CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- The appointment of Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda, S.J., as pontifical advisor for the Legion of Christ aims to advance the renewal and reform of the troubled religious congregation.<\/p>\n\tFr. Benjamin Clariond, a Legion of Christ spokesperson, said the advisor\u2019s presence guarantees help and oversight for the Legion \u201cin following through on the path we already started.\u201d
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tFr. Clariond told CNA July 4 that rebuilding \u201ctrust and credibility\u201d is something \u201cthat takes time.\u201d\u00a0 But, he added, \u201cI would ask people to give us a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tCardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, named Fr. Ghirlanda as a pontifical advisor on July 3 and explained his functions and role.<\/p>\n
\tThe announcement of the priest\u2019s appointment followed a meeting at the Legion\u2019s Center for Higher Studies in Rome. The cardinal and Archbishop Jos\u00e9 Rodriguez Carballo, O.F.M., the Vatican congregation\u2019s secretary, met with the Legion\u2019s general director Fr. Eduardo Robles Gil, L.C.<\/p>\n
\tThe revelations of scandals involving the Legion of Christ founder Fr. Marcial Maciel prompted the Holy See to take over the process of reforming his religious congregation.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tMaciel lived a double life as a pedophile and a womanizer and fathered at least one child.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tIn 2006 the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI, removed Maciel from public ministry and ordered him to spend the rest of his life in prayer and penance. The Vatican congregation decided not to subject him to a canonical process because of his advanced age.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tFrom that point, Pope Benedict carried on a process of reform for the Legion of Christ. In 2010, he appointed then-Archbishop Velasio de Paolis as the papal delegate to the Legion of Christ to oversee its reform.<\/p>\n
\tThe process of renewal has not been easy for the Legionaries of Christ, Fr. Clariond said.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIt is just like you are in the sea and a wave turns you upside down,\u201d he said.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tDespite the tough times, however, Fr. Clariond stressed that \u201cwe have felt the love of the Church that accompanied us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tFr. Ghirlanda has served as an advisor for the commission overseeing the religious congregation\u2019s new constitution since March 19, when he was named to the position by the Legion\u2019s general director. He has also served as one of the four deputies of Cardinal de Paolis. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\tThe Legion of Christ in a July 3 statement said that Cardinal Braz de Aviz emphasized that the advisor\u2019s new role will be \u201cstrictly consultative\u201d and he will not take part in the actual government of the congregation.<\/p>\n
\tAs an advisor, Fr. Ghirlanda will be able to participate in the Legion of Christ\u2019s general council meetings \u201cwhen he sees fit.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
\tThe Legion voiced hope \u201cthat he will be able to continue supporting the Legion of Christ in overcoming the institutional crisis that has taken place in the past few years.\u201d
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tFr. Clariond stressed that the advisor was named at the pleasure of the Holy See and \u201che will be with us as long as the Holy See deems it convenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tAccording to Fr. Clariond, Fr. Ghirlanda will help the Legion of Christ \u201cfind a canonical structure for the whole Regnum Christi movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tRegnum Christi, the congregation\u2019s lay affiliate, includes consecrated men and women as well as non-consecrated laymen.<\/p>\n
\tAt the start of 2014, the Legion of Christ held its extraordinary general chapter. Cardinal de Paolis declared the congregation \u201creconciled with themselves, with their history, with the world and the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tThe extraordinary general chapter elected the new general director and government. It also issued a draft of the new statutes.<\/p>\n
\tOnce drafted, the statutes were given to an ad hoc commission established by the Congregation for Consecrated Life. Cardinal Braz de Aviz presented the commission\u2019s findings to the government of the Legion of Christ on July 3, indicating corrections and improvements to be made.<\/p>\n
\tThe new statutes consist of 247 articles, compared to the 878 articles of the previous statutes.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tThe first part of the new statutes concerns the Legion of Christ\u2019s charism and its patrons. The second part describes the four vows the Legionaries of Christ must profess. The constitution then explains the congregation\u2019s formation and the characteristics of suitable candidates to become Legionaries of Christ, as well as the congregation\u2019s religious profession, studies, management and administration.<\/p>\n
\tAccording to Fr. Clariond, the final article is the best summary of the whole constitution. It reads:\u00a0 \u201cThe Legionnaire must shape his life on Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tHe explained that the old constitution included many sections about the application of the norms. By contrast, the new constitution is \u201cmore essential\u201d and focuses on principles.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWe can change applications according to different realities,\u201d the priest said.<\/p>\n
\tThe ad hoc commission required some adjustments, including explicit references to texts of the Second Vatican Council and to texts of the post-conciliar magisterium.<\/p>\n
\tThe commission also said that the constitution should indicate the canons of the Code of Canon Law which underlie its norms. This will help make references to concrete canons when necessary to interpret the text.<\/p>\n
\tFr. Ghirlanda will help with this adjustment.<\/p>\n
\tAfter the July 3 meeting with Fr. Gil, Cardinal Joao de Aviz and Archbishop Rodriguez had supper with some members of the congregation. They \u201cencouraged seminarians who are in Rome to continue in this path,\u201d recounted Fr. Clariond.<\/p>\n
\tAt present, there are 947 priests affiliated with the Legion of Christ.<\/p>\n
\n
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Rome, Italy, Jul 14, 2014 \/ 06:02 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- The appointment of Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda, S.J., as pontifical advisor for the Legion of Christ aims to advance the renewal and reform of the troubled religious congregation.<\/p>\n
\tFr. Benjamin C…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-europe"],"yoast_head":"\n
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