On February 19, and in the final phase of the General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ, Pope Leo XIV received in audience to the Chapter Fathers, in a meeting in which he invited them to look at the present with hope and to renew their dedication to the service of the Church. The audience was experienced as a moment of grace that confirms and encourages the process of renewal undertaken in recent years.
Carlos Gutierrez, L.C., the new director general, along with his council and the capitular fathers, participated in the audience. Also present were Cardinal Fernando Vérgez, L.C., president emeritus of the Governorate of Vatican City State, and Msgr. Brian Farrell, L.C., secretary emeritus of the Dicastery for Christian Unity.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Holy Father expressed his joy at receiving the Congregation at this decisive moment of the General Chapter. He emphasized that this is «a time of grace,» a privileged moment of community discernment and of listening to the Holy Spirit, who continues to guide history and sustain the mission entrusted to the Congregation, in fidelity to the charism received as a gift of God for the whole Church.
Memory that drives renewal
Pope Leo XIV invited the Chapter Fathers to recognize themselves as heirs of a charism that, through various paths and historical expressions «sometimes painful and not without crisis,» has given rise to the Congregation, united by the same spiritual roots and a common apostolic passion. This shared memory, he pointed out, does not look only to the past, but drives a constant renewal in the present, faithful to the Gospel.
During the audience, Father Carlos Gutierrez reiterated to the Holy Father the love and support of the Legion of Christ and presented him with an image of Our Lady of Sorrows, patroness of the Congregation.
Communion, identity and service to the Church
The meeting was held in the context of the journey of renewal that the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi have been undergoing since 2009, accompanied by the Church. In this context, the Pope recalled that the charism is «a gift of the Holy Spirit» that each institute and each of its members are called to incarnate personally and in community, in a continuous process of deepening their own identity within the Church and society.
This path - he added - also constitutes a valuable contribution for the Church as a whole and, in a particular way, for the spiritual family of Regnum Christi.
The Holy Father also focused on three essential aspects: authority, consecrated life and mission. He emphasized that consecrated life, called to be an expert in communion, creates spaces where the Gospel is translated into concrete fraternity. He recognized that the capitulars have lived in these days a real experience of communion among brothers of different cultures and generations, as well as between those who exercise government responsibilities and those who serve daily in communities and missions.
Witnesses of listening and seeking God's will
The Pope affirmed that the mission of the Legionaries consists in offering a visible witness of listening to one another and seeking God's will together, both in their communities and among the people they meet in the exercise of their apostolic mission.
At the end of the audience, he imparted the apostolic blessing to the capitular fathers - which he extended to all the Legionaries of Christ - and personally greeted the participants.
Carlos Gutierrez, L.C., this meeting was «a moment of great grace for the Legion. Melchior Poisson, L.C., the youngest capitulant at 36 years of age, said: »This audience was a moment of grace for all of us. The Successor of Peter confirms us in our faith and helps us to put Christ at the center of our lives, to live in a more evangelical and authentic way and to go out to meet the people who most need to experience the love of Christ«.
The audience with Pope Leo XIV was one of the most significant moments of the General Chapter and encouraged the Congregation to continue on the path of conversion, updating and evangelizing service to which the Lord is calling it today in the Church.
Cover image: Vatican Media
