Records in RI lawsuit spotlights allowances made for Roman Catholic Legion of Christ founder

FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2004 file photo, Pope John Paul II gives his blessing to father Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legion of Christ, during a special audience at the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI took over the Legion in 2010 after a Vatican investigation determined that Maciel had sexually molested seminarians and fathered three children by two women. Following a decision Thursday Feb. 14, 2013, by the Rhode Island Supreme Court, documents have been unsealed related to a lawsuit contesting the will of Gabrielle Mee, who left $60 million to the Legion. (AP Photo/Plinio Lepri, File) (The Associated Press)

Attorney Bernard Jackvony poses at his office in Providence, R.I., Friday Feb. 15, 2013. Documents released Friday shed light on the inner workings of a secretive and now-disgraced Roman Catholic order called the Legion of Christ, including new details on how the organization took control of Gabrielle Mee finances and persuaded her to bequeath it $60 million. Jackvony represents Mee's niece. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi) (The Associated Press)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Unsealed documents in a Rhode Island lawsuit brought against the Roman Catholic order Legion of Christ describe allowances made for the order's founder, the late Rev. Marcial Maciel.

The Vatican took over the Legion in 2010 after determining that Maciel had sexually molested seminarians and fathered three children by two women.

The documents, unsealed Friday, include testimony from the Legion's former second-in-command who said he discovered Maciel had fathered a daughter in 2006, but never confronted him about it and didn't share the news with the broader membership.

The lawsuit was filed by a relative of a woman who gave $60 million to the Legion. A judge has said the relative didn't have standing to sue.

The documents were unsealed at the request of The Associated Press and other media.