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Concept
Legionaries of Christ
Summary
The Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ (Congregatio Legionariorum Christi; abbreviated LC; also Legion of Christ) is a Roman Catholic clerical religious order made up of priests and candidates for the priesthood established by Marcial Maciel in Mexico in 1941. Maciel was also Director General of the congregation for over 60 years until forced to step down in January 2005 as a result of a child sexual abuse scandal.
The Legion describes itself as made up of men "driven by the desire of Jesus' heart to set the world ablaze" and lead others to "transform their hearts, their families and their world" with "the love of Christ the King". It has been described as a "conservative" order whose ability to attract large numbers of "young Catholics to religious vocations" and large financial donations once made it "a favorite" of the Vatican (New York Times); and one whose focus is on "evangelizing society's leaders [...] the wealthy and powerful", in the hope that this would multiply "the beneficial impact on society" (Wall Street Journal).
In December 2019, the Legion admitted that members of its organization had sexually abused 175 children between 1941 and 2019, 60 of them by its founder, Maciel. Former Legion priests say they had "long warned about" the problem, and that the effect of the scandal on the order's "main source of income"—"prestigious private schools, which cater to Mexico's elite"—could be "devastating".
In 1998, nine men lodged formal charges at the Vatican that Maciel had abused them as youths and young men while studying under him; Maciel was initially investigated by the Holy See and suspended from his ministry in 2006. In 2007, the pope lifted the Legion's vow not to criticize superiors, which had been used to induce secrecy. In 2009, an apostolic visitation was ordered by Pope Benedict XVI and shortly after Cardinal Velasio De Paolis was delegated to impose "structural changes" in the Legion.
In 2014, the five-year renewal process was completed with the approval of amended constitutions; five years later, Pope Francis referred to the new Constitutions approvingly.
Official source
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