the tumult they have caused in the church worldwide. Both a profound criticism and a wake-up call to reform by two Catholic writers, Vows of Silence reveals an agenda of top-down control under John Paul II and a hierarchy so obsessed with secrecy as to spawn disinformation. Vows of Silence is not a book about sexual abuse; it is a book about abuse of power, throughout the Vatican.
The book cuts between the life story of Father Tom Doyle, who sacrificed a diplomatic career with the Vatican to seek justice for sex-abuse victims, and Father Marcial Maciel, an accused pedophile and founder of the militaristic religious order, the Legion of Christ. One of the most mysterious and powerful men in the Catholic Church, Maciel has built a network of priests, lay people, and elite prep schools in more than twenty countries, using the Legion as a fundraising machine to position himself as a favored figure of John Paul II.
In addition to accusations against Maciel of sexual abuse and of using Legion money for his own extravagant lifestyle, many ex-Legionaries claim that the order uses mind-control techniques to isolate seminarians and even priests from their families. And yet, because he enjoyed the protection of Pope John Paul II and members of the Roman Curia, charges against Maciel for sexual misconduct -- all of which he denies -- were blocked in the Vatican court system.
Drawing on in-depth interviews with Father Doyle and with ex-Legionaries who filed a canonical suit against Maciel, as well as interviews with Vatican insiders and an array of sources in Mexico, Ireland, Canada, and Australia, the authors provide a penetrating account of a hierarchy directly in conflict with its followers. With keen insight and scrupulous reporting, Vows of Silence is a powerful narrative that chronicles the church's struggle between orthodoxy and reform -- going straight to the heart of one of the world's largest power structures.
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"Going deep behind the headlines about scandals in the Catholic Church, Jason Berry and Gerald Renner's Vows of Silence follows the staggering trail of evasions and deceit that leads directly to the Vatican -- and taints the legacy of Pope John Paul II. Based on more than six years of investigative reporting and hundreds of interviews, this book is a riveting account of Vatican cover-ups and the tumult they have caused in the church worldwide. Both a profound criticism and a wake-up call to reform by two Catholic writers, Vows of Silence reveals an agenda of top-down control under John Paul II and a hierarchy so obsessed with secrecy as to spawn disinformation. Vows of Silence is not a book about sexual abuse; it is a book about abuse of power, throughout the Vatican. The book cuts between the life story of Father Tom Doyle, who sacrificed a diplomatic career with the Vatican to seek justice for sex-abuse victims, and Father Marcial Maciel, an accused pedophile and founder of the militaristic religious order, the Legion of Christ. One of the most mysterious and powerful men in the Catholic Church, Maciel has built a network of priests, lay people, and elite prep schools in more than twenty countries, using the Legion as a fundraising machine to position himself as a favored figure of John Paul II. In addition to accusations against Maciel of sexual abuse and of using Legion money for his own extravagant lifestyle, many ex-Legionaries claim that the order uses mind-control techniques to isolate seminarians and even priests from their families. And yet, because he enjoyed the protection of Pope John Paul II and members of the Roman Curia, charges against Maciel for sexual misconduct -- all of which he denies -- were blocked in the Vatican court system.
Customer Reviews:
mandatory reading for all religious........2007-03-09
The book gave me a insight into the actual politiccal workings of the Catholic church. The extent of the cover-ups by bishops and cardinals of priest that abused minors was a crime. It should never have happened if the bishops and cardinals had done their job and turned the violating priest over to civil authorties.
This book should be required reading for all those studying to be priest, brothers and nuns. They should understand that if charged with violation of a minor that they could be subject to civil law.
First remove the beam from your own eye.......2006-06-22
As can be seen in some of the previous "reviews" of this book, the considered reaction of some to Mr. Berry's findings is: 'Kill the messenger!' This being the case, the following communiqué issued by the Vatican Press Office on May 19, 2006 is certainly germane to this book, and to the deprecatory comments about it posted here. This is excerpted from an English translation of the Italian original:
"In reference to news reports diffused concerning the person of the Founder of the Legionaries of Christ, the Reverend Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the Press Office of the Holy See communicates the following:"
"...[T]he then-Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, His Eminence Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, authorized an investigation of the accusations [of sexual abuse against Fr. Maciel--O.H.]. In the meantime, the death of Pope John Paul II [a friend and patron of Fr. Maciel--O.H.] happened and the election of Cardinal Ratzinger as the new Pontiff."
