The Catholic media world was rocked yesterday by the resignation en masse of the editors of Zenit, the international Church news agency based in Rome which publishes in seven languages to an email list of some 450,000 people. It followed the recent resignation of Zenit cofounder and chief editor Jesus Colina, citing differences with the agency's sponsor, the scandal-tarnished Legion of Christ.
Many reports — with the exception of Catholic News Service — did not include any comments from the Legion itself to the Zenit resignations.
Here's an interview I did today by email with Legion of Christ Father Thomas Williams, an American who served as Zenit's publisher since the year of its founding until recently.
OSV Newsweekly: The ZENIT editors, echoing Jesus Colina, say ZENIT was never intended to be identified with one congregation, but that the Legion recently has been insisting on closer institutional identification. Is that true, and to what extent, and if so, why?
Father Thomas Williams: The Legion has been closely involved with Zenit from the outset (1997), investing seed money, hiring the needed personnel, and participating in weekly editorial meetings. It was in 1997 that I began working as publisher of Zenit, a role I played until recently, when that post was assumed by Father Oscar Nader. Earlier on, we thought it appropriate to downplay the Legion’s involvement, so that people would see that Zenit was a truly ecclesial news agency, at the service of the universal Church and not of particular interests. Perhaps in hindsight this wasn’t the best way to do things, but it seemed so at the time. In our efforts toward greater transparency, however, we have recently made the Legion’s involvement plain for everyone to see.
It’s important to note that Zenit’s policy has always been to draw from and represent as much as possible the universality of the Church. We have had team members, including in positions of great responsibility, from a broad variety of backgrounds and spiritualities, such as the Teresian movement, Rinnovamento nello Spirito, the Emmanuel Community, Opus Dei, the Charismatic Renewal, Communion and Liberation, and Regnum Christi. The new CEO of Zenit, Alberto Ramírez, who began working this past February, is a supernumerary of Opus Dei.
Zenit journalists have always enjoyed great flexibility and freedom in their reporting, with the only stipulation that they must reflect communion with the Pope and the Church, since this is Zenit’s identity as “The World Seen From Rome.”
Zenit has never been and never will be an instrument of propaganda for any institution within the Church. Its stated mission is to serve the Church by spreading Church teaching and reporting objectively and as impartially as possible on the life of the Church and issues that are important to Catholics.
OSV: Colina says he was promised a financial system in which ZENIT funds would be kept transparently and separately from congregation funds, but that that never came to pass. Is that true, and if so, why?
Father Williams: I’m not sure why he said that. Zenit’s accounts have always been separate from the Legion’s since the beginning. The Legion has never drawn money from Zenit and would never do so. Legion members such as myself who have worked with Zenit for years do not even draw a salary. Initially the Legion lent money to Zenit to get it started, but Zenit paid the Legion back as soon as it was able—without interest, of course. [Editor's note: I have emailed Colina a request for comment on this discrepancy, and will update with his response.]
OSV Newsweekly: The ZENIT editors, echoing Jesus Colina, say ZENIT was never intended to be identified with one congregation, but that the Legion recently has been insisting on closer institutional identification. Is that true, and to what extent, and if so, why?
Father Thomas Williams: The Legion has been closely involved with Zenit from the outset (1997), investing seed money, hiring the needed personnel, and participating in weekly editorial meetings. It was in 1997 that I began working as publisher of Zenit, a role I played until recently, when that post was assumed by Father Oscar Nader. Earlier on, we thought it appropriate to downplay the Legion’s involvement, so that people would see that Zenit was a truly ecclesial news agency, at the service of the universal Church and not of particular interests. Perhaps in hindsight this wasn’t the best way to do things, but it seemed so at the time. In our efforts toward greater transparency, however, we have recently made the Legion’s involvement plain for everyone to see.
