Be faithful to your charism and exercise authority as service, Pope tells Legionaries of Christ
February 19, 2026
Pope Leo XIV received participants in the Legionaries of Christ‘s general chapter today and encouraged them to be faithful to their charism.
He also encouraged those who exercise authority within the religious institute to do so with a spirit of service.
“Recognize yourselves as heirs to a charism which, through different paths and historical expressions—sometimes painful and not without crises—gave rise to the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, united by the same spiritual roots and a common apostolic passion,” Pope Leo said during the audience, which took place in Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace.
“The charism is a gift of the Holy Spirit,” the Pope continued. “This Chapter invites you to continue to ask yourselves how to live today, with creative fidelity, the charismatic intuition that gave rise to your religious family.”
Turning to the theme of authority and governance, Pope Leo said that “authority, in religious life, is not understood as domination, but as spiritual and fraternal service to those who share the same vocation.”
He added:
Its exercise must be manifested in the “‘art of accompaniment” which teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other (cf. Ex 3:5). The pace of this accompaniment must be steady and reassuring, reflecting our closeness and our compassionate gaze which also heals, liberates and encourages growth in the Christian life” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, no. 169). Authority in religious life likewise serves to animate community life, focusing it on Christ and guiding it towards the fullness of life in Him, avoiding any form of control that does not respect the dignity and freedom of people.
Founded in 1941, the institute has 113 religious houses and 1,309 members, 1,036 of whom are priests, according to the Annuario Pontificio. In 2006, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith consigned its founder, Father Marcial Maciel, LC (1920-2008), to a life of prayer and penance following numerous allegations of sexual abuse.
“May this Chapter open you to a time of hope,” Pope Leo concluded. “The Lord continues to call and send, to heal and purify; therefore, your task is to discern how to respond faithfully to the present that God places in your hands.”
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