On Tuesday, October 22nd, the Church commemorated the liturgical memory of Saint John Paul II, a Pope to whom many generations of Legionaries have a special affection. This same year, Father John Connor, L.C., addressed all Legionaries with a letter about love for the Pope. In this context, we offer an article prepared by the General Historical Archive of the Congregation, which presents how this element has been present throughout the history of the Legion of Christ.
On the occasion of the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, on February 22, 2024, the General Director of the Legion of Christ wrote a letter about love for the Holy Father. It reads:
Along with the entire tradition of the Church, in the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ there has always been a special veneration and adherence to the Holy Father. (…) Like every faithful Catholic, the Legionary, and the member of Regnum Christi is called to give the religious assent of understanding and will before the ordinary and authentic magisterium of the Roman Pontiff.
A quick study based on some documents preserved in our General Historical Archive can help corroborate these statements.
The Congregation was founded in Mexico during the pontificate of Pope Pius XII and, before adopting its final name, during a brief period between 1951 and 1952, it was called Legion of the Pope. An article published in 1953 in Caritas, the magazine of the novitiate then located in Rome, explains why:
In the incomparable journey that our Legion has traveled in search of a name that reveals its spirit and apostolate, it has one very significant: “Legion of the Pope”. In the word Legion, it wanted to encompass all the spirit of struggle, push, and heroism, along with its weapons in the conquest of the Kingdom. And in the words “of the Pope”, it summarizes all its apostolic and Roman spirit, deeply embedded in its mysticism and asceticism. Later, Christ wanted to change its name, but left the same spirit, even increased it day by day, because it desires a large, overwhelming Legion, yet obedient and submissive to its Vicar on earth; for the first cannot be achieved without the second. This reality is demonstrated by the sad experience of those who sought greatness by distancing themselves from the visible Christ. Therefore, the grand methods that the Legion must use in the conquest of souls will always serve the directives and guidance of the Pope. Its means of formation and sanctification will be those adapted and advised by the encyclicals of the Pontiffs, which will find in the ranks of the Legion the fulfillment of their lesser desires. The cry of the Pope will always be on the lips of the Legionary, a cry of combat and call to heroism in the struggle.
Using typical language of the time, the anonymous author outlines a precise program of action, indicating that “the means of formation and sanctification” of the Legionaries “will be those adapted and advised by the encyclicals of the Pontiffs.”
At that time, the Legion was still very young, but during the pontificate of Saint John XXIII, for the first time, a Legionary had the opportunity to engage in public apostolate by speaking about the magisterium of the Pope. This happened with Father Alfonso Samaniego, L.C., then director of the Cumbres Institute in Mexico City, who, starting May 11, 1963, gave twenty-minute televised conferences at 7 p.m. for five consecutive Saturdays on Channel 4, analyzing the encyclical Pacem in terris. Peace among all peoples, founded on truth, justice, love, and freedom, which the Pope had signed just the month before.
In a secularist Mexico, during the height of the Cold War, seeing a priest in a tie speaking about the relevance of the Gospel message on television was something that drew attention and remained in memory.
The Second Vatican Council had already begun, which was concluded by Saint Paul VI. In the difficult years that followed, the community of the Center for Higher Studies in Rome felt the need to produce a focus on the thought of Pope Paul VI. On March 19, 1971, through Editorial Lecristo, a 463-page book titled Pope Paul VI. “I speak to you in the name of Christ”. was published. The project was directed by Fathers Juan Manuel Dueñas and Javier Orozco, and Brother Rafael Moreno, with review by Father Ignacio Mendoza, and all members of the philosophy community contributed. The work mainly delved into 16 recurring themes among the words of the Holy Father, namely: Council, Christianity, Christian, Christ, God, Ecumenism, Holy Spirit, Eucharist, Faith, Man, Humanism, Church, Liturgy, Mary, Morality, Pope.
May 11, 1963: Father Alfonso Samaniego, LC, director of the Cumbres Institute in Mexico City, during his intervention on Mexican television about the encyclical Pacem in terris
The introduction contains the motivations that prompted the work:
It is urgent that Legionaries deeply and currently assimilate the thought of the Vicar of Christ, faithful and perennial interpreter of the Truth.
