Because of a lack of public outcry, it looks like the Legion is going to finesse and survive the revelation that Maciel has a daughter. See the report of the talk given by the current head of the Legion here.
They are ascribing the conception of the daughter to a moment of human weakness (at age 68?). They are still not admitting any abuse of minors, and are ignoring the report that the mother was 15 when Maciel got her pregnant. This latter report may not be true, but it could be squelched by saying approximately how old the mother was. That would hardly be an invasion of privacy.
Of course there cannot be the same physical proof (DNA) of child molestation as of pregnancy. One has to listen to the accusers and decide how credible they are. The Vatican found them credible enough to retire Maciel in disgrace. But because there will never be physical evidence the Legion can say that there is no “proof” that Maciel was an abuser, if by proof they mean forensic, laboratory-verifiable evidence.
Because of the fatigue over the stream of scandals, the press is taking very little notice of Maciel. The Williamson debacle is far more interesting. Members of the Legion want to believe the best and ignore the evidence of narcissism and corruption. The human race is capable of almost infinite self-deception.