"Benedictine monks publish abuse allegations after being stonewalled by Vatican"

"A group of Benedictine monks in New Mexico allege that their current abbot is guilty of sexual misconduct and abuse of his power over them and others.

On May 21, the Lepanto Institute, a Catholic research organization, published a shocking report on a scandal emerging from the Benedictine Monastery of Christ in the Desert (MCID) near Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The article details allegations made by 'several monks' in official complaints filed by the Vatican’s Discastery for Consecrated Life in Rome against their religious superior, Abbot Christian, detailing behavior that could 'result in criminal charges.'

According to the Lepanto Institute, 'Rome has sat on the case for several years' and so the monks decided to appeal to the public by sending sworn affidavits, hundreds of pages of documentation and firsthand testimony' to the Catholic organization. They are also seeking legal redress.

'Whistleblowers hope that media attention will break the pattern of ecclesiastical cover-up and help secure justice for the victims of (the abbot’s) abuse. Several of the monks intend to seek civil recourse and protection after having been apparently stonewalled by ecclesiastical authorities both within the Benedictine Order and inside the Vatican,' reporter Louis Knuffke wrote...

The complainants allege that Abbot Christian is an active homosexual who has groomed, sexually harassed and even sexually assaulted members of the community...

The complainants have also named other monks in powerful roles in the community, alleging that there has been 'a homosexual coup' and detailing accusations of sexual misconduct and even sexual abuse made against them."