ROME
Regnum Christi
Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, c.s., Papal Delegate to the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi, wrote to the consecrated members of the movement February 15. In his letter, he reviews the process of their renewal to date and progress in verifying the vocation to the Third Degree in the Regnum Christi Movement. He also outlines organizational changes designed to move the process forward.
(Translation of the original letter in Italian)
Rome, 15 February 2012
Dear consecrated men and women of Regnum Christi,
After completing his visitation, the Apostolic Visitator delivered his report in September of 2011. We thanked him and began to study it. He draws attention to many positive points, but also to a good number that need correction or improvement. In obedience to the task given us by the Holy See, we began to undertake the path of discernment. The outset was rather laborious, but as we moved forward the path became clearer.
We saw that we needed in the first place an “illuminative phase” that would help us to detect more clearly the path to follow. We therefore made the effort to meet, help and support each other in our desire to renew our adherence to the consecrated life in Regnum Christi. The meetings held for this purpose in Mexico and Brazil guided by Fr Ghirlanda, and here in Rome by me with the help of Fr Agostino Montan, were in everyone’s opinion highly positive. After these encounters we were convinced that our reflection on the vocation of consecrated life in Regnum Christi was on the right path; that your vocation is authentic, and there was a renewal of the commitment to preserve and persevere in it.
As we reflected on the lay consecrated vocation in Regnum Christi linked with the Legion of Christ, we found points of substantial agreement that reflect the lived experience of many of you over many years: we are in agreement on the lay consecrated vocation, we have seen that association is the path to pursue, we have also confirmed that consecrated life in Regnum Christi is linked to the charism of the Legion, in the perspective—which needs deeper examination—of a single ‘Charismatic Family’ in which Legionaries, consecrated lay men and women, and non-consecrated lay members share in different ways in the one charism. As well as these acquired points, we also singled out the means to cooperate with Legionary priests in this process, even if many points still remain to be clarified. We also realized that within our own communities we needed time for reflection. The desire to not rush the process and to give more space for reflection was also expressed. Both I and my collaborators also reached the same conclusion. We have therefore thought of extending the time of reflection and of re-examining some aspects of how our work is organized, the better to prepare the inner workings of the governance of the association of the consecrated men and women.
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