Legions Charism Is Guaranteed by the Church, R Michael Dunnigan, Understanding the Legion of Christ, May 1, 2009

"Legion's Charism Is Guaranteed by the Church" ?

By R. Michael Dunnigan
Understanding the Legion of Christ
May 1, 2009

http://understandingthelegion.blogspot.com/2009/04/legions-charism-is-guaranteed-by-church.html

Theological and Canonical Reflections on Religious Life in View of the Maciel Disgrace

The following article will be appearing in the May 1, 2009 issue of the St. Joseph Foundation’s newsletter, Christifidelis. LINK

In the wake of Maciel’s disgrace, a lively debate has ensued over the future of the religious congregation that he founded. Some charge that the Legion of Christ is bound so inextricably to the persona of its founder that the congregation cannot continue and must be suppressed or merged into another order or congregation. However, defenders of the Legion and its associated lay organization Regnum Christi argue against suppression, pointing to their good works and the undoubted existence of many faithful members who played no part in the Maciel fraud.

· whether any members of the current leadership helped Maciel perpetuate his fraud,

· whether the Legion’s power to attract vocations and lay support can survive the Maciel disgrace, and

· whether a congregation that has identified with its founder’s persona to such an extreme degree could possibly distance itself sufficiently from him to cleanse itself of his corruption and to accept reform.

As important as these questions are, the debate about Maciel and the Legion should not be confined to the purely practical plane. Rather, the Maciel disgrace also raises serious theological and canonical questions that to date have received little attention. This scandal provides an occasion to reflect on the meaning and purpose of religious life in the Church, and these reflections suggest that the theological and canonical obstacles facing the Legion are, if anything, even more daunting than the practical challenges. This becomes apparent when one examines the Legion’s arguments in favor of its continued existence.