Memo from the Legion

Dear friends in Christ,

I have received your questions about the latest media reports. Here is what I can tell you for now. As you know, in the wake of the revelations about Father Maciel’s private life, the past months have been a great challenge for all of us in the Legion and Regnum Christi. In the past few days, some media began reporting statements from a Mexican lawyer who says he is representing three out of six people who claim to be children of our founder. The lawyer himself has made it clear that his presence in the media is part of a broader plan that can include lawsuits and further public interventions. In this same context, a Spanish newspaper has revealed the identity and some other details about two people related to these circumstances. This information till now had been kept in strict confidence, at their own request. The journalist has also published a series of speculations, rumors, and opinions that has been picked up by other media in various countries. Given the need to respect the privacy of the persons involved, the limits and partiality of the available information and the impossibility to evaluate immediately all the possible implications of these complex circumstances, the Legion cannot offer a declaration about this issue for now. In fact, it is likely that full clarity will not come anytime soon due to the confusion of historical record and still unknown aspects of our founder’s life. For all of us in the Legion and Regnum Christi, the result is a situation that causes pain and requires great faith, hope and charity. All of us are saddened by these circumstances and express our deepest regret and apology to those who have been hurt or scandalized. We trust that with the grace of God and the help of the Church through the Apostolic Visitation we will be able to close this sorry chapter in the life of our Congregation, renew our service to the Church, and continue forward in our mission.

Jim Fair
Communications DirectorLegion of Christ