Founder of Legionaries of Christ invited to a reserved life of penitence and prayer, relinquishing any form of public ministry

Vatican City, May 18, 2006 / 22:00 pm

This morning, a communiqué was released by the Press Office of the Holy See, inviting the Founder of Legionaries of Christ, Fr. Maciel Degollado, to a reserved life of penitence and prayer, relinquishing any form of public ministry.

The communiqué announces that beginning in 1998, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith received accusations, already partly made public, against Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado.

"All these elements have been subject to a mature examination by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which  authorized  on April 30 2001 an investigation into the accusations,” the communiqué follows.

The conclusions of the investigations were announced today as follows :
“the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the guidance of the new prefect, Cardinal William Joseph Levada, decided - bearing in mind Fr. Maciel's advanced age and his delicate health - to forgo a canonical hearing and to invite the father to a reserved life of penitence and prayer, relinquishing any form of public ministry.

This decision is explicitly approved by the Holy Father in the communiqué.

Nevertheless, the Holy See renews its trust in the “the worthy apostolate of the Legionaries of Christ and of the Association 'Regnum Christi." And recognizes its works.