Father Carlos Alberto Gutiérrez López, L.C., was elected on February 4th to lead the Congregation for the next six years. Who he is, his vision of the responsibility he has assumed, his vocational journey, and other topics were addressed by the now director of more than 1,300 priests and religious in formation. Profile.

The General Chapter of the Legionaries of Christ, which took place in Rome between January 20 and February 28, 2026, elected Fr. Carlos Gutiérrez López, L.C., as the new Director General of the Congregation for the period 2026-2032.

Father Gutiérrez is originally from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. He is 51 years old. He entered the Congregation in 1999 and was ordained a priest in 2009. Father Carlos Gutiérrez has served in Chile, Italy, Colombia, Venezuela, and Mexico, and until today was the Territorial Director for Northern Mexico. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum and a degree in industrial and systems engineering from the Monterrey Institute of Technology. He also holds a master’s degree in psychology from Divine Mercy University (United States).

Of interest | The Legionaries of Christ elect their new Director General

He has served in ministry as an assistant to ECYD in Santiago, Chile (2001-2004), assistant to the general secretary, assistant to the territorial director for the apostolate in Colombia-Venezuela (2009-2012), superior of the community in Bogotá, territorial councilor for Venezuela, director of ECYD in Monterrey (2014-2015), coordinator of the general area of ​​family and youth ministry, and territorial director for Colombia-Venezuela (2018-2022). Since 2022, he had been serving as Territorial Director for Northern Mexico.

Who he is, his vision of the responsibility he assumed, his vocational journey, and other topics were addressed by the now director of more than 1,300 priests and religious in formation.

1. The first thing we want to do is thank you for your “yes” to this mission that God has placed in your hands. This kind of service to authority brings a level of visibility that, in these early days, has led many to ask, “Who are you? What can you tell us about yourself? How would you present yourself?”

I present myself as a priest who seeks to be a brother among brothers, committed to sharing hope and faith in Jesus. My desire is precisely to continue being that for all Legionaries: a simple brother who offers support and, together with everyone, builds a more united Legion and Regnum Christi.

I consider myself someone who doesn’t know how to work alone. Wherever I have worked, I have always sought to do so as part of a team, sharing responsibility and joining forces with other brothers and sisters.

2. What does it mean for you to assume the role of Director General at this particular moment in the history of the Legion of Christ?

It is a mission that I am passionate about, but one that also compels me to have due respect for the magnitude of the task. When I realized I might be chosen, my first thought was of God, to ask Him that, if elected, I would be His instrument to carry His Legion forward wherever He desired.

I also did so with the awareness that I would not be alone, but that I would have the support of all my Legionary brothers. And that is what I continue to ask of them: that they accompany me with their prayers and with their generous daily commitment wherever God’s will leads them.

Within my heart, every time fear or doubt has arisen in responding to a new mission or a greater responsibility, I have clearly heard God placing this thought in my heart: “Do not hinder what God wants from you.”

3. Let’s go back a little to the beginning of his vocational story. How did he come to know the Legion of Christ, and how and why did he decide to say “yes” to God in the Legion of Christ?

I was a member of Regnum Christi since I was in college. I studied industrial engineering at the Monterrey Institute of Technology. I always really enjoyed the preaching of the Legionary priests; their preparation and formation impressed me.

After graduating, and following a brief period of professional work, I decided to volunteer for a year. I was assigned to Santiago, Chile, and it was there that I received the call. During that year, I grew closer to Christ through prayer and discovered more about Regnum Christi and the Legion, until I heard the call to follow Him.

4. In your pastoral experience, what has been the greatest lesson learned?

I believe the most powerful lesson I’ve learned is to let God be the protagonist. When I’ve tried to interfere, things haven’t turned out as they should, and when I’ve let Him act, He has worked miracles.

In my heart, every time fear or doubt has arisen regarding a new mission or a greater responsibility, I’ve clearly heard God place this thought in my heart: “Don’t hinder what God wants from you.”

At other times, God has also shown me that being a priest is already the greatest responsibility I have; all other commitments are merely tasks.

This service, as Director General, will be a great opportunity to try to live out that lesson every day, because the disproportion between the mission entrusted to me and my abilities is so great that only God can carry it out.

5. What role do you see for the Legionaries in accompanying families, young people, educational works and the apostolates of Regnum Christi in the coming years?

During the Chapter, we reflected deeply on the mission of the Legion and of each Legionary within Regnum Christi and its works. I am certain that the Holy Spirit will continue to inspire many Legionaries to live out the charism in their apostolate and in the hearts of so many people with whom we come into contact.

I am convinced that God used this Chapter to breathe new life into our apostolates, but especially into the holiness of life of each Legionary, because it is precisely from this holiness that He will accomplish great things.

I am convinced that God used this Chapter to breathe new life into our apostolates, but especially into the holiness of life of each legionary.

6. In today’s world, how can we be credible witnesses of the Gospel, especially after the journey of institutional renewal we have undertaken?

One of the topics we discussed at the Chapter was how God has used our history to give us a more purified Legion, one in constant conversion.

I believe we must bear witness to a Gospel that fills us with hope and, therefore, propels us on mission, projects us forward, and encourages us not to remain isolated. In this sense, the private audience we had with Pope Leo XIV was an enormous gift: he invited us precisely to have that apostolic passion and to continue living out our charism as a gift God gave to the Church.

7. What grace or light of the Holy Spirit do you ask for to serve Regnum Christi in this new period?

I ask for the gift of offering my service of authority with the love and simplicity with which Christ himself offered it. Simplicity and prudence are essential when making important decisions.

8. He has been elected Director General of the Legion of Christ. What message does he send to the Legionaries from the one whom God asks him to serve through the exercise of authority?

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers, your messages, your thoughtful gestures. I truly wish I could assure each of you that I feel you are like a brother to me and that you can count on my sincere effort to be an instrument of God in service to His legionaries.

9. What message would you like to send to the Regnum Christi family?

I want to renew my desire to continue working together, as a family within the Church. I want to walk alongside you, making the charism and values ​​that unite us ever more real. Personally, I have always felt like family with the members of Regnum Christi, and I deeply value the support and unity we share in our common mission.

For me, Regnum Christi is the path God placed in my life to know Christ more intimately and to follow him as a friend, as The Friend. Regnum Christi is the family God has always intended to give me, and in which I have lived many beautiful years as a priest and throughout my entire life.