November 26, 2010, was the sixth anniversary of the approval of the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Movement. Pope John Paul II’s approval came to us through a decree from the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Some essential passages are cited below:

Congregation for the Institutes of Religious Life
and the Societies of Apostolic Life

Prot. N. R. 111 1/2004 

D E C R E E
The Regnum Christi Movement is the specific apostolic instrument of the Legion of Christ, to which it is united in an indivisible manner. Its finality is the establishment of the Kingdom of Christ among all people by the growth in holiness of its members in the state and condition of life to which God has called them, and by a personalized and organized service to the Church and her pastors. With the direction and spiritual support of the Legionaries of Christ, the members of the Movement, in the full exercise of their freedom unite together in order to help each other fulfill their baptismal commitments. 

Its specific charism is the same as the Legion of Christ and consists in knowing, living, and preaching the commandment of love that Jesus Christ Redeemer came to bring us by his Incarnation. In fact, the work that the Legionaries of Christ and the members of the Movement of apostolate Regnum Christi carry out in the construction of the civilization of Christian justice and love is well known. 

The founder of the Legion of Christ and of Regnum Christi presented to the Apostolic See the Statutes of the Movement of apostolate Regnum Christi seeking their definitive approval. The Holy Father has received paternally this petition and with his supreme authority has approved them. 

[…] 

Given in Rome, November 26, 2004 

****

 The first question that comes to me on the anniversary of the approval of the Regnum Christi Statutes (November 26, 2004) or of the Constitutions of the Legion of Christ (June 29, 1983) is always the following: Am I living what God and the Church expect of me? How am I progressing in my sanctification? Am I putting all my effort into the apostolate at the service of the Church? Do I know and love Christ more today and do I preach him with more enthusiasm than a year ago? 

These are the fundamental questions and I am not going to answer them today in the blog, but I brought them to prayer this morning and to Eucharistic adoration and solemn Rosary in the afternoon. They were personal answers, united to the prayer that God may continue sustaining me with his grace. 

On the other hand, there are some very practical questions in the air about the Regnum Christi Statutes.  I will try to give a quick answer to the most common ones. If anyone would like to go deeper, they can leave their questions in a comment or write me at preguntas@regnumchristi.org. 

Why was the approval decree given by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and not by the Pontifical Council for the Laity? 

In fact, when the approval was requested, we went first to the Pontifical Council for the Laity. However, they explained to us that since the “supreme moderator” (the last one responsible) of Regnum Christi is the general director of a religious congregation, the approval would have to fall under the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. So that is how the approval was processed. 

What are the Regnum Christi Movement Statutes about? 

In total, there are 128 numbers that briefly cover the fundamental aspects of the Movement. They are divided into 13 chapters, which are: 

1. Nature and purpose of the Regnum Christi Movement
2. The members of the Movement
3. The organization of the Movement
4. Admission to first and second degree
5. The formation of the members
6. Spirituality of the lay members of first and second degree for a life in the world
7. Nature of the third degree
8. Admission to the third degree
9. Stages for members of the third degree
10. The promises
11. Some norms for the activities of third degree members
12. Departure from the third degree
13. The amendment of the Statutes 

Are the Statutes the only norms that the Regnum Christi members have? 

No. For the consecrated members especially, there are other norms that are included in the Rules and in other codes. This corresponds, by analogy, to what canon law asks for religious congregations. The constitutions must contain the essentials, and this is what is presented to the Holy See for approval. The other norms are put in “other codes.”  Canon law states: 

Can. 587 §1 To protect more faithfully the vocation and identity of each institute, the fundamental code or constitutions of the institute are to contain, in addition to those elements which are to be preserved in accordance with can. 578, basic norms about the governance of the institute, the discipline of the members, the admission and formation of members, and the proper object of their sacred bonds. 

§2 This code is approved by the competent ecclesiastical authority, and can be changed only with the consent of the same. 

§3 In the constitutions, the spiritual and juridical elements are to be aptly harmonised. Norms, however, are not to be multiplied without necessity. 

§4 Other norms which are established by the competent authority of the institute are to be properly collected in other codes, but these can be conveniently reviewed and adapted according to the needs of time and place. 