It’s important to note that Zenit’s policy has always been to draw from and represent as much as possible the universality of the Church. We have had team members, including in positions of great responsibility, from a broad variety of backgrounds and spiritualities, such as the Teresian movement, Rinnovamento nello Spirito, the Emmanuel Community, Opus Dei, the Charismatic Renewal, Communion and Liberation, and Regnum Christi. The new CEO of Zenit, Alberto Ramírez, who began working this past February, is a supernumerary of Opus Dei.
Zenit journalists have always enjoyed great flexibility and freedom in their reporting, with the only stipulation that they must reflect communion with the Pope and the Church, since this is Zenit’s identity as “The World Seen From Rome.”
Zenit has never been and never will be an instrument of propaganda for any institution within the Church. Its stated mission is to serve the Church by spreading Church teaching and reporting objectively and as impartially as possible on the life of the Church and issues that are important to Catholics.
OSV: Colina says he was promised a financial system in which ZENIT funds would be kept transparently and separately from congregation funds, but that that never came to pass. Is that true, and if so, why?
Father Williams: I’m not sure why he said that. Zenit’s accounts have always been separate from the Legion’s since the beginning. The Legion has never drawn money from Zenit and would never do so. Legion members such as myself who have worked with Zenit for years do not even draw a salary. Initially the Legion lent money to Zenit to get it started, but Zenit paid the Legion back as soon as it was able—without interest, of course. [Editor's note: I have emailed Colina a request for comment on this discrepancy, and will update with his response.]
[UPDATE 10/12/11 6:35 p.m.: Here is Jesus Colina's reply:
Jesus Colina: Here is a short note to explain why I said that when ZENIT’s editorial team asked for transparency from the Legion, nothing was done.
Exactly two years ago during a general meeting of ZENIT, the entire editorial team asked the Legionaries of Christ for practical administrative independence from the Legion. In reality, this petition asked the Legion to respect the identity that ZENIT sought from the very beginning: an independent news service that operated administratively, economically and editorially separate from the Legion.
In fact, the “seed money” referred to by Father Thomas Williams came from a donation made by Aid to the Church in Need, and not from the Legion. Father Williams might not be aware of this fact, as he was not involved with ZENIT at its earliest stages. Father Williams does know, however, and he himself has stated, that the Legion does not donate or help ZENIT raise money for its operating expenses.
The administration of ZENIT’s funds, and ZENIT’s infrastructure, however, has slowly become more and more intertwined with that of the Legion. In 2009, however, Father Thomas Williams, then publisher of ZENIT, agreed to the team’s request for a separate administration, and he passed the request to Father Luis Garza, then vicar general of the Legion and president of ZENIT’s board. Father Garza also recognized the need to create an administrative system that was independent and that published detailed, annual reports of ZENIT’s finances.
What happened after this meeting?
— ZENIT’s bank accounts -- which are indeed separate accounts -- continued to be controlled by the Legion. This is to say, for ZENIT to access its separate accounts, we needed the signature of the Legion.
— Everything possible was done to unite the administration of ZENIT with that of Integer, which has since been dismantled by Cardinal Velasio de Paolis, and two of Integer’s representatives were put on the Board of ZENIT.
— A detailed report of ZENIT’s accounts was never published or made available to ZENIT’s employees, benefactors and subscribers.
As I have already said, I am morally convinced that all of the money ZENIT received from readers has been used only by and for ZENIT, but I cannot prove or verify that belief due to a lack of information. When one lives by donations, this is a duty, a duty that the Legionaries committed themselves to before the entire team.
I take advantage of this opportunity to thank Father Thomas for his priestly witness, which he has given me during many years.]
OSV: In announcing his resignation, Colina described a "gradual mutual loss of trust." Did the Legion lose trust in Colina, and why?
Father Williams: Things are always more complicated than they seem.
