In a recent interview on Mexican radio, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez of Guadalajara - a possible candidate to assume the reins of the Legion of Christ according to Vatican analyst Sandro Magister - said the founder of the Legionaries, Father Marcial Maciel, was a man suffering from mental issues.

Cardinal Sandoval deplored the “criminal” conduct of Maciel and said “nobody approves” of what the priest did.

Asked about possibly being appointed apostolic commissioner for the troubled order, the prelate said he would prefer not to have the post, but would accept if asked by the Holy Father. Cardinal Sandoval added that a bishop with experience in religious life would be better suited for the task rather than a member of the diocesan clergy.

In the cardinal’s opinion, Maciel was a “schizophrenic with a very well-defined double personality,” with one life inside the Church and a radically different life outside.