Pope Benedict XVI with Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, CS.

July 23, 2010. Rome, Italy. This past Wednesday, Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, CS, the papal delegate for the Legion of Christ, met for the second time with the general council of the congregation. On this occasion, the purpose of the meeting was to present them with the Holy See’s decree specifying how he will fulfill the assignment the Pope entrusted to him.

In its first section, the decree summarizes the main points of the appointment letter of the papal delegate for the Legionaries of Christ, stating that Archbishop De Paolis will govern the congregation in the name of the Holy Father "for as long as it takes to complete its path of renewal and lead it to the celebration of an extraordinary general chapter, whose main purpose will be to bring to completion the revision of the Constitutions." It also states that the papal delegate´s presence is a concrete way for the Pope to accompany, sustain, and guide this process of in-depth revision and renewal, that he will be a tangible sign of the Holy Father´s closeness, and that he will act in the Pope´s name.

On this basis, the 11 points of the decree set forth the wide parameters of

	Archbishop Velasio de Paolis, CS, presides over the Mass with the Legionary priests and brothers stationed in Rome. The members of the Legion's general council concelebrated.

the papal delegate’s authority. The text confirms the current superiors in their functions—under the authority of the delegate—and emphasizes that Archbishop De Paolis’ main task is to “guide, accompany, and carry out the revision of the constitutions” in which “all members of the institute are to participate.”

As he went over the decree’s various points with the superiors, Archbishop De Paolis informed them that the four personal advisors who will assist him in his work have not yet been named. He also said that the Holy See would issue specific indications about the apostolic visitation to the Regnum Christi Movement, which will also be coordinated by the papal delegate, at a future date. This visitation was announced by the Holy See´s statement on May 1st: “To the consecrated members of the Movement Regnum Christi, who have repeatedly requested it, the Holy Father will send a Visitator.”

Before concluding the meeting, Archbishop De Paolis asked for the decree to be distributed to the entire congregation and also authorized its publication on the Internet. He also authorized the release of the appointment letter from the Holy Father and the letter that Archbishop De Paolis himself wrote to illustrate the significance of his mission and the attitudes that the Legionaries of Christ should have at this moment in their history.

After the summer, in early September, the papal delegate will meet with the general council again to plan the various tasks to be carried out.

Related documents:
• Decree from the Holy See defining the modalities of the papal delegate’s work.
• The Holy Father’s letter to Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, SC, appointing him papal delegate for the Legionaries of Christ (June 16, 2010).
• Archbishop Velasio De Paolis’ letter to the Legionaries of Christ (July 10, 2010).
• Archbishop Velasio De Paolis’ homily during Mass with the Legionaries of Christ at the Center for Higher Studies in Rome on July 10, 2010.