There are probably a few questions people ask when they find and read the stories on this site. We've created a "Why" label for posts on our site to address why we feel the way we do and why things like this happen. In addition, we've written a bit below on some of the questions we struggled with in making sense of this early on.
"They seem so faithful to the Church, how could they have such problems?"
There is a hunger for orthodoxy in the modern Church and, unfortunately, some founders and sects have taken advantage of that. They use "orthodoxy" as a carrot to gain members and as a shield to deflect critics. (The Legion of Christ is a well-documented example of this behavior.)
The fact is that groups like the IVE have to claim orthodoxy or they wouldn't have any members. If they weren't "orthodox" nobody would defend them in the face of their historical issues and disobedience and the few that joined would leave when they found out the Institute was not the joyful, caring, fast-growing group it portrayed itself to be.
The reality is that they aren't even orthodox - not really. They are materially orthodox, in other words legalistically orthodox, but they are not formally. It is not really who they are and it doesn't influence their actions. Like so many other good things (JPII, Bishop Fulton Sheen, Thomism, spiritual exercises, etc.), they use orthodoxy solely as an instrument for self-promotion.
The fact is that groups like the IVE have to claim orthodoxy or they wouldn't have any members. If they weren't "orthodox" nobody would defend them in the face of their historical issues and disobedience and the few that joined would leave when they found out the Institute was not the joyful, caring, fast-growing group it portrayed itself to be.
The reality is that they aren't even orthodox - not really. They are materially orthodox, in other words legalistically orthodox, but they are not formally. It is not really who they are and it doesn't influence their actions. Like so many other good things (JPII, Bishop Fulton Sheen, Thomism, spiritual exercises, etc.), they use orthodoxy solely as an instrument for self-promotion.
"Why would the Church allow this to continue?"
You must remember that Pope Francis would have shut the IVE down in Argentina if the IVE Founder, Fr. Buela, didn't use political connections to escape to Italy under the protection of scandal-plagued Cardinal Sodano. Even then, the Church was still able to force Fr. Buela to resign again in 2010 (he previously had to resign in 1994) and there are rumors that, with Pope Francis in charge and Cardinal Sodano out of the way, Fr Buela has been forced to cut off all contact with the group, which appears to have been an order from the 2010 investigation that Buela had been able to ignore for two years until Pope Francis became Pope.
Since their escape from Argentina, the IVE have kept a very low profile, tolerating whatever is necessary to avoid getting on a bishop's radar. They take parishes in places with few parishioners that few other groups might want like Greenland, Syria, New Guinea, and rural Ireland (which have the added bonus of providing great material for self-promotion and photo opportunities, as well as a poor, often uneducated population they can recruit from.)
They also take poor Hispanic parishes in the USA where dioceses are hungry for Spanish speaking priests. In fact, these parishes make up their largest footprint. They also provide them a steady stream of young undocumented immigrants who make up the majority of their US seminarians.
These factors combined have allowed the IVE to "fly below the radar" since leaving Argentina, but it's fair to ask when their practices will catch up with them and we anticipate things will change with Pope Francis.
"But some of the things they do and some of the people involved seem so good?"
"But some of the things they do and some of the people involved seem so good?"
It's important to remember that the IVE has a lot of good people. These men and women joined because they love the Church and want to serve God. They often stay because they are manipulated by their superiors who tell them any ideas of leaving are temptations from the Devil. Even many of the active priests agree there are big problems and nothing is a bigger testimony to the problems than the huge exodus ofpriests leaving the IVE.
Most of the problems we highlight on this site aren't the result of bad people, per se, but of dysfunction and ignorance. The people in authority are perpetuating the dysfunction that began with Fr. Buela, the founder, and has been handed down since.
The ignorance comes from having spent their entire adult life within IVE communities, separated from family at as young as 14 years old. The psychological hold that the order and the superiors have on their members is very strong and deep, so when individuals do see problems, these will be turned back onto them as a "cross to bear" and a "need for deeper obedience." When they finally mature, many see the light and leave, either to a diocese or, for others who do not feel they ever really had a vocation, to dispensation.
The reality is that these good men are victims too. Some simply do not know better and have never been exposed to a better example. The lack of charity, the manipulation, unfortunately it's normal to them.
"If they are so bad, why don't more ex-members speak out?"
Short Answer: many do, but many more can't. Long answer: See here.
The ignorance comes from having spent their entire adult life within IVE communities, separated from family at as young as 14 years old. The psychological hold that the order and the superiors have on their members is very strong and deep, so when individuals do see problems, these will be turned back onto them as a "cross to bear" and a "need for deeper obedience." When they finally mature, many see the light and leave, either to a diocese or, for others who do not feel they ever really had a vocation, to dispensation.
The reality is that these good men are victims too. Some simply do not know better and have never been exposed to a better example. The lack of charity, the manipulation, unfortunately it's normal to them.
"If they are so bad, why don't more ex-members speak out?"
Short Answer: many do, but many more can't. Long answer: See here.