The election of the new Director General of the Legionaries of Christ took place in Rome at the headquarters of the General Government. Carlos Gutierrez Lopez, L.C., 51 years old, a native of Hermosillo, Sonora (Mexico).
Carlos assumes “the task of accompanying the life and mission of the Congregation in a stage marked by the consolidation of the road traveled in recent years and by the current challenges of evangelization”, according to the information made public.
Sa now opens “a new stage in the path that the Congregation continues to follow, with the desire to serve the Church from a renewed religious life, faithful to its charism and attentive to the signs of the times”.
General Assemblies and Audience of Pope Leo XIV
The election took place within the framework of the General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christthe General Assembly and the General Assembly of the Consecrated Laity of Regnum Christi, to be held in Rome in 2026.
On January 29, Pope Leo XIV received in private audience the participants of the Assemblies of Consecrated Women and Consecrated Laity. The Pontiff encouraged them to live faithfully the charism received, to exercise an evangelical government at the service of the people and to deepen communion within the Church and Regnum Christi. The audience was experienced as a gesture of pastoral closeness and spiritual impulse for the present context.
General Chapter
Carlos Gutiérrez López, L.C., replaces Father John Connor, L.C., who has been Director General since 2020. The General Chapter, the supreme governing body of the Congregation, is composed of 60 priests from 13 countries. In the coming days it will continue its work in electing the General Government and in reflecting on various aspects of the life and mission of the Legion of Christ.
He has worked in America and Europe
Fr. Carlos, 51, entered the Congregation in 1999 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2009. Throughout his ministry he has served in various countries in the Americas and Europe, with pastoral and governmental responsibilities in Chile, Italy, Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico. Until his election, he served as Territorial Director of Northern Mexico.
His academic formation combines studies in industrial and systems engineering at the Monterrey Institute of Technology. He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy and theology from the Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum. And a master's degree in psychology at Divine Mercy University, in the United States, which has marked his service in the fields of accompaniment, formation and government.
Evangelistic service
Among other assignments, Fr. Carlos Gutiérrez L.C. served as Territorial Director of Colombia-Venezuela between 2028 and 2022. During this period, he accompanied communities and apostolic works in a particularly complex social context. Since 2022, he has served as Territorial Director of Northern Mexico.
Regnum Christi and the Legionaries of Christ emphasize that the commissioning of the General Chapter strengthens “their contribution to the whole of Regnum Christi and the evangelizing service to all people, with particular attention to the most fragile realities in need of hope”.
General Council of Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi
During the III Ordinary General Assembly, the consecrated women of Regnum Christi have elected the new board of the general government, which will accompany the life and mission of the Society for the next six years.
The general government was formed as follows. Nancy Nohrden (United States), reelected as President. director general. Perla Guadalupe González de la Fuente (Mexico), Vicar General and First Councilor. Eugenia (Uge) Álvarez Espinoza (Venezuela), second general councilor. Kathleen Murphy (Canada), third general councilor. Camila Melo (Brazil), fourth general councilor.
This council, composed of the general director and four councilors, plays a key role in accompanying the life and mission of the Society of Apostolic Life.
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