Maciel: questions and answers

In the June 10th 'The Word from Rome', John Allen answers reader questions about the Maciel affair:

[...]
One question that several readers asked in the wake of that report was whether the Secretariat of State acted on its own initiative, or whether it had been asked to issue a statement.

In fact, Vatican sources say, the current superior of the Legionaries of Christ, Fr. Álvaro Corcuera, who succeeded Maciel in January 2005, contacted the Secretariat of State to inquire about recent media reports that an investigation against Maciel was underway. It was in response to that inquiry, sources said, that the Secretariat of State issued its statement to the Legionaries, which was subsequently confirmed by the Vatican Press Office.
[...]

Read the complete article The Word From Rome from National Catholic Reporter.

I think Mr. Allen and his readers miss the true question that John just gets so close to and then doesn't answer. The Legionaries asked the Secretariat of State and the Secretariat issued a statement. Fine. But did the Secretariat inquire with CDF before it issued its statement? The answer to that question would answer a lot.