Legion of Christ

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The Legion of Christ is a Roman Catholic congregation established in 1941 in Mexico by Fr. Marcial Maciel. It enjoyed the favor of Pope John Paul II. It claims to have a presence in 22 countries^[1], and had 763 priests and over 1,300 seminarians as members by 2008.^[2] Its lay movement Regnum Christi claims to have 70,000 members.^[3] It operates minor seminaries, seminaries, and universities in several countries including Mexico, Italy, the United States, and Latin America.

On March 31, 2009 the Legionaries of Christ and the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI has ordered a Vatican investigation of the Legion of Christ. The Legion of Christ has acknowledged that its founder fathered a child and is also responding to claims that the founder molested seminarians. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, said church leaders will visit and evaluate all seminaries, schools and other institutions run by the Legion worldwide.^[4]

Contents 1 The founder 2 Ethos 3 Formation 4 Papal support 5 Apostolates 6 Controversies 7 Apostolic visitation 8 Reading list 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

[edit] The founder

Marcial Maciel was born on March 10, 1920 into a devout Catholic family during a time in which the Mexican government was fiercely anticlerical. On June 19, 1936, Maciel—a young seminarian at the time—felt called to establish a new religious order, and in 1941, with the support of the bishop of Cuernavaca, Bishop Francisco González Arias, he founded the Legion of Christ. Maciel was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop González Arias in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on November 26, 1944, after which he continued to build up the Legion and its lay companion, Regnum Christi.

Maciel was asked by Pope John Paul II to accompany him on his visits to Mexico in 1979, 1990, and 1993, and was appointed, also by Pope John Paul II, to the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the formation of Candidates for the Priesthood in Actual Circumstances (1991). He has been a member of the Interdicasterial Commission for a Just Distribution of Clergy (1991), the IV General Conference of Latin American Bishops (CELAM) (1992), the Synod of Bishops on Consecrated Life and Their Mission in the Church and the World (1993), the Synod of Bishops´ Special Assembly for America (1997) and, since 1994, a permanent consultant to the Congregation for the Clergy. The golden anniversary of his priestly ordination was celebrated on 26 November 1994, with 57 Legionary priests ordained on the anniversary's eve. Fr. Marcial Maciel also served as Chancellor of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, which is based in Rome.

In January 2005 Maciel, at age 84, was succeeded by Álvaro Corcuera, LC, as General Director of the Legion shortly after the reopening of a sex abuse allegation by the Vatican. Maciel died on 30 January 2008.

[edit] Ethos

Members of the Legion take vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty. They originally took private vows of charity and humility, which were repealed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 ^[5]. The Legion's spirituality can be described as three loves: love for Christ, love for Mary, and love for the Church and Pope.

Love for Christ is, for Legionnaires, a personal experience. Through the Gospel, the Cross, and the Eucharist, Legionaries come to know Christ intimately, and love him in a passionate way by embracing him as their model of holiness.^{[citation needed]}

Love for Mary flows from imitating Christ; the Blessed Virgin is loved as both Mother of the Church and of the individual Legionnaire's vocation. Legionnaires consecrate their spiritual and apostolic lives to her care, and seek to take on her virtues of faith, hope, charity, obedience, humility, and cooperation with Christ's plan of redemption.^{[citation needed]}

Finally, there is Legionnaires' love for Church and Pope. The Church is loved because it is the Body of Christ, and the beginning of his Kingdom on earth. Legionnaires see the Church both as she currently stands and as Christ wants her to be. Thus Legionnaires honor her by faith, submit to her in obedience, win souls for her through evangelisation, and put her above all other earthly things in their lives. This love of the Church leads many in the Legion to speak of being "always in step with the Church, neither ahead nor behind." It also explains the Legionnaires' special affection for the Pope, who is supported in his charism of primacy and magisterium. All bishops in communion with the Roman Pontiff, as the Apostles' successors and teachers of the Catholic Faith, are likewise honored.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Formation

As a whole, the Legion says to be dedicated to advancing the Church's mission in the world, and to this end submits candidates to a rigorous formation of four dimensions: human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral. This formation is controversial, and critics say that the Legion is producing priests and religious who all speak and behave in the same way.

Critics charge that some guidelines restrain members from sharing their inner thoughts and feelings with people they encounter, including their own family members: "Always display happiness and serenity as a manifestation of inner richness. At the other extreme, avoid all sign of depression, insecurity or timidity. Do not display a worried, sad, melancholy or disgusted face, or show an exaggerated form of happiness." as well as: "When receiving family visits, always appear happy, cordial, attentive, grateful and satisfied with the vocation that God has granted you."^[6] In letters from Marcial Maciel to his followers, he describes the loyalties a legionary should have:^[7]

177. The first duty of a legionary is to love and esteem the Legion. As Nuestro Padre says, it is not a sin to love our Mother who is with all her being dedicated to the expansion of the Kingdom of Christ. On the other hand, when we do this, we are not laboring blindly for we have before our eyes the splendid fruits that the Legion has produced for forty years, the formation of its men and the radiance of its apostolates which confirm that it is work of God and of the Church.
178. To love the Legion is to believe in it and in all that which makes up its specific charism - spirituality, discipline, apostolic methodology. To love the Legion is to intimately know it, accept it in all its fullness, without reticence or diminution. To love the Legion is to actively pledge oneself to it, living its spirit and enriching it with the contribution of all of one’s personality. To love the Legion is to feel oneself fully realized within it and to make it an essential part of one’s own happiness.

