A reader writes:

To what extent is “we have the fullness of the faith” to blame for conservative Catholic credulity re: Fr. Marcial Maciel?

There are religious frauds all around, but for some reason (some) people thought the accusations couldn’t be true of Maciel?

Why?

Because he’s so devout? Jimmy Swaggart seemed pretty devout to me. Because his ministry has been so blessed? Jim Bakker’s ministry was far more blessed.

I think part of the blame is this whole “we have the fullness of the faith” business.

Nah. I think that’s mostly you projecting your nervousness about that language on to the situation. It’s not “we have the fullness of the faith” that got Maciel’s supporters. It’s “Fr. Maciel is a Great Man and I know him and he was really nice to me.” In short, it’s about personal charisma, not about the fact that the fullness of the faith subsists in the Catholic communion. I suppose somebody can misapply that language to buttress their faith in the great charismatic leader. But you can grab anything, including inspired Scripture or the Constitution or the tax code, to do the same thing if you have a mind to do it.

Abusus non tollit usum.