Prominent Legionary Priest bids farewell to Regnum Christi

Father Richard Gill, who with other highly respected members of the Legionaires of Christ (LC) called in February for an authoritative intervention by the Holy See, has announced he is "leaving" his post as head of Regnum Christi (RC) in New York to become a priest of the Archdiocese of New York.

He writes that after 29 years with LC and "having "participated extensively" in the Apostolic Visitation:

I’m leaving more because the manner in which the Legion has handled the revelations since the Vatican took action against Fr. Maciel in 2006 has left me often frustrated and totally distracted. I’ve tried my best to communicate with the superiors over this past year, and they have been gracious and generous taking the time to listen. I believe I have had the opportunity to get my point of view across to them …

My conclusion is that the reforms needed in the Legion (which the scandals have made clear) simply won’t happen in the foreseeable future with the current leadership’s approach to the matter.

His loss of confidence is a marked change from February, Thomas Peters notes, when as Director of RC in New York he wrote:

I am confident that our superiors are working closely with the appropriate dicasteries of the Holy See to chart the best course forward for the Legion of Christ so it can be of better service to the Church and the Holy Father.

In that letter Gill also wrote, to his credit:

I am deeply sorry to the people who have suffered from these inexcusable and reprehensible actions of Fr. [Marcial] Maciel. No person should have to suffer abuse at the hands of a priest in whom they have put their trust. And his actions have damaged the holiness of the Church and contributed to the alienation many people feel due to similar scandals in the Church.

Gill's exit was preceded by that of Fr. Thomas Berg, who in February in a letter to RC apologized to Maciel's "alleged victims" and to all of the members of RC. He resigned in May, saying, "In my opinion, the serious issues within the congregation will require its thorough reformation if not a complete re-foundation."

So the roll at Exiting Legionaries grows, possibly more quickly as the prominent leave to pursue their priestly vocations elsewhere.

[H/T: How to get a loved one out of the Legion of Christ & Regnum Christi]