Father Carlos Gutiérrez López elected new Director General of the Legionaries of Christ
Rome, February 4, 2026 – The 2026 General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ, which began last January 20 at the General Directorate in Rome, has elected Fr. Carlos Gutiérrez López, LC, as the new Director General of the Congregation for the six-year term 2026–2032.
The election took place during the Chapter proceedings, which bring together 60 priests from 13 countries, called to discern and guide the path of the Congregation for the next six years.
Fr. Carlos Gutiérrez López is a 51-year-old Mexican priest from Hermosillo, Sonora, with extensive academic and pastoral formation. He studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum and earned a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey, as well as a master's degree in psychology in the United States.
Throughout his ministry, he has held numerous roles in youth accompaniment, formation, and governance. He served as ECYD assistant (the Regnum Christi youth movement) in Santiago, Chile; assistant in the General Secretariat of the Congregation; and assistant to the territorial director for apostolate in Colombia-Venezuela. He was superior of the Bogotá community, territorial councilor for Venezuela, and ECYD director in Monterrey. He later served as coordinator of the family and youth ministry area and, from 2018 to 2022, as territorial director for Colombia-Venezuela.
By virtue of his new role, Fr. Carlos will also become a member of the General Directive College of Regnum Christi, serving as its president.
With this election, the service of Fr. John Connor, LC, Director General since 2020, comes to an end. The new government continues in continuity with the previous one, working to consolidate an institutional culture of transparency, care, and service toward all people, in communion with the Church.
On February 5, the 2026 General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ also elected the general councilors.
The General Councilors are:
- Hernán Jiménez (Mexico): Vicar General
- Michael Brisson (United States): Second Councilor
- Miguel Cavallé Puig (Spain): Third Councilor
- Robert Presutti (United States): Fourth Councilor
- Adolfo Güémez Suárez (Mexico): Fifth Councilor
- David Daly (United States): Sixth Councilor
Who are the Legionaries of Christ
The Legionaries of Christ are a religious congregation of pontifical right, founded in 1941, composed of priests and candidates for the priesthood. They are part of the spiritual family of Regnum Christi.
The Congregation currently includes two bishops, 1,033 priests, and 273 brothers and deacons in formation worldwide.
Their mission is to make the Kingdom of Christ present through the sanctification of their members and apostolic action in service of the Church and all people. They live a Christ-centered, contemplative, and evangelizing spirit, with filial love for the Pope and in communion with the bishops. Their principal apostolates include education, family ministry, youth work, charitable and social assistance works, evangelizing missions, catechesis, and service in parishes.