"After having submitted the results of the investigation to an attentive study, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the guide of its new Prefect, His Eminence Cardinal William Levada, decided - taking account of the advanced age of the Reverend Maciel and his delicate health - to renounce any canonical process and to invite the Father to a reserved life of prayer and penance, renouncing every public ministry. The Holy Father has approved these decisions."
Res ipsa loquitur--"the thing speaks for itself".
The Price of Priestly Pederasty & The author's use of this unspeakable crime by men of the cloth to tarnish the Catholic Church........2006-02-01
by FATHER OWEN KEARNS, LC
The October 2001 edition of Deal Hudson's Crisis magazine features a cover story on "The Price of Priestly Pederasty." The article focuses mostly on the financial impact of lawsuits and settlements, but it notes that good priests "have been tarnished by the unearthing of a sexual underworld among men of the cloth."
And how.
To borrow a term from the war on terrorism, there is untold "collateral damage" in the priesthood because of these violations of sacred trust.
It is a cross all Catholics bear - be they victims of the abuse, Catholics in the pew who wonder how in God's name such a thing could ever happen, bishops who must deal with the lawsuits and sometimes unfair accusations of cover-up, or innocent priests whose reputations are smeared by the sins of their brothers.
So what happens when a priest - a very good priest - is falsely accused of sexual misconduct? He is often presumed guilty until proven innocent. Even clear proof of innocence is not enough for some. Let me tell you about a case very near to my own heart.
In the fall of 1996, my congregation, the Legion of Christ, received word from a reporter that he was going to publish the story of 12 former Legionaries alleging that our founder, Father Marcial Maciel, had sexually abused them decades earlier. We were stunned, uncertain how to handle such outrageous - though, to those unaware of the facts, plausible - lies, but we hoped and prayed that, if we could share the truth in good faith with this reporter and his colleagues, all would be well.
Why would these elderly men attack Father Maciel? Who would conspire to allege sexual misconduct against an aging priest who started a fast-growing priestly congregation, the ecclesial movement Regnum Christi, hundreds of schools, 10 universities, and a host of other institutions and apostolates serving the Church?
A Time of Trial
This case goes back to the 1950s, when these accusers were young adult religious - Legionary seminarians. It was in this time period that all the abuse is alleged to have occurred. In 1956, Father Maciel faced an entirely different set of accusations suited to that day and age. Men who sought greater influence within the Legion accused him, among other things, of drug abuse, financial mismanagement and rebellion against the Holy See.
The charges were brought to the Vatican, which responded by conducting a thorough investigation of Father Maciel and the Legion. From 1956-58 Father Maciel was deprived of his functions as general director of the Legion and not allowed to enter the diocese of Rome. Vatican-appointed investigators lived with the Legionaries and interviewed each member personally. The investigators all reached the same conclusions: The allegations were trumped-up and baseless, and the Legion showed the potential to be of great service to the Church.
Decades later, a group of now elderly former Legionaries, Mexicans and Spaniards, sent their new accusations to the Vatican, which did not dignify them with a reply. So they took their story to an American newspaper. We asked the reporter, Gerald Renner of the Hartford Courant, to share with us the testimony of the 12 accusers. He and the Courant refused to show us the documents, but they did on occasion summarize details.
My order was faced with the difficulty of proving a negative. How do you prove that something, described in lurid detail, never happened? You would wish that the accusers would make some allegation that could be definitively disproved with documented scientific evidence. Then their utter lack of standing and credibility would be there, plain for the world to see.
Fortunately for the truth, they did just that. Twice.
First, some claimed that a former Legionary dictated a "death-bed confession" accusing Father Maciel of sexual abuse. Records show that, due to a stroke, he was unable to speak (there was no dictation) and died suddenly and unexpectedly from choking on his food (there was no deathbed).
Second, they all repeated the claim from the 1950s that Father Maciel was addicted to drugs. Precisely in order to prove or disprove such claims, a cardinal had at the time ordered blood tests on Father Maciel and separate examinations by three eminent physicians. They provided conclusive medical evidence eliminating any possibility of drug abuse.
