Vatican Statement on Legionaries of Christ
"The Church Is Firmly Resolved to Accompany Them"
VATICAN CITY, MAY 1, 2010 - Here is a translation of a communiqué released today
by the Holy See regarding meetings held Friday and today with the visitors of
the Legion of Christ.
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1. On April 30 and May 1, the Cardinal Secretary of State chaired a meeting at
the Vatican with the five bishops in charge of the apostolic visitation of the
Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ (Archbishop Ricardo Blazquez Perez of
Valladolid, Spain; Archbishop Charles Joseph Chaput, OFM Cap., of Denver;
Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, SDB, of Concepción, Chile; Bishop Giuseppe
Versaldi of Alexandria, Italy; and Bishop Ricardo Watty Urquidi, MSpS, of Tepic,
Mexico). It was attended by the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, the prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life
and Societies of Apostolic Life, and the substitute of the Section for General
Affairs of the Secretariat of State.
The Holy Father was present at one of the sessions, at which the visitors
presented a summary of their reports, which had already been sent in.
During the visitation, more than 1,000 Legionaries were interviewed, and
hundreds of written testimonies were sifted through. The visitors went to almost
all the religious houses and many of the apostolic works directed by the
congregation. They have heard, orally or in writing, the opinion of many
diocesan bishops of the countries in which the congregation is at work. The
visitors also met many members of the Regnum Christi Movement — although it was
not the subject of the visitation — especially consecrated men and women. They
have also received a great amount of correspondence from laypeople and family
members of those involved in the Movement.
The five visitors have told of the sincere welcome which they were given and of
the constructive spirit of cooperation shown by the congregation and the
individual religious. Even though each of them acted independently, they have
come to substantial agreement in their assessment and to a common opinion. They
testify to having met a great number of exemplary religious who are honest and
talented, many of them young, who seek Christ with genuine zeal and are offering
their entire lives to spread the Kingdom of God.
2. The apostolic visit has been able to ascertain that the behavior of Father
Marcial Maciel Degollado has had serious consequences for the life and structure
of the Legion, such as to require a process of in-depth revision.
The very serious and objectively immoral behavior of Father Maciel, as
incontrovertible evidence has confirmed, sometimes resulted in actual crimes,
and manifests a life devoid of scruples and of genuine religious sentiment. The
great majority of Legionaries were unaware of this life, above all because of
the system of relationships built by Father Maciel, who had skillfully managed
to build up alibis, to gain the trust, the confidence and the silence of those
around him, and to strengthen his role as a charismatic founder.
Not infrequently, the lamentable discrediting and dismissal of whoever doubted
his behavior was upright, as well as the misguided conviction of those who did
not want to harm the good that the Legion was doing, created around him a
defense mechanism that made him untouchable for a long time, making it very
difficult to know his real life.
3. The sincere zeal of most Legionaries, which appeared as well in the visits to
the houses of the congregation and many of their apostolic works, which are
highly appreciated by many, led many to believe in the past that the
allegations, which gradually became more insistent and widespread, could not
have been anything other than calumnies.
Therefore, discovering and coming to know the truth about the founder has caused
the members of the Legion to experience surprise, bewilderment and deep pain, as
the visitors have made clear.
4. From the results of the apostolic visitation the following things, among
others, have become clear:
a) the need to redefine the charism of the Congregation of the Legionaries of
Christ, preserving its true core, that of the “militia Christi” that
characterizes the apostolic and missionary activity of the Church and is not the
same as prizing efficiency at any cost;
b) the need to review the exercise of authority, which must be joined to the
truth, to respect the conscience, and develop itself in the light of the Gospel
as authentic ecclesial service;
c) the need to preserve through appropriate formation the enthusiasm of the
faith of young members, their missionary zeal and their apostolic dynamism. In
fact, the disappointment about the founder could call into question this
vocation and the core of the charism which belongs to the Legionaries of Christ
and is their own.
5. The Holy Father wishes to assure all Legionaries and members of the Regnum
Christi Movement that they will not be left on their own: The Church is firmly
resolved to accompany them and help them on the path of purification that awaits
them. It will also mean dealing sincerely with all of those who, within and
outside the Legion, were victims of sexual abuse and of the power system devised
by the founder: They are in the Holy Father’s thoughts and prayers at this time,
along with his gratitude to those of them who, even in the midst of great
difficulties, had the courage and constancy to demand the truth.
6. The Holy Father, in thanking the visitors for the sensitive task they have
accomplished with skill, generosity, and profound pastoral sensitivity, reserves
to himself the task of soon instructing how this assistance will be organized,
beginning with the appointment of his delegate and a commission to study the
Legion’s constitutions. The Holy Father will send a visitor to the consecrated
members of the Regnum Christi Movement, who have insistently requested this.
7. Finally, the Pope renews his encouragement to all the Legionaries of Christ,
to their families, and to all the laypeople involved in the Regnum Christi
Movement, during this difficult time for the congregation and for each of them.
He urges them not to lose sight of the fact that their vocation, which
originates in Christ’s call and is driven by the ideal of being witnesses of his
love to the world, is a genuine gift from God, a treasure for the Church, and
the indestructible foundation on which each of them can build their own future
and that of the Legion.
[Translation by the National Catholic Register]
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