Child and Youth Protection

The Legionaries of Christ are committed to creating and maintaining a safe environment for all children and all people who interact with its members and are involved in its ministries. We have put in place clear standards of conduct for all members as well as procedures for investigating and reporting any allegations of abuse or misconduct to the appropriate civil authorities. (Click here to see the Legionaries of Christ Code of Conduct.)

The policies and procedures implemented by the Legionaries of Christ are accredited by Praesidium, Inc., a national organization that works with religious and other institutions to establish and maintain rigorous standards for protecting children and vulnerable adults.  Praesidium provides consultation, risk management, assessment, policy development, and training materials for use in preventing sexual misconduct and responding to allegations of sexual abuse.

The Legionaries of Christ in North America maintains Praesidium accreditation through periodic audits by independent auditors and ongoing training for each Legionary to establish awareness, prevention and proper response to allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct per Praesidium’s accreditation standards. The Legion was last accredited in November 2017, and will expire in November 2022 when the reaccreditation process is due to be completed.

In addition, the Legionaries of Christ in the North American territory conduct thorough background checks of all Legionaries who minister, even temporarily, in the United States to identify any past behavior that might suggest future misconduct.  The Legionaries of Christ have enhanced screening procedures for all applicants, including criminal background checks.

We encourage anyone who has been abused by a member of the Legionaries of Christ to contact the appropriate authorities, regardless of when the alleged abuse occurred, and to contact the Legionaries of Christ’s Program Coordinator for Pastoral Care, Abby Saunders.  If anyone has a question about safe environment policies or a complaint regarding misconduct or sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult by a Legionary, contact Nikki Hittle, using the information below.

We recognize that abuse of any kind causes lasting pain and damage for the abused and their families as well as the larger Catholic, Legionary and Regnum Christi communities.  We continue to offer compassion, prayers and support for all survivors of abuse and strive to make sure the mistakes of the past are not repeated.

For more information on the Child and Youth Protection from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, go to the following site: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/index.cfm.

To find out the outside agencies for reporting in your area, go to https://www.childhelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/CPS-Phone-Numbers.pdf.

Additional Safe Environment Information from the Legionaries of Christ:

2nd Annual Report: Truth, Justice, and Healing (March 30, 2022). An account of the commitments made regarding care of victims of abuse and the creation of safe environments. LINK

1st Annual Report: Truth, Justice, and Healing (March 22, 2021). On the implementation of the General Chapter documents Protect and Heal and Conversion and Reparation regarding sexual abuse of minors and safe environments. LINK

List: Members of the Religious Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, who were active in ministry in the United States, with substantiated sexual abuse allegations: LINK

Our Commitment to Safe Environment: A Letter from the Territorial Director on December 21, 2019: LINK

Report 1941-2019 on the Phenomenon of Sexual Abuse of Minors in the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ from its Founding to the Present Day (December 21, 2019) LINK

Regnum Christi Legionaries of Christ North American Territory Complaint Response Guide LINK

Safe Environment Office Contact: