By Joseph Contreras NEWSWEEK INTERNATIONAL

June 16 issue — For a sense of the new forces stirring inside Mexico today, consider the Legion of Christ. The once obscure religious order, founded 62 years ago in the basement of a Mexico City town house, ranks as the world’s fastest-growing branch of Roman Catholicism. It attracts more recruits to the church’s aging priesthood than any other Catholic congregation on the planet, per capita. The legion’s ultra-orthodox doctrine mirrors that of Pope John Paul II, and its influence reaches into the highest echelons of Mexico’s business and political elites.         THE LEADER OF this order—the octogenarian priest Marcial Maciel, based in Rome—hasn’t lived in his native land for more than a half century. Maciel was just 20 years old, not yet ordained, when he established the legion in 1941 as a Catholic army of soldiers in soutanes, battling to “establish the kingdom of Christ throughout the world.” In practice, that has translated into the courtship of Latin leaders across the hemisphere—and the order has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. No other religious figure wields more influence in Mexico than Maciel—not the ranking Catholic prelate, Cardinal Primate Norberto Rivera Carrera, nor any of his 110 bishops. Close friends and associates include Lorenzo and Roberto Servitje, the head of Mexico’s multinational food giant Bimbo, and the country’s First Lady, Marta Sahagun de Fox.         The Legion of Christ is no ordinary religious order. Instead of running neighborhood parishes, its followers concentrate on missionary work and educating children of the faithful, the list of whom read like a Who’s Who of the Mexican private sector. The legion owns an impressive network of 10 universities and 154 mostly upmarket private schools—prompting some wags in the Mexico City press corps to dub the order the Millionaires of Christ. Its conservative teachings and strict discipline have struck a chord with millions of Latin American parents—and not just affluent ones. The legion also runs 17 Mano Amiga (Spanish for “friendly hand”) schools dedicated to the education of indigent kids—nearly 11,000 in total, scattered across Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, El Salvador and Venezuela.         There is a darker, even somewhat medieval side to the Legion of Christ. Former members of the order say that young seminarians to this day are required to practice self-flagellation as a way of atoning for their sins; many wear an uncomfortable device around their thighs to discourage so-called impure thoughts. Legion officials have reportedly hired private detectives to snoop on some of their own priests. In a 1997 investigative report in a U.S newspaper, nine ex-legionnaires accused Maciel himself of sexual abuse, a charge he has indignantly denied. That same article revealed the Vatican had absolved Maciel of similar charges in an investigation in the 1950s.         None of this has dimmed the legion’s influence. If anything, it looks set to grow under the country’s center-right president, Vicente Fox. The former Coca-Cola executive’s triumph in the 2000 election toppled the Institutional Revolutionary Party—and seemed to threaten many of the overtly anticlerical laws and policies adopted by the party during its 71-year reign. In Fox, the country’s first openly devout Catholic president in nearly 100 years, many conser—vative Mexicans see their best hope yet for restoring the church to its rightful place of social authority.         Fox is by no means in thrall to the Catholic establishment. Only two weeks ago the government announced that five unnamed clerics could face steep fines for allegedly telling Catholics how to vote in next month’s congressional elections. Still, even as many of his political reforms have stalled in Congress, the Mexican president has pushed through measures that please the church. Two years ago he abolished a longstanding ban on clerical visits to prisons and public hospitals—a measure enacted by the PRI with a view toward separating church and state. His administration has also slashed the annual budget of the Health Ministry’s highly successful Planned Parenthood program, and a number of openly right-wing Catholics have been named to key government posts. Among them is Labor Minister Carlos Abascal, a prominent businessman who has criticized school syllabi as too liberal. The Interior Ministry official in charge of religious affairs, meanwhile, favors a constitutional amendment allowing religious “associations” to acquire radio and television stations. “The [Catholic] right wing is thriving,” says Edgar Gonzalez Ruiz, a Mexican academic and author.         Many political analysts see in this the hidden hand of the First Lady, whose association with the legion goes back nearly 20 years. Sahagun first came to national prominence as the press secretary in Fox’s presidential campaign. But in his home state of Guanajuato, where Fox previously served as governor, the divorced mother of three had another identity. In the mid-1980s, when Sahagun was still married to her first husband and living in the city of Celaya, she was appointed treasurer of the local branch of the legion’s lay movement. Perhaps that’s no surprise; her father comes from the same small town in Michoacan state where Marcial Maciel was born.         Vatican sources say that Maciel is working to bolster those ties. The priest was instrumental in organizing separate papal audiences for Fox and Sahagun during their visit to Rome in October 2001. He is also, according to Mexican press reports, lobbying the Holy See to annul their previous marriages, paving the way for a religious wedding in the not too distant future. At least two of Fox’s children, from a previous marriage, have studied at legion schools. Newsweek International June 23rd Issue •  International Editions Front •  Atlantic and Asia Pacific Cover Story: Al Qaeda in America •  Latin America Cover Story: Can He Do the Job? •  World View: How to Make Friends in Iraq •  Letter From America: Land of the Free, Home of the Brave? •  International Periscope & Perspectives •  International Mail Call •  The Last Word: Michael O'Leary         In a rare interview with NEWSWEEK, Maciel’s deputy Luis Garza Medina denied reports that the legion is actively seeking an annulment of the First Couple’s earlier marriages. (Fox and Sahagun were married in a civil ceremony two years ago.) The 45-year-old priest, a younger brother of the Monterrey industrialist Dionisio Garza Medina, also dismissed talk that the order exerts any undue influence over the president through his wife. “Fox had a relationship with us when he was governor, and there have been gestures of appreciation,” he says. “But he is a president for all Mexicans, and no favoritism has been shown toward us.” Father Luis also notes that the legion does not adopt public-policy positions of its own. The Conference of Mexican Catholic Bishops is the proper channel for that, he argues, and he bristles at suggestions that the order cultivates relations with the rich more than the poor. “We make no such distinctions,” he says. “For us, everyone is in need of hearing the Gospel of Christ.”         Perhaps. But while some Catholic orders such as the Jesuits have distinguished themselves by helping the poor, the legion under Marcial Maciel has demonstrated a marked talent for cultivating the more privileged constituencies of Roman Catholicism at the same time. And in a country with the second largest Catholic flock worldwide, that ensures the Legion will continue to exert influence far beyond its numbers for many years to come.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, June 01, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue.

