Legion of Christ’s records released

— Documents detailing the fundraising practices of the Legion of Christ were released to the public Friday, showing how the Roman Catholic religious order took control of an elderly woman’s finances and persuaded her to bequeath it $60 million.

The records include the first-ever depositions of high ranking Legion of Christ officials. They shed light on the inner workings of a secretive congregation placed under Vatican receivership after the Holy See determined that its founder was a spiritual fraud.

A Rhode Island Superior Court judge said last year that the documents raised a red flag, because the elderly woman transferred millions to “clandestinely dubious religious leaders.” But they had been kept under seal until The Associated Press, The New York Times, the National Catholic Reporter and The Providence Journal intervened, arguing that they were in the public interest.

The will of Gabrielle Mee, who died at age 96 in 2008, is the focus of the lawsuit. Mee’s niece, Mary Lou Dauray, had alleged that Mee was defrauded by the Legion of Christ and unduly influenced by its priests.

Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein ruled in September that Dauray could not sue, but he noted there was evidence that Mee had been unduly persuaded to change her trusts and will and give the Legion of Christ her money.

Front Section, Pages 3 on 02/16/2013

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