There was more. One of the Vatican investigators went on to become bishop of Illapel, Chile. When in '96 he learned of these sex-abuse charges, Bishop Polidoro van Vlierberghe wrote to us explaining that he found them lacking all credibility, especially because during the one-on-one interviews in the '50s he "gave them every opportunity to level any accusation they had, but not once was this type of offense mentioned."
With Father Maciel under suspicion at the time the abuse had allegedly just happened, not one single person, not even those who brought other false charges against him, accused him of sexual abuse.
Besides this, we were able to catch some of the accusers in their lies. One claimed to hold a position that never existed, and spoke of a seminary that never existed.
One of the accusers actually recanted and signed sworn testimony that he had been recruited to join in lies about Father Maciel in order "to show him up." Four other men also testified they were recruited to join in the lies, but had refused to do so.
Adding Victims
The writers, Gerald Renner and Jason Berry, knew these facts at the time they published their story. So did their editors at the Hartford Courant. They knew that the accusers were caught in their lies, that some had a decades-old animus against the man they were attacking, that five men (one of whom was an accuser who recanted) had testified that the accusations were a conspiracy of lies and that medical evidence proved that none of the accusers had any credibility.
How did they handle this information?
They simply edited out numerous accusations, changed others and dropped two of the accusers - all without letting their readers know - and went ahead and published the "story."
Why?
The story alleging abuse by Father Maciel was not a stand-alone piece. It was quickly followed by one attacking Pope John Paul II and the Church as a whole for allegedly covering-up sexual abuse and turning a blind eye to the sexual realities of the day. Since then, the lies about Father Maciel get rehashed time and again with no acknowledgement of the numerous documented lies of the accusers, simply pinning the story on the latest "news hook" or using it to attack another member of the hierarchy. In short, it is a series of attacks on the Church and its teachings on sexual morality.
So this, too, is collateral damage of sexual abuse by priests.
Monstrously, sexual abuse attacks its immediate victim, violates his trust, and harms the faith of his family and community. But this sin doesn't stop with its immediate victims. Not only does such abuse put innocent bishops and priests under suspicion, but it also empowers those who disagree with the Church on matters of sexual morality to use whatever "evidence" they can - true or false - to disparage the Church, trying to force it to change.
In the Christian spirit of Father Maciel, who has forgiven his accusers, I ask us all as followers of Christ to be charitable to our bishops and priests, to realize that sex scandals, horrible as they are, are the work of those few who have betrayed us, or of those who take advantage of the innocent.
Support and love your bishops and priests. Don't let their vocations - and the truth - become "collateral damage."
CAREFUL: Buy this fast!!!.......2005-07-08
Better buy this book fast if you think it is worth it because it WILL NOT BE AROUND FOR VERY LONG!
So it happens with a book like this, based on allegations, opinions, and much stronger but not nearly enough: testimonials.
There have been recent cases of abuse, no question about that. And there was proof of these. In the case of Fr. Maciel and this book, there is a question for the authors:
Where is the hard evidence?
For the matter of testimony there are literally hundreds of relevant testimonials, of witnesses just as close or closer that will contradict the few ones in this book. There is a three year investigation with hundreds of in-depth interviews to the rest of the members of the congregation which did not reveal a single thing to support the time of thing portrayed in this book. So? Things that don't have a solid base fall.
Don't forget that Jesus himself said to judge a tree by its fruit. That never fails. Can a priest then, like Father Maciel is portrayed to be, bring about the deeds and institutions and the change for the better of the lives of tens of thousands as he has done? No. One thing is NOT COMPATIBLE with the other. As simple as that.
If you think your self more objective than the author and want the other side of the story, go to http://www.legionaryfacts.org/VOWS.html
There is more than "your word vs. my word" there. Why do the authors of this book ignore the evidence that they themselves know is out there which goes against their case? They don't even mention it. Not very objective, and why? Because that would not sell their book.
Not the first time this has happened nor will it be the last. The bible tells us not to expect a way of rose petals if we really follow Jesus, for if He Himself was betrayed, mocked, crucified, what can we expect. Go through the life of the greatest saints and compare.
http://www.catholicfounders.org/
This book can excite your mind. But without hard evidence I'd rather buy a work of fiction than spend money on a book by someone who thinks I should believe what he says as fact simply because he's writing it down and a group of people say it.
