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The abuse-case that caused the Pope to lose his temper - to the point of a prissy smack - was Father Marcial Maciel. Until his death earlier this year, Maciel ran a large, far-right Catholic cult called the Legionaries of Christ. The Legionaries and their lay counterpart, Regnum Christi, are very powerful entities in the new Catholicism, given special protection by Pope John Paul II and much favor under his successor. And at the core of the Legionaries, like many religious cults, was a sexual abuse ring designed to please the founder. Secrecy was maintained by indoctrinating many members at a young age, and enforcing vows of silence on all topics related to Maciel. This cult-like stricture is still causing grief and suspicion in many parts of the Catholic world, most recently in the Baltimore archdiocese.

The reason I bring this up today is because journalist Jason Berry, of the Hartford Courant, has a new and gripping documentary on Maciel and the abusive cult-like practices he pioneered. It's called "Vows Of Silence" and it carefully exposes the appalling facts of the enmeshment of the last two Popes in covering up sexual abuse and protecting a serial predator.

Maciel was a sadly twisted gay man, who committed many acts of abuse, pederasty and pedophilia against other men and boys under his control. He is also a hero to the theoconservative movement, the leaders of which have yet to come to terms with his appalling record.

Benedict, John Paul II, And Child Abuse

In our interview, O'Brien had some tough things to say, including his fear that the problems he sees in both groups are so "endemic" as to be essentially beyond correction. O'Brien said he hopes he's wrong, but revealed that he had walked up to the brink of expelling the Legionaries and Regnum Christi from the archdiocese altogether, only to pull back after three Vatican cardinals asked him to give them another chance.

The full text of that interview can be found here: Baltimore archbishop demands greater accountability from religious order.

Since my interview with O'Brien appeared, I've had a high volume of responses, much of it from people who long ago made up their minds about the Legionaries. There were, however, a number of other reactions that weren't quite so according-to-script. One prominent American Catholic commentator, for example, who has a number of friends in the Legion of Christ, called to say that he hopes the O'Brien interview will "jar loose" what he sees as a taboo within the group concerning discussion of charges of sexual abuse leveled against the late founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado.

For the record, those charges were widely publicized in the 1990s, and the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith opened an investigation in 1998. In 2006, the Vatican released a communiqué stating that on the basis of that inquest, it had decided to invite Maciel "to a reserved life of prayer and penance, renouncing every public ministry." Many observers took the decision as tantamount to a finding of guilt.

Here's what O'Brien told me about the response within the Legionaries to the charges against Maciel: "They really have to face it. They need to be able to say, 'The evidence seems to be that this man engaged in some activities that were less than honorable, and maybe even sinful.' … Without facing that, I think it casts a pall over any other objectivity, any other integrity, they claim to put forth as their qualifications to deal with lay people and with the Catholic church in general."

What's new in O'Brien's case, as well as the commentator mentioned above, is that the drumbeat is coming not from liberal Catholics hostile to the Legionaries on ideological or theological grounds, or from veteran activists on the sexual abuse issue, but rather from figures who otherwise think of themselves as friends of the Legion..

Three things to understand about the Legionaries of Christ

The Pope's letter, dated Thursday, was read at a solemn Mass presided over by Cardinal Ruini at the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

In the letter, the Holy Father thanked the cardinal for his "commitment to serving the Church of Rome" since January 1991, when he was appointed vicar general of the diocese.

The Pontiff recalled certain episodes during "these years of episcopate in the direct service of the Bishop of Rome," such as "the planning and celebration of the Citizens' Mission in preparation for the Great Jubilee 2000," the culminating moment of which "was the 20th World Youth Day."

"Over the years," Benedict XVI continued, "you have accompanied 484 diocesan priests to ordination and have supported, through various initiatives, the building of 57 new parish churches."

He went on to thank Cardinal Ruini "for all you have done for priests, deacons, religious, seminarians, lay groups and all the people of God in the Diocese of Rome." He noted how the diocese "has grown in communion and in an awareness of the urgency of the mission."

Cardinal Ruini Celebrates 25 Years as a Bishop

Claims that the Roman Catholic Church had become a "saint factory" emerged during the pontificate of John Paul II. He created 482 new saints, a number unprecedented during the reigns of the previous 17 pontiffs. John Paul II also streamlined the saint-making process, with moves that included the elimination of the "Devil's Advocate" whose duty was to put forward reasons for rejecting potential candidates for sainthood.

Now, at the urging of Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican officials are being instructed to examine the case of each candidate for sainthood slowly and meticulously. Archbishop Michele di Ruberto, secretary of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Vatican office that processes claims to sainthood, said that Pope Benedict wants the congregation to pay "maximum attention" in its evaluation of documents supporting a candidate's claim, with "scrupulous observation" of ecclesiastical norms. The archbishop said that the Pope himself reads every file page by page, and, until he is personally satisfied with the miracles accredited to a candidate, no progress for their cause is possible

The cause for sainthood of John Paul II, at whose funeral the faithful roared "Santo Subito" (make him a saint soon) could be affected by the new approach. "For John Paul II there is a presumed miracle, but first his heroic virtues must be approved," said Archbishop di Ruberto. "And Benedict XVI has not yet delivered his judgement on the virtues of Wojtyla (John Paul's original surname), and his indication is to do things with maximum seriousness, taking all the time necessary."

Saint in waiting: John Paul II's cause for canonisation faces delay