Director General of the Legionaries of Christ: Church as a "Place of Encounter"
Gutiérrez in a Kathpress interview during his first visit to Austria: Community, personal support and listening as the key to the evangelization of Europe - The order's reform process remains a central task - New John Paul II Center in Vienna as a pastoral hub
The new Director General of the Legionaries of Christ, Father Carlos Alberto Gutiérrez López, has advocated for a fundamental reorientation of the Church's presence toward "places of encounter." He stated that this is particularly crucial in Europe, as the Church is increasingly losing its role as a natural point of reference in social life and the faith is being passed on less and less. The 51-year-old Mexican, who has led the worldwide religious order since February, said this in an interview with the Kathpress news agency on Saturday. Father Gutiérrez had visited Austria for the first time in the days prior.
He came to Austria "with great respect and with the desire to listen and learn" and leaves "with gratitude and hope," said the Director General. The Legionaries of Christ are a small and young community in Austria, he explained, that feels a "very concrete call from the Lord," just as other religious orders and church movements do, offering the Church as a "space of encounter": They want to create a place of community "where people can experience that faith is not lived in isolation."
Openness is important to him, Gutiérrez emphasized. A Christian community should "never be a closed group," but rather understands itself as a "family of disciples" who are themselves on the path of seeking God and at the same time open up opportunities for others "to encounter the living Christ." Through education, personal guidance, and community life, the aim is to empower people to "live as apostles" and to share their faith experience in their families, workplaces, and society.
Living Faith together
The superior of the order described the experience of supportive communities as particularly important for the New Evangelization in Europe. Many people, especially young adults, long for belonging, for genuine relationships, and for places where they are heard. Faith must not only be proclaimed but also lived and shared together. Personal guidance is equally crucial. People today need "time, answers, and spaces" to approach faith, ask questions, mature inwardly, and gradually discover "who Christ is and what it means to follow him."
This also applies to vocation ministry and the rediscovery of the Christian understanding of vocation. Every person is willed and called by God, Gutiérrez quoted Pope Benedict XVI. The crucial question, therefore, is not only: "What do I want to do with my life?", but also: "For whom do I live?", "To what love am I called?", and "How can I dedicate my life to the service of God and others?" The task of church movements is to accompany people on this path and empower them to live their faith consciously and in a missionary way.
During his visit, the Director General was impressed by the commitment of the Austrian members of the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi spiritual community associated with them. He particularly emphasized the creativity of pastoral initiatives, especially at the John Paul II Center in Vienna-Leopoldstadt, which reopened in 2025. The center, run by the Legionaries, sees itself as an open meeting place for believers and non-believers alike, combining a church, a café, educational programs, and community spaces under one roof.
Gutiérrez explained that in Vienna he had experienced a "vibrant community" that "doesn't simply repeat existing patterns, but tries to listen to reality and respond to it based on the charism it has received." Great emphasis is placed on "open, unprejudiced dialogue" and genuine appreciation for every individual. Gutiérrez also saw the collaboration with the local church and other church actors as a great opportunity. The Legionaries of Christ did not want to operate as an isolated community, but rather to place their charism at the service of the Church.
The superior general described a particular task as addressing the questions, hopes, and disappointments of people, especially young people and families, but also those who have distanced themselves from the Church or have never had a living experience of faith. "Only through this listening," he said, "can we, together with others, find new and creative ways to proclaim the Gospel in a way that resonates with people in their lives."
Renewal after painful experiences
When asked about his community's renewal process, Gutiérrez explained that the Legionaries of Christ continue on a "long road of learning." For years, the order has been undergoing a reform process guided by the Church, initiated after a profound crisis surrounding its founder, Marcial Maciel (1920-2008). Toward the end of his life, Maciel was exposed as a serial abuser and fraudster; since then, the community has undergone structural and spiritual realignment under papal supervision.
The Legionaries of Christ have had to confront their history "in truth and honesty" and have gone through a "deep purification" that has led them to recognize and accept their wounds, their failings, and their responsibility. "True renewal can only grow where there is humility, remembrance, and a serious struggle for truth and reconciliation," Gutiérrez said. As a congregation, the Legionaries of Christ are grateful to the Church, especially to Popes Benedict XVI, Francis, and Leo XIV, for their guidance and support on this path. "It is about placing Christ at the center again, living more transparently, cultivating fraternal life more consciously, and living authority and obedience in such a way that participation, shared responsibility, and the dignity of every person are central."
The Director General placed particular emphasis on the responsibility in the area of abuse prevention and child protection. The protection of minors and vulnerable people, as well as the care for victims of sexual violence, must never become secondary. People who have suffered abuse at the hands of members of the community are "at the heart of our responsibility. Their suffering and their voices have become a crucial call to conversion for us. Therefore, this remains an unavoidable and ongoing task." For this reason, one can never say that this process is complete. Rather, it is about permanently anchoring safeguarding measures, prevention, and a culture of vigilance. “We are not the same as we were twenty years ago, but we still have a way to go,” said the superior general.
Teamwork and a Synodal style
Gutierrez also elaborated on his approach to authority and leadership. “Christian leadership is not simply about giving instructions, but about supporting people and communities in living their vocation more faithfully,” he said. According to this understanding, authority is characterized by participation and shared responsibility. Listening is just as important as teamwork and discerning together in the search for God’s will. The Legionaries of Christ, originally based on a more centralized leadership model, are thus continuing on the path to a “style that is more synodal, transparent, fraternal, and more strongly influenced by the Gospel.” Good structures, but also an “inner conversion,” are necessary for this: “Being able to listen, to give an account, to accept help and correction, and always keeping the dignity and freedom of every person at the center.”
Gutiérrez has led the worldwide religious order of the Legionaries of Christ since February 2026. He was elected at a General Chapter in Rome. This highest governing body of the congregation makes fundamental decisions on its direction every six years. The new Director General succeeds John Connor and previously held leadership and training positions in Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, and Italy, among other places.
.jpeg)
Comments