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	Text: Letter of Juan Pedro Oriol, Published Feb. 9th, 2009 American Papist February 10, 2009 http://www.americanpapist.com/2009/01/text-letter-of-juan-pedro-oriol.html Thanks to an AmP reader for a quick translation from the Spanish. The original Spanish text is available at the end of this post. You may post comments here. I am a Legionary of Christ Juan Pedro Oriol - February 9th, 2009 Yes, I am a Legionary of Christ. What a blessed vocation! Unexpected, not deserved. Thank you, Lord! Almost three years ago the Holy See published a bulletin inviting Father Maciel to live a private life of prayer a penance renouncing to all public ministry. At the same time independently of the person of the founder, it is recognized with gratitude the apostolate of the Legionaries of Christ and "Regnum Christi" association. In this and in many media I carried on an open defense of Father Maciel, but without judging the ones claiming the contrary. Being honest, I would have given anything for being able to defend him more. Yes this is true. With pain that is difficult to describe of which I don’t want to brag about, we have come to know that our founder lived a double life in which facts are starting to be known that for us were unthinkable and today are still difficult to believe that where true, but they are. Yes, I am a Legionary of Christ priest. Present! Like many other legionary brothers, one day, when I was 17 years old, I left my own life plan and decided to give everything to follow Jesus, to fight for him, loving everyone and trying to bring them closer to the love that ignited my heart full of dreams and self-giving. Santi (Translators note: Santiago), my brother, had found a congregation, new to my family in Spain, they were called Legionaries of Christ. A few months later, Santi left everything and went to the Legion that arrived from my beautiful and loved Mexico. I still remember my parents that day saying goodbye to the son that was leaving the family, the girl that loved him so much, his chosen career, his new motorcycle that he barely had a chance to enjoy, well, everything, and entered the novitiate of the congregation which we barely knew. All that he took with him was a pair of black pants, a few white clothes and a pair of shoes. The lesson of life from my brother and his companions made me one day also receive the call in my heart when I discovered that smiling Jesus was calling my name. I left my boat and my youth, I had to cut my long hair, renounced my plans and dreams, and I went to start the path of this vocation that has made me very happy and has filled all my life. I have shared 18 years of my priesthood besides thousands of youth from Mexico. With all my limitations, I have tried to help them open a window in their hearts to have a friendship with the Friend that never fails. Without deserving it, I have receive so much love from Christ, I have experienced so much tenderness from Mary, I have learned to love the Church, I have discovered the value of souls and I have rejoiced to see how Regnum Christi does so much good to the ones that accept it. But the time of the storm has come, and amidst the dashing of its waves we are surrounded by the astonishing mystery that leads my legionary brothers and me to act like Jesus and hand ourselves over to him and everyone with a cleaner heart in our vocation. United to Father Alvaro Corcuera, our general director, and to my legionary brothers, I beg for forgiveness for denying the voices that said things that I would have never imagined, "I beg forgiveness for all the suffering" I have learned as a priest, when you see, get to know and exprience so many things about a person's life in and outside the confessionary, that personal judgment only corresponds to God. The Gospel is very clear "don't judge and you will not be judged, forgive and you will be forgiven". We will continue our task more than ever - continuing to do good and expelling even the least shadow of evil. Prayer heals, purifies and strengthens us. That is why we ask for forgiveness with all our hearts. We recognize errors; we don't persist in defending the facts neither do we judge the conscience of a dead person, because we can't take the place that belongs only to God. To the ones that tell us that our face doesn't seem clean we invite them to get to know our lives and we open our homes. We do not want to react on a defensive way upon the questions we are asked without seeing the duty of looking with sincerity upon the mirror of the Gospel, and doing it with the humility and simplicity that Jesus asks from us. To those that have doubts about us and have stones ready to be thrown at us, we ask you to follow the path of truth and don't mix lies that produce confusion and harm. We are certain that "truth will make us free", and today more than ever the Legionaries of Christ want to accept and pay whatever the price is, obeyin the Pope, serving the Church and giving all our lives till the end for the souls. Father Juan Pedro Oriol is a Legionary of Christ priest with a Degree on Philosophy from the Gregorian University in Rome. It is vocational dire
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