- It is not a synthetic exposition of the speeches of Pope Paul VI, much less of his doctrine or feelings on the points proposed: they only cover the so-called “post-conciliar period” (1965-1970).
- It is rather a selection of the Pope’s speeches to the entire People of God, preferably in general audiences; although some others, spoken outside of audiences, have not been excluded, as they are in line with the universal ordinary magisterium.
- In designing it as “a tool for personal reflection and apostolic dissemination of the thought of the Vicar of Christ,” we preferred to present it in a double dimension: – firstly, “the concern” (to call it somehow) of the Pope when contemplating the ordinary work of the entire Church – then, that “new orientation” that spontaneously arises from his great heart of Supreme Shepherd to follow the line of Christ and the Gospel in the present moment.
- You will find some paragraphs underlined or interrupted with numbers or dashes. This is due to two important reasons: the first, to follow the logical and systematic chain of the Pope’s thought; and the second, to facilitate the analysis and deepening of each particular thought.
1971: Cover of the book Pope Paul VI. I speak to you in the name of Christ prepared by the Center for Higher Studies of the Legion of Christ
In 1993, under the pontificate of Saint John Paul II, the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum (= APRA) was established. The founding of this new academic institution gave the Legion of Christ the opportunity to undertake initiatives in collaboration with the dicasteries of the Roman Curia and the first congresses that took place. Active participation was by APRA professors, and the initial activities were closely related to papal magisterium.
The first event was For a Culture of Life. International Congress on the 1st Anniversary of the Publication of the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae, held from April 22 to 24, 1996, organized under the direction of the Pontifical Council for the Family, in collaboration with the Institute of Bioethics of the Sacred Heart University. The welcoming words to the various renowned speakers were given by Father Álvaro Corcuera, L.C., rector of APRA:
I would like to thank all those present for accepting the invitation to participate in this congress, which, in essence, aims to be a response to the Pope’s call to promote a general mobilization of consciences and a common ethical effort, to implement a great strategy in favor of life.
Father Gonzalo Miranda, L.C., professor of moral theology at APRA and secretary of the Institute of Bioethics at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome, also gave a lecture analyzing the terms “culture of life” and “culture of death” in the teachings of Pope John Paul II, through a detailed chronological analysis of the appearance of these terms in the Pope’s writings, concluding his presentation by highlighting the causes of these expressions.
The following year, from April 29 to 30, 1997, the International Congress on the 5th Anniversary of the Encyclical Centesimus Annus was held, directly promoted by APRA in collaboration with the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, which also contributed numerous reputable speakers. Among them was Father Michael Ryan, L.C., PhD in philosophy at the Gregorian University and professor of Social Ethics at APRA, who spoke about Centesimus Annus as a foundation and motivation for action, emphasizing the challenges posed by the encyclical that have not yet been fulfilled and inviting to make it a continuous point of reference in economic decisions.
Another important opportunity to deepen the magisterium of all the Popes of the 20th century, especially Saint John Paul II, occurred on April 23, 2004, when the book Fede e Cultura. Antologia dei testi del Magistero pontificio da Leone XIII a Giovanni Paolo II was presented at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. Edited by the Pontifical Council for Culture, it contains a summa of magisterial interventions on the relationships between science and faith, culture, and Christian ethics, in every field of search and life. On that occasion, Father A. Pedro Barrajón, L.C., faculty member of Theology, gave a presentation on Fede, cultura e verità nella Fides et Ratio, the encyclical promulgated by Saint John Paul II in 1998. That text was later published in a small book.
The effort of the APRA to study the doctrine of this Church saint continued even after his death. Between November 9 and 10, 2011, the Athenaeum organized an International Congress on The Theology of the Body of Saint John Paul II, a new expression that became familiar to Catholic faithful thanks to John Paul II’s catecheses, aiming to offer the Church and the world an integral vision of the human being as it appears in Divine Revelation.
Eight Legionary professors participated in the Congress: Fathers Thomas Williams, Paolo Scarafoni, José Antonio Izquierdo Labeaga, Ramon Lucas Lucas, Walter Schu, Gonzalo Miranda, Joseph Tham, and Miguel Paz, LL.CC. The proceedings were published under the care of then-rector of APRA, Father Pedro Barrajón, L.C., who wrote an extensive ad hoc introduction.
