ROME
National Catholic Reporter
John L. Allen Jr. | Jan. 28, 2014 NCR Today
Rome
As the embattled Legionaries of Christ continue trying to chart a new course during a General Chapter meeting that began Jan. 8, there are signs the order is far from unanimous about what that course should look like.
The general chapter is intended to end a three year period of papal receivership, after Benedict XVI imposed a delegate to take control of the order in 2010. That decision followed revelations of sexual abuse and misconduct by the founder, the late Mexican Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado, as well as defections by several high-profile Legionaries and speculation that the order might be suppressed.
Legionaries taking part in the chapter meeting who spoke to NCR in January insist there’s widespread agreement on several fronts, including the need for less control from Rome and more autonomy for local Legionary operations, a greater tolerance for interval diversity, and a new commitment to transparency.
They also say they’ve made progress toward defining a post-Maciel charism, or mission, for the Legion, focusing on a commitment to evangelization, meaning a missionary drive, and the Legion’s partnership with Regnum Christi, its lay movement.
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