In recent years, as Jesús Colina became more and more involved in pursuits outside of Zenit, such as the H2O project, it became harder and harder to separate the different institutions, and many people assumed that they were one and the same. At one point Jesús suggested that Zenit consider taking over H2O, but after carefully analyzing its business plan, it seemed inadvisable to do so. H2O had considerable debts and no apparent way of generating the revenue necessary to sustain itself. At the same time, H2O began hiring members of Zenit’s staff and so many people were working simultaneously for both companies, without clear guidelines of separation in their work. Since they reported to Jesús in both capacities, confusion was inevitable. Something needed to be done to remove this confusion.
Zenit would never have existed without Jesús as cofounder, since he spearheaded its efforts from the beginning as editorial director and was essential to its growth. I believe that Zenit, and certainly I personally, have nothing but gratitude and appreciation for his talents and dedication.
OSV: One of the reasons Colina cites for his loss of trust is "the manner in which the Legion of Christ hid the information about Father Marcial Maciel," and he cites particularly the homily at a Legion Mass a month after Father Maciel's death in which the homilist (whom he doesn't name) continued to hold out the Legion founder as a role model, despite the fact that at that point, Legion leadership surely knew about his double-life and moral depravity. Any comment?
Father Williams: Unfortunately, the homilist Jesús is referring to was not a Legionary at all, but a member of the Roman Curia. I think it inappropriate for me to mention his name. A month after Fr Maciel’s death, no Legionary that I know of was holding him up as a role model.
This has been a difficult time for all of us, and initially, all of us struggled with the news of Fr Maciel, including Jesús, since it seemed so incredible. Little by little, we have all had to deal with it. I’m sure mistakes were made, but I have never seen evidence of malice.
[UPDATE 2: Jesus Colina added this comment to his email to me:
Regarding Fr. Thomas’ statement “A month after Fr Maciel’s death, no Legionary that I know of was holding him up as a role model”, I ask that you consider this letter written after the homily you mentioned, by Father Alvaro Corcuera, general-director of the Legionaries of Christ.
Thy Kingdom Come! ALVARO CORCUERA, L.C Mexico City, March 24, 2008To all Regnum Christi Team Leaders
My dear Friends in Christ, I send you my Easter greetings along with my heartfelt good wishes and a special remembrance in my prayers. God grant that this special season the Church offers us will be one of deep prayer and closer contact with Christ. How grateful we ought to be that God wished to come and redeem us, and that he wished to rely on us to carry his message of salvation to others.
On the one hand, this year’s Easter is tinged with special sorrow, being our first one without Nuestro Padre’s physical presence—but it also is one of deep joy and hope knowing that he accompanies us much more closely from heaven. As one, large family we have wished to celebrate and to proclaim to the world that God has triumphed; and using a phrase from the rite of incorporation into the Movement, we say once again, “It is our responsibility, Lord, and it depends on us…”. Now more than ever it is our responsibility to maintain the spirit God has given us through Nuestro Padre.
Daily, we can experience the fruits of holiness that God continually generates in Regnum Christi, and you as team leaders play a particularly important role in this work. I want to invite you to join me in reflecting together on the vital mission that is yours as key elements in our sections. In this respect, Nuestro Padre taught us that the hallmark of team leaders must be their deep, affective and effective integration with the Movement, their leadership, their sense of initiative, and their humility. The service they give their team members and hence the entire section must be directed toward the fidelity, dynamism and the constant growth of all the members of their teams and their apostolic endeavors.
On September 7, 1994, Nuestro Padre wrote a letter to ECYD team leaders, on which I would like to base myself to offer you some reflections that will help you grow daily in your awareness of your vocation as formators, to which God has called you.
The first image we can turn to is that of being light for your brothers and sisters. Christ tells us to be “light for the world” and he asks us let our light “shine before others” (Mt. 5:14. 16). Furthermore, he spoke of himself as “the true light that enlightens everyone who comes into this world” (Jn. 1:9). Therefore, if we want to be light for others, we must belong to Christ. Belonging to Christ means having him as my life’s ideal, the model of my existence, loving him with all my heart, following him wherever he goes. It would be empty and a mirage to try to be good cofounders, formators in Regnum Christi, if Christ’s love didn’t burn in our heart, if he weren’t the highest ideal and the truest meaning of our existence.
