Fr. Julián Carrón has resigned from his position as president of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, one of the largest and most influential Catholic movements, present in more than 90 countries.
In this letter, Fr. Julián Carrón explains that he has decided to step down in order to allow the changes Pope Francis proposes within ecclesial movements “to develop with the freedom that such a process requires.”
He's referring to the Vatican's decision, announced in September, to limit leaders of Church movements to a maximum of two five-year terms.
Soon after the Vatican's announcement, Pope Francis himself explained the decision to all movements.
POPE FRANCIS
'Observing closely your situations has shown that it is beneficial and necessary to create a rotation in the positions of government and a representation of all members in your elections.'
Julián Carrón is a Spanish priest. The 71-year-old has been the president of Communion and Liberation since the death of the movement's founder, Fr. Luigi Giussani, in 2005. Fr. Carrón was reelected in 2008, 2014 and 2020.
FR. JULIÁN CARRÓN
President of Communion and Liberation
“Fr. Giussani has communicated Christianity to us by showing that one lives much better, one responds much better to the challenges of life, to the dramas of living and to the beautiful things that happen in life, when one has encountered Christ.”
Fr. Julián Carrón is among the first leaders of an ecclesial movement to resign after the Vatican's decree.
The Communion and Liberation Movement was founded in Italy by Fr. Luigi Giussani in the 1950s.
The Italian priest proposed it as an education in the Catholic faith that presents Christianity as an adventure of life and not simply as a training for life. It's a proposal that prioritizes reason, freedom and an encounter with beauty.
CT/JMB