President Hugo Chavez FriasPresident Hugo Chavez Frias has appointed Captain (ret.) Eliezer Otaiza to run the national alphabetization drive announced two weeks ago. Speaking in Portuguesa state, the President confirms that the plan is big and integral involving getting 1 million Venezuelans to read and write. 

Otaiza will head a presidential committee and priority will be to set up an incentive system for people who complete the course satisfactorily. The President is interested in getting people on the course to set up cooperatives and he thinks that Otaiza is the man to get the program up and running.

Another incentives is to offer credits and further training at the National Job Training Institute, which Otaiza heads.

Referring to the negotiations agreement, Chavez Frias says he will not lose the recall referendum ... "let us prepare to continue the struggle and the battle for Venezuela on all grounds."

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Friday, May 30, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

In a biting article entitled "Catia and the Civil War," veteran historian and political analyst, Domingo Alberto Rangel says what happened on Catia's Peru Street last Saturday is a straight answer to people begging the question: can there be a peaceful solution to Venezuela's problems. 

"The two groups that skirmished in Peru Street made war preparations ... the government group focused on Peru street as if it were long-range artillery placing lookouts and observers on nearby 23 de Enero, while the opposing band let loose its goons on the same street or houses in the neighborhood." 

Rangel points out that the police forces went to the rally to protect and/or point arms depending on the groups. The National Guard (GN), Mayor Bernal's Libertador Police (Policaracas), Tupamaros and Carapaica acted as one block, while the Metropolitan Police (PM) and Bandera Roja formed the other ... "the PM is the opposition's SS, whereas Policaracas is the government's SA ... every meeting or march is a battle or skirmish that affects Venezuela."

As for the arguments that there is peace in Venezuela, Rangel does not bat an eyelid affirming that the Venezuelan Civil War is peculiar, in as far as the two sides still maintain cordial relations ... "after all, they belong to the same system." 

Accion Democratica (AD), Primero Justicia (PJ) and Proyecto Venezuela (PV) enjoy legal status and work on National Assembly (AN) committees alongside government deputies. 

Movimiento Quinta Republic (MVR) deputy and journalist, Juan Barreto has become rich with an apartment in Miami said to be worth $297,000 where he meets AD leader, Henry Ramos Allup, who is rich from way back ... "they know how to be cordial ... in the streets it's different .... there they have to insult each other, while the crowds that follow them have to bite the dust ... the war has been programmed and battles sought ... the only ones who fall are the indians not the chiefs."

Highlighting his dislike of both sides, the irreverent old-timer comments that it was some show that Venezuelan Executive Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel and AD general secretary, Henry Ramos Allup put on, " awash in crocodile tears when both had sent their armed groups to battle in Catia."

"As the war continues, so does the farce  with declarations of peace and concordance, which the Timoteos, Jose Vicentes, Aristobulos and Americos must sign every now and again to play to the gallery and satisfy the imperialist overlord ... 24 hours before the Catia skirmish, the government and opposition made a solemn declaration of peace ... fortunately, nobody in Venezuela is confounded ... the country knows that they are clowns of hypocrisy with a duty to lie ... agreements are made to be broken ... the declarations serve their purpose of washing one's hands like Pilate." 

The Spirit of Catia will live on and shape the future!

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Thursday, May 29, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

The world famous La Salle Foundation of Venezuela is confronting a delicate internal situation regarding the presidency. The La Salle Religious Brothers have appointed Brother Jose Pereda as Foundation president over 91-year old Brother Gines, who has been at the helm for the last 50 years. 

• The fuss hit the headlines when Brother Gines surprisingly declared the appointment illegal. 

The religious order's Provincial Visitor, Brother Juan Bosco Chacon presented the new president to the media and assured people that Gines' projects will be carried through, claiming that allegedly Brother Gines had agreed to make the Foundation more participative and democratic. Brother Pereda insists that the Foundation will remain faithful to its origins and continue to serve the most needy preparing them to know their roots, customs, nature and country. 