Contact with the family is severely restricted as well. High school seminarians are permitted to visit home in few cases:

276. During periods of summer vacation for fifteen days. During this period the Rector and, if the number requires it, the Vice-Rector - each accompanied by another religious - should visit apostolics in their homes to attend to them spiritually and to cultivate the family.
277. During the Christmas holidays for three days. However, all apostolics should celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the vocational center and should do the same during the last day of the year.
278. For the name day or corresponding birthday of their parents for one day. This visit will, however, be subject to the approval of the Rector based on the individual environment of each family.
279. For their parents anniversary for one day.
280. For the wedding, religious profession or priestly ordination of one of their siblings for one day.
281. On the occasion of the death or serious illness of a parent, sibling or grandparent for three days.

[edit] Papal support

Since its founding, successive popes have expressed support for the Legion. When Maciel visited Rome in 1946, Pope Pius XII expressed a keen interest in the undertaking and gave it his personal blessing. In light of the order's achievements, particularly in education, Pope Paul VI was pleased to award it the "Decree of Praise" in 1965. The most enthusiastic support has, however, been that of Pope John Paul II, who in an address, picked out the qualities which have made the Legion so successful:^[8]

The Legion's strong commitment to papal authority leads many to believe that the order can look forward to good relations with future occupiers of the Petrine office, though the recent disciplining of the founder leaves this in doubt.

The close relationship between Maciel and Pope John Paul has been cited as one of the reasons that Vatican investigation regarding sex abuse allegations made against Fr. Maciel proceeded extremely slowly although the first allegations were provided to the Pope in the late 1970s.

[edit] Apostolates

The primary apostolate of Legionary priests and brothers is to attend to the spiritual needs of the members of their lay branch, Regnum Christi. Since Legionary priests and brothers are themselves members of Regnum Christi, often they are put in charge of directing the apostolic projects.^{[citation needed]}

Regnum Christi has many Apostolates for charitable and spiritual welfare. It essentially does not limit itself to any one apostolate, but each member is encouraged to work on his/her area of interest/expertise.^{[citation needed]}

As a spirituality, it encourages its members to work innovatively and systematically. Members are given the option to work on an apostolate not associated with the Legion, a Legion-endorsed apostolate, or to create their own apostolate which may eventually reach Legion endorsement.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006, The Legion launched a test phase of Mission Network, in the United States. Catholic Mission Network, Inc., is the umbrella organization which oversees and approves all Legionary-endorsed apostolates in the US, soon to be internationally. Its purpose is to provide both 1) structure/supervision of the apostolates, and 2) An overview as to what the Legion/Regnum Christi does as a whole, with brand-name-type recognition.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Controversies

In the United States, bishops have barred or severely restricted the Legion and Regnum Christi in six dioceses because of its controversial recruiting practices.

Since the 1970s, Marcial Maciel has been accused twice of having repeatedly sexually abused other congregation members, including young children. (see Sexual abuse scandal in the Legion of Christ)

[edit] Apostolic visitation

The Vatican has ordered an apostolic visitation of the institutions of the Legionaries of Christ following disclosures of sexual impropriety by the order's late founder. Marcial Maciel Degollado. The announcement of the unusual investigation was posted on the Web site of the Legionaries of Christ March 31, along with the text of a letter informing the Legionaries of the pope's decision. ^[9]

On June 27, 2009, according to Vatican commentator, Sandro Magister, Vatican authorities have named five bishops from five different countries, each one in charge of investigating the Legionaries in a particular part of the world. Their first report is due in the fall of 2009:

Ricardo Watti Urquidi[1], Bishop of Tepic, Mexico, in charge of Mexico and Central America, where the Legion has 44 houses, 250 priests and 115-120 religious seminarians; Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop of Denver, in charge of the United States and Canada, where the Legion has 24 houses, 130 priests and 260 religious seminarians; Giuseppe Versaldi, Bishop of Alessandria, in charge of Italy, Israel, the Philippines, and South Korea, where the Legion has 16 houses, 200 priests and 420 religious seminarians. (in Italy 13, 168 and 418 respectively); Ricardo Ezzati Andrello[2], Archbishop of Concepción, Chile, in charge of Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela, where the Legion has 20 houses, 122 priests and 122 religious seminarians; Ricardo Blázquez Pérez, Bishop of Bilbao, Spain, in charge of Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Holland, Poland, Austria and Hungary, where the Legion has 20 houses, 105 priest, and 160 religious seminarians^[10][11].

[edit] Reading list

• Marcial Maciel: Christ Is My Life, Sophia Institute Press, 2003. ISBN 1-928832-97-0
• Marcial Maciel: Integral Formation of Catholic Priests, Alba House, 1992. ISBN 0-8189-0629-4
• Anthony Bannon: Peter on the Shore, Circle Press, 1996. ISBN 0-9651601-0-6
• Patrick Langan: Founders, Circle Press, 1998. ISBN 0-9651601-1-4
• Jason Berry, Gerald Renner: Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II, Free Press, 2004. ISBN 0-7432-4441-9
• Angeles Conde, David Murray: "The Legion of Christ: A History" Circle Press, 2004. ISBN 0-9743661-2-9

[edit] See also

• Zenit News Agency
• National Catholic Register
• Regnum Christi
• Marcial Maciel

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Legion of Christ
• Regnum Christi
• Programs sponsored by the Legion of Christ
• ReGain Network organization of ex Legionaries and Regnum Christi members
• Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi Constitutions

Catholic Congregations (incomplete list -- please edit)
Congregation of Holy Cross - Legion of Christ - Marianites of Holy Cross - Sisters of the Holy Cross - Sisters of Holy Cross - Servi Jesu et Mariae - Lovers of the Holy Cross-Miles Jesu