On 14 August, the news that the founder of the church community, “Sodalitium Christianae Vitae”, had been kicked out by the Vatican made headlines, particularly in the USA and South America.
The organisation originates from Peru and has a much stronger presence there than in Europe.
With around 20,000 male members who, whether priests or not, live celibate lives and take vows, the “Sodalicio” is one of the medium-sized specialised communities in the Catholic Church. It is larger than most classical religious communities but smaller and less widespread than Opus Dei or the Neocatechumenals.
The fact that the founder, Luis Fernando Figari, has now been formally expelled from the community he founded by a legal act of the Vatican Dicastery for Religious Orders has more symbolic value than practical consequences. This is because the community itself had already de facto expelled him in 2014 and declared him “persona non grata” in its institutions in 2016.