Pope Leo’s address to the General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ
Consistory Hall – Thursday, 19 February 2026
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
Pope Leo’s address
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you.
Your Eminence, Your Excellency, dear brothers,
I am pleased to welcome you to the final phase of your General Chapter.
As with every religious institution, this is a time of grace, because it is a special opportunity for community reflection and listening to the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit continues to guide your congregation’s history and support the mission.
This mission aligns with the charism God gave the Church as a whole.
It is also an opportunity for you to recognize yourselves as heirs to the charism that led to the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, which occurred through various paths and historical expressions — some of which were painful and involved crises.
through different paths and historical expressions — sometimes painful and not without crises.
You are united by the same spiritual roots and a shared apostolic passion.
This shared memory urges us not only to look to the past and constantly renew ourselves in the present while remaining faithful to the Gospel.
The charism is a gift from the Holy Spirit.
Each institute and its members are called to embody it, personally and communally in an ongoing process of deepening their identity, which situates and defines them within the Church and society.
This journey constitutes a valuable contribution to the Church as a whole, especially to the spiritual family of Regnum Christi (Legionaries of Christ).
The diversity of forms, styles and accents in living out the received charism does not weaken unity but rather enriches it.
It is like a “polyhedron, which reflects the convergence of all its parts, each of which preserves its distinctiveness” (Evangelii gaudium, no. 236).
Therefore, one must welcome plurality, discern it, and enable it to express itself in order to respond more transparently and faithfully to God’s call.
Just as every family member has his or her own identity and mission, so too does each of you have your own gifts that manifest the fruitfulness of the Spirit and strengthen the common mission.
As has been recalled, charism is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It is He who distributes his gifts (All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills) (1 Corinthians 12.11 above). He does so for the renewal and edification of the Church.
As St. Paul says, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12.7 above)
For this reason, charisms should be received with gratitude and consolation (cf. Lumen gentium, no. 2).
Remember, therefore, that you are not masters of charisms, but rather their custodians and servants.
You are called to dedicate your lives so that this gift may continue to bear fruit in the Church and the world.
This Chapter therefore invites you to continually ask yourselves how to live the charismatic intuition that gave rise to your religious family with creative fidelity today.
A General Chapter is also an opportunity to evaluate the progress made and to discern the path forward;, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
For this reason, you have considered the exercise of governance and authority in the Institute as one of the central themes.
In religious life, authority is not understood as domination, but as spiritual and fraternal service to those who share the same vocation.
Exercising authority must manifest the “art of accompaniment,” which teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of others (Exodus 3:5 (God) said, “Do not come near; put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”).
This accompaniment should have a steady and reassuring pace, reflecting our closeness and compassionate gaze, which heals, liberates, and encourages growth in the Christian life” (Evangelii gaudium, no. 169).
Likewise, authority in religious life serves to animate community life, focusing it on Christ and guiding it toward the fullness of life in Him. It avoids any form of control that does not respect the dignity and freedom of people.
Similarly, one of the fundamental tasks of religious governance is promoting fidelity to the charism. Therefore, a style of governance characterized by mutual listening, co-responsibility, transparency, fraternal closeness, and community discernment must be reinforced. Instead of focusing on itself, good governance promotes subsidiarity and the responsible participation of all community members..
Consecrated life is called to foster communion and creates spaces where the Gospel is translated into tangible fraternity. Without a doubt, in these days, you have experienced genuine communion with brothers of diverse cultures and backgrounds, of different generations, and between those who govern and those who serve daily in communities and missions.
Your mission is to offer a visible sign of mutual listening and the shared pursuit of God’s will for your communities and for the people you meet along the way.
Rather than eliminating differences, it is about having the capacity to harmonize diversity for the benefit of all, accepting divergences as a source of richness, and discerning together the paths that the Lord proposes to us.
This process requires humility in listening, inner freedom in expressing oneself sincerely, and openness in accepting common discernment.
It is an inherent requirement of every vocation lived in community.
Today, the Church is experiencing an intense call to synodality, – to walk, listen and discern together.
The General Chapter is a synodal exercise by nature, in which everyone is invited to contribute their experiences and insights to build the future of the institute together.
Dear brothers, I urge you to continue living with an attitude of prayer, humility, and inner freedom.
Do not pursue particular or regional interests or seek mere organizational solutions.
Above all, seek the will of God for your religious family and the mission that the Church has entrusted to you.
May this Chapter open you to a time of hope. The Lord continues to call and send, to heal and purify. Therefore, your task is to discern how to faithfully respond to the present God places in your hands.
I entrust this new stage of your congregation to the maternal protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I cordially impart my apostolic blessing. Thank you.
