The Sodalitium was composed of consecrated laymen and priests, called "Sodalits,"[4] who lived in community as brothers and made commitments—not religious vows as such—of celibacy and obedience.

[10][11] In October 2024, Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio, the Archbishop of Lima, called for the Sodalitium to be suppressed, speaking of concealed crimes, ambition for political and economic dominance, and resurrecting fascist influence in Latin America.

The Archbishop of Lima and Primate of Peru, Cardinal Juan Landázuri Ricketts, OFM, encouraged the Sodalitium[16] and in 1977 approved their statutes as a private association of the faithful.

In January 1985 the First International Conference on Reconciliation was organised in the city of Arequipa in order to reflect on Pope John Paul II's Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia.

[24] In Arequipa the Southern Institute (Instituto del Sur) was founded,[25] offering courses for technical careers from a perspective of integral human formation.

[26] Later that year a second community was founded in Brazil in the city of Petrópolis,[27] where Sodalits began helping in youth apostolate in universities, high school education and other solidarity efforts.

[29] On 22 February 1994, after obtaining the official permission from the Holy See, the Sodalitium was erected as a Society of Apostolic Life of Diocesan Right by the Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Augusto Vargas Alzamora, SJ.

In December the Sodalitium held its First Ordinary General Assembly, in which the Guidelines for Fraternal Life (Pautas para la vida fraterna) were presented.

On 16 February 2002, Pope John Paul II appointed José Antonio Eguren, a Sodalite, an auxiliary bishop of Lima;[37] he received his episcopal consecration on 7 April.

[38] Accepting the invitation of the Archbishop of Denver, Charles Chaput, to administer the Saint Malo's Retreat Center, the Sodalitium founded a community in the US state of Colorado in 2003.

[35] In 2009 the Our Lady of the Lake Formation Center was founded in the town of Nemi, near Rome, and was conceived as a home for Sodalits who would study in Roman universities.

The movement first published a response which was later considered insufficient, then said that it was "a cause for deep grief and shame if such acts could have been committed by Luis Fernando Figari ... We condemn the incidents that may have occurred, especially the sexual abuse".

[9] In April 2016, Sodalitium leader Alessandro Moroni posted an online video where he claimed that the organization had conducted an investigation which resulted in a conclusion that Figari was guilty of sex abuse and was that he was also now in a state of persona non grata.

[42] Moroni stated that 2]"After the testimonies received, we consider Luis Fernando Figari guilty of the allegations of abuse against him and declare him persona non grata in our organisation as we deplore and wholly condemn his behaviour.

"[42] In February 2017 the institute's Superior General turned over to Peru's Office of the Public Prosecutor information identified in the committee's recent report regarding the sexual abuse of minors by its founder and by four of its former members.

[48] In July 2023, Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, acting on orders from Pope Francis, began an audit investigation against the Sodalitium Christiane Vitae.

[49] In August 2024, Pope Francis expelled Sodalitium Christianae Vitae founder Luis Fernando Figari after it was determined that he engaged in sex abuse and financial corruption.

Jaime Baertl Gómez and Juan Carlos Len were found guilty of canonical faults and sins related to financial malpractice and abuse.

"[14] Pope Francis dissolved the Sodalitium of Christian Life on 20 January 2025, after an investigation found that there had been sexual and spiritual abuses and financial mismanagement.

Apostolic work with young people took place in different areas, such as in universities, schools, youth organisations and groups of formation, especially in the Christian Life Movement, offering conferences, missions, talks, courses, spiritual accompaniment, and retreats.

[66] In 2010, Convivio Congresses were held in Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, England, Peru, Angola, the Philippines and the United States, in a total of 16 cities.

[68] "Culture" was understood by the Sodalitium as the sphere in which human beings are educated and come to know themselves, in which values are formed, in which truth, goodness, and beauty are recognised and appreciated.

According to Figari the Sodalitium emphasised the family, and considered marriage as a way of holiness[70] and the first line of evangelization, and as teacher of the faith, as well as respect for personal liberty and life.

A spiritual family refers to a large group of people who live their relationship with God from a particular perspective always in communion with the long tradition of the Church.

This next stage of formation is called in some religious societies the novitiate, a one- to two-year period which marks the person's official entrance into the community.

A man preparing for the priesthood also has seminary training, where his time is spent studying theology, the Bible, the teachings of the Church, and the skills he will need to be a priest.

[6][7][8][9] In October 2024, Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio, the Archbishop of Lima, called for the Sodalitium to be suppressed, describing the group as having "concealed its crimes and its ambition for political and economic dominance", and also "the resurrection" of fascist influence in Latin America.

"[81] It was also reported that Figari committed physical abuse, being described as "appearing to enjoy observing the younger aspirants and brothers experience pain, discomfort and fear.

[86] Historically, Sodalitium Christiane Vitae founder Luis Fernando Figari was known to openly sympathize with Falangism, which is known for being Spain's fascist ideology.

"[42] On October 19, 2024, in an article for El País, Archbishop of Lima Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio called for the suppression of Sodalitium, describing the order as "a failed Cold War experiment" which is also "the resurrection of fascism in Latin America, using the church cunningly, through sectarian methods, testing how strong you are or forcing you to sleep face down on stairs to forge your character.