The pontiff urged members to clarify their vocation and strengthen communion across the apostolic movement.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV met Thursday with members of the Regnum Christi federation\u2019s general assemblies of consecrated women and lay consecrated men, urging them to deepen their sense of identity, embrace leadership as service, and strengthen communion across the apostolic movement\u2019s different vocations.<\/p>\n
Regnum Christi calls itself a \u201cspiritual family\u201d with four \u201cvocations\u201d: lay members, consecrated women, lay consecrated men, and the Legionaries of Christ, a religious congregation of priests.<\/p>\n
The federation has undergone years of reform and renewal following revelations about its founder, Legionaries of Christ Father Marcial Maciel, who was credibly accused of sexually abusing minors and later found to have led a double life, including fathering at least four children. A 2019 Regnum Christi report acknowledged at least 175 minors as abuse victims of 33 priests in the congregation, including at least 60 cases attributed to Maciel.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo did not refer to this history on Thursday but invited Regnum Christi members to rediscover the gift that defines them \u2014 their charism, a distinctive spiritual gift given for the good of the Church and expressed in a particular mission and way of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday more than ever it is necessary to know who we are, if we want to dialogue authentically with society without being absorbed or made uniform,\u201d he said, encouraging members to clarify their identity and vocation so they can proclaim the Gospel more fruitfully.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo cautioned against treating a charism as something fixed or merely inherited. The one who receives it, he said, is called to keep it alive so it does not become static but instead becomes a \u201cvital force\u201d that flows \u201ccreatively and freely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are a living body in which charismatic energy passes through every cell and every member \u2014 who are, in turn, its bearers and transmitters,\u201d he said. That energy, he added, should animate the mission they carry forward and light the path ahead, so it can be handed on \u201cas a living inheritance\u201d to future generations.<\/p>\n
The pope also reflected on governance within the apostolic society, describing it as essential service and \u201ca true ecclesial ministry,\u201d meant to accompany brothers and sisters toward a conscious, free, and responsible fidelity in following Christ.<\/p>\n
Any form of governance, he insisted, must be oriented toward service: to support, accompany, and help each member become more closely conformed each day to Christ. He encouraged communal discernment and urged members not to fear exploring new forms of governance, remaining faithful to their charism and attentive to the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n
In concluding remarks, Pope Leo emphasized the need to foster \u201cever deeper communion\u201d within the wider Regnum Christi family while respecting the richness and diversity of its vocations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are all lives on a journey,\u201d he said, adding that \u201cthe Lord does not make noise, but his kingdom springs up and grows in every corner of the world.\u201d God, he continued, \u201ccontinues to surprise us,\u201d allowing himself to be found by paths that are not our own \u2014 a fidelity that renews believers\u2019 hope.<\/p>\n
After the audience, Mary Patt Pirie of the United States, the director general of studies for Regnum Christi\u2019s consecrated women, praised Leo\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were very moved, and it felt like something truly relevant to what we are discerning and living,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Acest articol a fost publicat ini\u021bial de ACI Prensa, serviciul de limb\u0103 spaniol\u0103 al EWTN News. Ea a fost tradus\u0103 \u0219i adaptat\u0103 de EWTN News English.<\/p>\n