In fact, the first versions of the Statutes were much longer, but when they were presented to the Holy See, it was necessary to adapt them to this general norm, and the previous text was divided into two (Statutes and Rules). Because of the type of edition and because of deficiencies in the communication and distribution of the volumes, there was some confusion, but it seems to be that now all of the Legionaries and consecrated members have a good understanding of the distinction. 

So then, the other norms that the consecrated members follow are not approved by the Church? 

As with all the other ecclesial institutes and institutions, and also in the case of Regnum Christi, the Holy See has only read and approved the essential, most important elements. However, the other codes are also approved by the legitimate and competent authority within the Movement and the Legion of Christ. In this sense, they are approved by the Church. It could be compared to a school where the minister of education sets the essential norms, but the director of the school has the authority to establish a “code of conduct” that is also legitimate and binding for the students, although it has not been directly approved by the minister of education. 

Is it true that the Statutes approved by the Holy See do not mention the consecrated members at all, or that they are mentioned only in one number? 

It is not true. In fact, numbers 83-127 talk about the third degree, about “those celibate men and women who offer their lives to God in the following of Christ, in a free and total way, by practicing the evangelical ideals of chastity, poverty, and obedience. They dedicate all their time and effort to the service of the Church according to their own charism and ordinarily live in teams” (n. 83). 

Then why are there still discussions going on about the consecrated men and women? 

Perhaps because the life of canonists would be very boring without arguments. – Speaking seriously, arguments and discussions usually depend on a strict or broader definition of what is “consecrated life” in the Church. Strictly speaking, according to canon law, “consecrated life” is lived out within an “institute of consecrated life,” another type of ecclesial association of consecrated persons (secular institute, association of apostolic life, etc.) or another defined form (hermits, consecrated virgins who depend on the diocesan bishop). 

Nevertheless, the Church has recognized that also in Regnum Christi and other ecclesial movements there can be members who consecrate their lives totally to God and live in poverty, chastity, and obedience. This is what is defined and approved in the Regnum Christi Statutes. In fact, in the May 1^st statement, in the decree on the functions of the pontifical delegate, in his letters, and in the recent letter of the apostolic visitator, there is constant reference made, without any hesitation, to the “consecrated members of Regnum Christi.” Therefore, I do not see any problem at this time and if there were something to define more precisely from the canonical point of view, we can do so in the upcoming years with the help of the pontifical delegate, Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, who is an expert on this topic. 

But does the Pope’s “definitive approval” mean that the Statutes cannot ever be changed? 

No. The word “definitive” is simply a contrast to “temporary” (for some years, renewable). The approval of the Statutes does not “expire.” However, the last number of the Statutes deals precisely with possible amendments and establishes how this can be done. Therefore, if needed, there can be changes, just as there can be changes even in the code of canon law or in the missal, if the Pope so decides. 

Before the approval of the Statutes, was the Movement something illegal? 

No. It is the ordinary process in the Church that first there is a group of people who get together to help each other be good Christians and to carry out some aspect of the Church’s mission. Afterwards, this group grows and works with the blessing or even with the recommendation of its pastors (bishops). At first, it is usually governed by a rule that only has internal validity, but when a Catholic association gets to a certain consistency and extension (in various countries), the question of a formal approval by the Holy See comes up. Therefore, it cannot be said that the Movement did not exist or did not exist legitimately before the approval. 

The approval decree states that the Statutes were presented by the Founder. Doesn’t this create problems now? 

More than a real problem, this fact is a sign that the charism and the institution transcend the person of the founder in various senses. In the first place in its origin, because the Church’s approval certifies, so to speak, that its origin is from God, from an inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it is not just a human project. In the second place, because an ecclesial movement and its statutes are not simply a “creation from nothing” by the founder, but are inserted into the tradition of the Church and are often the result of a collaboration (various people also collaborated in the writing of the Statutes). Finally, the institution transcends the person because “each charism is granted for the common good, for the good of the entire Church”  (John Paul II, Speech to Ecclesial Movements, May 30, 1998) and becomes part of the patrimony of the Church. It is not a personal possession of the founder. Therefore, from a certain moment onward, the institution has its own life; otherwise, it would be finished with the death of the founder. 

I hope that these clarifications help, and if there are any more questions, I am available. 

May God bless you. 

Fr Andreas Schöggl, LC

preguntas@regnumchristi.org