Brother Gines' legal adviser, Beatriz Di Totto claims the appointment isn't legal  because it is up to the assembly set up in February to endorse the order's appointment. "The Assembly rejected the new president ... pressure has been put on Brother Gines to subject himself to a vote of obedience ... he handed over power in February and now the Assembly is the maximum authority and not the religious order." 

Columnist Nelson Bocaranda Sardi asks: who are behind the move to wrest the Foundation away from the La Salle Brothers? Hinting that Brother Gines has been manipulated, Bocaranda Sardi suggests that fishing, mining and timber interests are the culprits ... "the first thing they did was to send a letter to the banks changing signatures." It would be interesting to discover how such vested interests managed to infiltrate the Foundation well known for its scientific and anthropological research.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, May 25, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

The Accion Democratica-led "Assault on Catia" has left one person dead and 22 persons injuries. Urban warfare started early on Saturday morning as an armed group set up a barricade of two hijacked municipal buses.

National Guard (GN) soldiers sent to remove the buses after they took potshots from unidentified gunmen ... GN (CORE-5)  Regional Commander General Marcos Rojas says he is certain that the group belonged to opposition Bandera Roja (BR) ... BR leaders have denied the charges.

The AD rally itself only lasted an hour and had to be suspended because of increased street-fighting between opposition and government supporters threatening to spill over on to the site where the rally was being staged ... bottles, stones, shots and insults were exchanged in equal servings. 

Both sides are claiming that  the dead person, Modesto Graterol Bastidas (48), who received a bullet in the mouth and was declared dead on entering Catia Magallanes Hospital dead, is one of theirs. 

The shooting incident leading up to Graterol Bastidas' death took place near 23 de Enero Zone F Apartment Blocks 40. According to Las Ultimas Noticias tabloid,  a group of persons manning a street barricade fired on State Political & Security (DISIP) Police pickets ... the agents allegedly shot back killing Graterol Bastidas. The opposition claims that the dead man was an AD trade unionist motorcyclist and part of a security brigade. 

Movimiento Quinta Republica (MVR)  leader, Omar Mezza counterclaims that the dead man was a party sympathizer and says he has spoken to Libertador Mayor Freddy Bernal to pay for the funeral since Modesto Graterol Bastidas was poor and lived with an aunt who is very old. The MVR leader also slammed mainstream media for claiming the dead man as an AD militant. Mezza claims that 2 MVR militants were wounded in afternoon incidents in 23 de Enero. 

• Citizen Security Minister, Danny Azuaje has issued a statement saying security forces are carrying out an investigation into the identity of the group that allegedly started the rumpus by shooting at GN soldiers. 

AD president, Henry Ramos Allup is reported as saying he's pleased with the results of the rally and claims AD has recovered a foothold in western Caracas ... "the rally was a success and despite the violence, it was a triumph for democracy ... we showed our mettle ... AD provided the people and the grit." 

Boasting, Ramos Allup also stated that he would not rest until he discovered who fired on GN soldiers, hinting that it was the (23 de Enero-based) Tupamaros and other government armed bands. 

Coordinadora Democratica (AD) leader and presidential wannabe,  Enrique Mendoza was more low-key, saying he preferred to wait and see before establishing responsibilities. Ultimas Noticias reports that police presence helped keep down the number of casualties.

List of injured persons  to date: With bullet wounds Henry Mora Valero (38), Leonel Ramirez (20), Luis Viloria (29); GN soldiers Romero Nunez and Frank Lugo and civilians taken to the military hospital ; Catia Magallanes Hospital: Henry Ramirez and Richard Portillo (34); Catia Periferico Hospital: Damaso Silveira (43), Orlando Sanchez (46), Francisco Incerti (39), Pedro Perez (49), Diego Diaz, Orlando Montanes, Jacinto Benitez and Eris Villega (19) ... Alberto Pino with a knife-wound to the chest ... Alberto Gutierrez, Elio Fermin, Jose Calatayu and Jose Perez with concussion and bruises. An unnamed citizen was hit with a powerful firework.

Heedless of Saturday's provocation, AD leaders have confirmed that they will hold a similar rally in Petare during the coming month and it seems that what is left of the Coordinadora Democratica (CD)  is running the gauntlet as well.

What is clear from yesterday's incident is that AD has finally brought out its goon squads in a strange alliance with former Cold War enemies, the former ultra-left guerrilla group Bandera Roja (BR).

Yesterday's incidents quashes opposition media hype that Bolivarian Circles are reponsible for most of the political violence in Venezuela. The new opposition tactic spear-headed by Accion Democratica (AD) and the Christian Socialists (COPEI)  to regain the streets using traditional goon squads is an open invitation to violence and chaos and a prelude to political assassination and other terror tactics.

AD is banking on the theory that what  worked during the Fourth Republic, especially in the trade union movement will work today. Whether it has the same success depends on the reaction and response of the government and organized Chavists grass-root organizations and of course, the rational opposition, which still has something to say in the matter.