Throughout its activity, the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum continued to reflect on the Second Vatican Council, a fundamental moment in the recent history of the Church. Therefore, between November 11 and 12, 2005, a congress was held on The Bible in the Church on the 40th anniversary of Dei Verbum, the dogmatic constitution on Divine Revelation and Sacred Scripture. Father Antonio Izquierdo, L.C., participated, speaking on Bible and Theology. General assumptions for a fruitful relationship, and the following year, he also wrote the introduction to the full publication of the proceedings.
In 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope. To carefully examine his theological thought, the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum chose to revisit the book Introduction to Christianity. Lessons on the Apostolic Creed, published by the then-professor Ratzinger in 1968, based on classes given at the University of Tübingen in 1967. This work provides privileged access to the magisterium of the future Pope. Thus, between May 12 and 13, 2008, the interdisciplinary Congress The Voice of Christian Faith. Introduction to Christianity by Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI 40 Years Later was held. Five Legionary professors—Fathers Antonio Izquierdo, Juan Pablo Ledesma, Paolo Scarafoni, Alfonso Aguilar, and A. Pedro Barrajón, LL.CC.—contributed to the study of this masterpiece. In the proceedings’ presentation, Father Juan Pablo Ledesma, L.C., then dean of the Theology faculty, wrote:
“In order to pay homage to the Holy Father, ‘humble servant in the vineyard of the Lord,’ the pages of this book, ‘The Voice of Christian Faith,’ born from the search and study of the faculty of Theology and Philosophy of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, emerged as a small contribution, a sign of great love and deep, faithful closeness.”
The years of Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate coincided with those when Father Álvaro Corcuera was the general director of the Congregation, who in his open letters never ceased to point out the teachings of the Holy Father in his speeches. Some examples will illustrate this.
In the letter addressed to the collaborators of Regnum Christi on December 10, 2009, inviting them to accept themselves with humility, he recalled that “Pope Benedict, in his wonderful catecheses on the apostles, explained the purifying process that led Saint Peter to accept himself with humility and truth.”
A few months later, on March 20, 2010, he addressed the members of the third and fourth stages of ECYD:
The gift of ourselves to God and our brothers can sometimes be a bit difficult to understand: the more we give ourselves, the more we receive. This is what Pope Benedict XVI expressed so beautifully when he told us in his first homily after his election: ‘God takes nothing away; He gives everything.’
In the message sent on August 6, 2010, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, to participants in the Youth and Family Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the focus was on transmitting faith within the family and mutual love between parents and children, quoting long passages from Benedict XVI’s speech on July 8, 2006, during the World Meeting of Families in Valencia, Spain.
On Mother’s Day, May 10, 2009, in another letter sent to the members of the ladies’ sections of Regnum Christi, he drew from a speech Benedict XVI gave during a recent trip to Angola, on March 22, 2009, where he spoke about the maternal presence within the family, encouraging them to continue discovering each day the beauty of this innate capacity they have, especially as mothers, to transform the world around them with the strength of love.
At the same time, on June 19, 2009, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, he wrote a letter to all members of Regnum Christi on the occasion of the “Priestly Year” called by Pope Benedict XVI, with the wish that we reflect together on the meaning and implications for our lives of the “Priestly Year” that the Pope has called for, beginning today, with this solemnity of the Sacred Heart, under the motto: “Fidelity of Christ, fidelity of the priest.”
A novice, the director of an educational center, superiors and members of a formation center, professors of a pontifical academic institution, a general director during his tenure. From their different positions and situations, and with all the Popes who have succeeded over the years, each has sought to study the Magisterium using the most appropriate means according to the occasion: from television to an ad intra publication or the proceedings of an international theological congress, thus living the love for the Pope and contributing to spreading the understanding and will of the Vicar of Christ on earth.
Undoubtedly, those we mention here are only a few examples because, over time, many others have demonstrated love and knowledge of the Pope’s magisterium through the actions of the Legion of Christ and members of Regnum Christi, whether in their educational or apostolic work in training centers and apostolic works.
