• The General Chapter publishes the documents “Conversion and Repair” and “Protect and Heal”.
• Publicly, an apology is made to the victims, and gratitude is expressed for the good they have done to the Legionaries of Christ and to the Church itself with their bravery.
• Commitments are undertaken that place the victims at the center, and strengthen the Safe Environments Policy for the prevention and response to accusations established in the 2014 Chapter.
• Reiterates the commitment to a zero-abuse culture so that no more minors become victims.

Rome, February 26, 2020.- The General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ has published the documents “Conversion and Repair” and “Protect and Heal,” which reflect the fruits of their reflections, decisions, and commitments regarding the abuse of minors by members of the Congregation and the care for victims. With their publication, the newly appointed General Director, P. John Connor, LC, commits to “tackle the abuses in our history with determination as part of our mission and a sign of the authenticity of our vocation.”

Guided by these two documents, the new general director and his council will continue resolutely with the investigation and clarification of responsibilities for each of the past abuse cases documented in the Report 1941-2019, and will report or notify authorities of any cases that may arise, aiming to meet the victims’ needs and restore justice. Anyone found guilty of cover-up or gross negligence in managing these cases, as established in the document “Protect and Heal,” will not be able to hold positions within the Congregation.

The Legionaries of Christ establish in “Protect and Heal” a communication and transparency policy for publishing the names of those convicted of sexual abuse. “Thanks to this policy, I am working with provincial superiors to prepare to disclose these cases according to the criteria set by the General Chapter,” affirms P. John Connor. They will also ask ecclesiastical authorities for those guilty of abuse to be expelled from priestly ministry and for the statute of limitations to be lifted for cases that are time-barred in canon law.

 

Cultural change: commitment to justice, truth, and victims

The new general director, P. John Connor, LC, has stated that “the renewal through which the Holy See led us in past years has prepared us to responsibly face the consequences of our history. Now, aware of what we have learned, we have decided to continue taking firm steps forward on this path that has no turning back,” he assured.

“My advisors and I, along with the General Chapter gathered here in Rome, have committed to bravely, transparently, and justly addressing the consequences of sexual abuses that occurred in the history of our Congregation and which we publish in the Report 1941-2019,” he said. “Until now, we have not been able to attend to many victims of members of our Congregation, but we are committed, as far as possible and respecting each person’s space and timing, to pursue paths of repair and reconciliation with each of them, their families, and the affected communities. We know it will take many years,” he assured: “It is part of our mission and a sign of the authenticity of our vocation.”

In recent days, the general director has held various meetings with experts in the comprehensive approach to sexual abuse phenomena to offer victims who wish it a safe, professional, and independent space aimed at truth, justice, and reparation.

In addition to addressing past cases and responsibilities, the Congregation seeks to provoke a change in mentality, procedures, and institutional culture that made such pain possible, and to continue the renewal effort around creating safe environments alongside the entire Church.

 

Conversion and Repair

The document “Conversion and Repair” is primarily addressed to victims of abuse and their families, explicitly asking for forgiveness. It mentions by name the first complainants of crimes committed by P. Marcial Maciel and other legionaries, retracting the negative judgments made when they presented legitimate and necessary accusations, and recognizing “their prophetic denunciation in favor of truth and justice.” While apologizing for the pain they endured, it thanks them “for the good they have done not only to [the Congregation], but to the Church itself.” It mentions Federico Domínguez, P. Luis Ferreira, Juan José Vaca, Juan Manuel Fernández Amenábar, P. Félix Alarcón, José Barba, Saúl Barrales, Alejandro Espinosa, Arturo Jurado, José Antonio Pérez Olvera, and Fernando Pérez Olvera.

“Conversion and Repair” invites all members of the Congregation to a conscience examination regarding their commitment to meet with victims, while acknowledging “with pain and shame” the shortcomings and errors that facilitated these crimes or prevented proper attention to them, and commits to correcting them. It recognizes “allies” in repairing damages and doing good as “civil and ecclesiastical authorities, society, media, and specialized organizations in abuse prevention and justice restitution.” It undertakes specific commitments for the future, outlined in the normative document “Protect and Heal.”

 

Protect and Heal

“Protect and Heal” is a normative document that strengthens the international Safe Environments Policy issued after the 2014 General Chapter. The text addresses, in its first part, principles and action protocols to foster healing and reconciliation with victims-survivors of abuse; reinforces prevention measures and the creation of safe environments; guarantees quick, effective, and pastoral responses to allegations or accusations of sexual abuse; seeks to ensure fair processes, as well as collaboration with other ecclesiastical and civil organizations to eradicate the scourge of child sexual abuse.

The second part of “Protect and Heal” provides procedural norms for cases of child abuse. Among the innovations are the commitment to transparency, including a communication policy for publishing the names of guilty legionaries; sanctions for those guilty of failing to report or obstructing proper handling of abuse cases; and a request that, in ordinary processes, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith be asked for the penalty of dismissal from the clerical state and expulsion from the Congregation. In cases where these penalties are not imposed, the convicted individual will be permanently removed from any public exercise of priestly ministry.

 

More Information

The official website of the Chapter is https://legionariosdecristo.org/capitulo2020, where periodic reviews, photographs, and official statements are published.

For information about child sexual abuse in the Legionaries of Christ, you can visit the website https://www.ceroabusos.org/.

Photos of the 2020 General Chapter

Summary of documents (Protect and Heal, Conversion and Repair, Report 1941-2019)

[gdlr_button href=”https://legionariosdecristo.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/02/NdP-Proteger-y-sanar-Conversion-y-reparacion-1.pdf” target=”_blank” size=”medium” background=”#000000″ color=”#ffffff”]Download Press Release (PDF)[/gdlr_button]