It is not enough merely to be light, Christ is asking more of us. He wants our light to shine, to be a true beacon to guide the souls he has placed in our care. Thus the team leader becomes the leader that guides and leads the other team members, who shines before them, not with the radiance of his personal qualities but with the splendor of the Truth which is Christ.
Another image Nuestro Padre refers to in the aforementioned letter is that of the Good Shepherd. Using this picture of Christ we can more easily understand that through their personal witness and leadership, their personal dialog and other adequate means, team leaders are called to work thoroughly and maturely so that their team members fulfill their commitments faithfully, grow in their Christian life, learn, love and defend the Movement, and become active and enthusiastic in their action. After the example of the Good Shepherd, you are in a certain sense guides, and responsible for the souls of your team members. You already know the value he gives an individual soul, for whose salvation he suffered and poured out his blood on Calvary. Ask him in prayer to help you understand the infinite value of every single soul he redeemed. As a Good Shepherd, he gave his life in order to rescue and save each and every human being without pausing to think how much he might like or dislike them. Learn to look at each team member placed in your care through the eyes of faith. Look beyond any type of qualities they may have and discover in them the human being for whom Christ died on the Cross, a son or daughter of God, with all of the dignity this implies. This outlook of faith regarding the value of each person will help you to see in them a potential apostle of Christ’s Kingdom, for whom it is worth suffering and sacrificing yourself since Christ didn’t hesitate to do so first, on the cross.
Against the backdrop of these considerations, I invite you to work on the following aspects proper to your role as formators and team leaders in your sections:
1. Know your faith and know Regnum Christi. We know that no one gives what he doesn’t have and less still if he doesn't even know it. If we want to be light, to be true guides for the souls given us, we have to prepare ourselves for this mission. Go to the bottom the Gospel, Christian spirituality and Regnum Christi’s spirituality. Set aside time to read the Pope’s encyclicals and discourses. The Catechism of the Catholic Church. Take an active part in the study circles the Movement offers its members, its summer courses for formators and team leaders. Learn to master the art of the written and spoken word, and the art of debate. Develop whatever will help you to communicate ideas, and strengthen the very content of your Christian faith. Christ and Regnum Christi need you to be formed, to be leaders so that you can form leaders. There is no substitute for personal formation: Enthusiasm, fervor and wanting to be generous aren’t enough. How effective you will be in your mission depends partially on the degree of personal formation you have acquired. If we have team leaders possessed with love for Christ, generous and well formed, then we can be sure that the Movement will bear the fruits we all hope for. Now more than ever, God calls us to be a Movement of saints!
2. Personal attention through dialog with your team members. Personal dialog is a golden opportunity God gives you to know your sheep and for them to know you (cfr Jn. 10:14). It is also a means to foster a sincere and unselfish friendship with each one of the members, trying to bring out the best in each one. What is typical of the dialog, as a complement to spiritual direction or spiritual guidance, is the examination of various elements of the life of a Regnum Christi member such as growth, the apostolate, presence at the specifically RC activities, personal contribution to the Movement’s works, integration with the other teammates, initiatives and suggestions for the team or section, and anything else you might freely want to mention to them. As you can see, through this activity you can do the work of forging your team members’ apostolic zeal, you can engage them in the common mission, encourage them to invite other members to the Church, in short, you can make them feel that the Movement is also in their hands. Obviously,in order to meet this goal we must go beyond the strict time allotted to the dialog; apply personal attention in the full breadth of its meaning. This will mean showing authentic and sincere concern for the other person, for their human, family and spiritual welfare; being there for them in their difficulties; sharing in their happiness and successes; offering comfort in times of sadness and failure.
