In the Sunday edition of the cultural supplement of the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, documents from the Vatican Congregation for Religious from 1956 were published in which tougher action was considered against Maciel. He was to be dismissed from the clergy for drug use, financial offences and sexual abuse.
Among other things, the documents provide details about who in the Vatican helped to avoid sanctions so that Maciel could remain at the head of the Legionaries, especially after the death of Pius XII in 1958.
The Mexican priest Maciel (1920-2008) had founded the Legionaries of Christ in Mexico City in 1941. As early as the 1950s, documents reached the Vatican reporting on the founder's double life.
However, it took more than half a century before sanctions were imposed on him. It was not until 1997 that he was publicly accused of having abused young seminarians.
Pope Benedict XVI finally ordered an investigation in 2006, which uncovered Maciel's double life and sexual offences. The Vatican obliged him to lead a secluded life of prayer and penance.
According to Corriere, the draft of the published document is significant because it shows that at least some in the Vatican took the reports that had reached Rome seriously and wanted to take action against him.
Protectors in the Vatican
In the document signed by Giovanni Battista Scapinelli, the Vatican Congregation for Religious at the time demanded a ban on contact with young seminarians, otherwise he would face suspension.
However, another draft of the document, published by the Mexican victims in 2012, shows that Scapinelli had crossed out his original instruction - the ban on contact with seminarians - and merely instructed him to seek medical treatment for his drug addiction.
Another typewritten version of the document mentioned in the report is said to show that the reference to the no-contact order is missing. It merely mentions Maciel seeking medical help, without any further threat of suspension.
However, all other versions of the document would make it clear that Maciel had protectors in the Vatican. One document even states that the Vatican Congregation for Religious "cannot take any further action against Maciel due to the recommendations and interventions of high-ranking personalities".
According to their own information, the Legionaries currently have around 1,500 members in 21 countries.
In the early 2000s, serious cases of sexual and psychological-spiritual abuse by the founder Maciel became public knowledge. This resulted in a serious crisis for the order and a renewal process lasting several years.
In view of deficiencies in the internal management structures, Pope Benedict XVI ordered a comprehensive investigation of the community and far-reaching reforms in 2010.
Since then, the community has submitted annual reports on abuse.