Renner was right all along.......2005-01-04
I read a newspaper report today that puts all questions about the credibility of this book to rest -- Vows of Silence turns out to be right on the money!!! Read for yourself:
MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2005
The Vatican has reopened an investigation into charges first reported nearly eight years ago that a powerful Mexican priest close to the pope sexually abused seminarians.
The allegations focus on the actions of the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, now 84 and based in Rome. He leads a religious order known as the Legionaries of Christ, which claims 600 priests in 18 countries. Its U.S. headquarters is in Orange and it has a seminary in Cheshire.
The allegations surfaced in a Courant report in February 1997. Nine former members of the Legion said Maciel first abused them years ago when they were young boys or teenagers, ages 10 to 16, in seminaries in Spain and Italy.
The accusers, all professional men - two Mexican-Americans, five Mexicans and two Spaniards, one now deceased - tried for years to call their accusations to the attention of Pope John Paul II, who nonetheless has remained effusive in his praise of Maciel. Just five weeks ago, on Nov. 27, the pope praised Maciel in a letter on the 60th anniversary of his priestly ordination, citing his "intense, generous and fruitful priestly ministry."
A week later, the complainants against Maciel were told the Vatican was reopening a canon law investigation that had been squelched without explanation in 1999.
The canon law case had been lodged formally by the former Legionaries against Maciel in November 1998. A high-level Vatican agency, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, accepted the complaint as credible for further investigation. But it never proceeded and no investigation was made.
Under a 2002 policy adopted by the U.S. hierarchy, an American priest facing allegations such as those made against Maciel would be suspended immediately while an investigation was conducted. The Vatican has no such policy.
In a letter dated Dec. 2, Martha Wegan, a Vatican-approved canon lawyer who is an advocate for the men's case, informed them that a new "permanent promoter of justice" for the congregation has been appointed and wanted to know if they wanted to proceed.
"It seems to me that now the case is being taken seriously," she wrote.
"They say now they are taking it seriously? Before it wasn't serious?" scoffed Juan Vaca, a former priest who headed the Legion's U.S. operations in Connecticut from 1971 to 1976. He now teaches psychology at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Vaca said there was no question the men wanted the case to go forward. He said Jose de J. Barba Martin, spokesman for the men accusing Maciel, informed Wegan they wanted to proceed. Barba is a Harvard-trained professor of Latin American studies at Instituto Tecnological Autonomio de Mexico in Mexico City.
Vaca raised accusations against Maciel in letters to Pope John Paul II in 1978 and 1989 but never got a response. He named 20 others who he said had been abused by Maciel, his superior. His accounts of sexual improprieties were supported by another priest, the Rev. Felix Alarcon, who said he also was abused.
Alarcon, now a retired priest in Madrid, established the Legion's U.S. headquarters in Milford, Conn., in 1965. It moved later to Orange. The letters were sent by diplomatic pouch through the Diocese of Rockville Center in New York via the papal nunciature, the pope's representative, in Washington and acknowledged as having been received.
Maciel and the Legionaries of Christ have vigorously denied the allegations of abuse. Maciel has accused the nine men of a conspiracy to defame him.
Barba said it appears to him that Vatican authorities are heavily divided about how to handle the complaints against Maciel, accounting for praise from the pope one week and a decision to investigate him the next.
There is such a division in the church in Mexico. It was not until 2002 that the charges against Maciel were aired at a meeting of the Mexican hierarchy, when it was acknowledged for the first time publicly that the Mexican church had a problem with priestly sexual abuse, as did the U.S. church.
Two Mexican priests who helped Maciel's accusers advance their complaints say their careers suffered.
One, the Rev. Antonio Roqueni, who helped draft the canon law complaints, lost his job as a canon lawyer for Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City.
The other, the Rev. Alberto Athie, was an adviser on social-justice issues to the Mexican bishops' conference and an officer of Caritas, the bishops' national charity. He said he was marginalized and felt compelled to resign his positions after he tried to bring to the attention of church authorities accusations by a dying former priest that Maciel had abused him as a teenager.
Book Description
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Citation Details
Title: A tale of two priests.(Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II)(Book Review)
Author: Mark Furnish
Publication:
Conscience (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 26
Issue: 3
Page: 47(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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