3. Motivate each member and support them in their apostolate. In his latest encyclical, Spe Salvi, the Holy Father states that, “Being in communion with Jesus Christ draws us into his “being for all”; it makes it our own way of being. He commits us to live for others, but only through communion with him does it become possible truly to be there for others. [...] Love of God leads to participation in the justice and generosity of God towards others. Loving God requires an interior freedom from all possessions and all material goods: the love of God is revealed in responsibility for others.” (Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, n. 28). May Christ’s call to live for others lead you always to seek what is best for each member of your section and to be very close to them as they form themselves into true men and women of the Kingdom. In this regard, I want to ask you for your special help in continuing to make ECYD grow. Right there is the future of the Movement. How often Nuestro Padre told us so, again and again! If we want robust, apostolically active sections we need a strong and solid ECYD that is constantly feeding new life into the youth sections. I am certain that you understand your mission of being light, formators andcofounders, and that being team leaders is not something sporadic or circumstantial in your lives, even more so after the example Nuestro Padre left us. Being a team leader is for each one of you a true, apostolic mission. I sincerely thank you for all your availability and generosity to further the mission of extending Christ’s Kingdom in the hearts of men and of societies. Christ himself is the first one to rejoice and he will be the one to give you the reward you deserve. Let us daily ask Mary to grant us a Regnum Christi and ECYD that are robust, vigorous and dynamic realities, where we forge the apostles Christ needs at this time in history.
I assure you and the members of your teams of a constant remembrance in my prayers before the Blessed Sacrament. Yours affectionately in Christ, Fr. Alvaro Corcuera, LC]
[UPDATE 3: Father Williams responds: “Thank you for this clarification. I stand corrected.”
OSV: What do you make of the fact that the other Zenit editors resigned en masse, and some at least are following Colina to a new Catholic media venture?
Father Williams: I wish Jesús well in all his endeavors, and I am sure he means to continue to serve the Church through the media. Sure, it hurts to see several editors invited by Jesús to leave Zenit to work for him, but I sincerely hope that all of them continue to flourish both professionally and spiritually. Our job now is to see that Zenit continues to accomplish the work it was founded to do. There is room for many evangelizers in the Church, and a little more fraternal “competition” is good for all of us.
OSV: What are Zenit’s plans for the immediate future?
Father Williams: This is a critical time for us. The most important thing is to assure continuity with Zenit’s news services, which, with daily editions in seven languages, is no small feat! We have many exceptional journalists, and we will need to hire more to fill the gaps that have been left. I believe that God has blessed us from the beginning of Zenit’s existence, and trust Him to keep strengthening and sustaining us. We have received abundant mail recently from friends all over the world who appreciate the work Zenit does and want to show their support. There will be some tough times ahead, but with God’s help, we will continue to serve the Church throughout the world with an even better news service.
OSV: How will Zenit look different in the future from what it did yesterday? And what does "plainer" Legion involvement mean?
Father Williams: The media have evolved considerably in recent years, but people will always have a need for content. The forms of presentation may change, as well as interactivity, but the ideas behind the presentation, the message behind the form, will always be essential. Zenit will always focus, as it has since its inception, on getting out the Pope’s words to all who wish to hear them. We have also, seen, however, that there is a great thirst among Catholics for culture, for spirituality, for “soft” news as well as “hard” news. Zenit will try to tailor its production to the needs of the new evangelization, which are the needs of Catholics and people of good will everywhere.
Regarding the Legion’s involvement, it will continue to be what it has always been: behind the scenes support and counsel. It will be “plainer” in the sense that people will be more aware of the Legion’s involvement, but the extent of that involvement won’t change. The strength of Zenit is its lay apostles, its committed journalists. There has never been editorial review by Legionaries prior to publication. There must be trust between priests and lay Catholics, each doing their own respective tasks for the sake of the Gospel. This is a formula for evangelizing success. It has worked well until now, and I am confident it is the recipe for the future as well.
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