Neocatechumenal Way

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File:Neocatechumenal way seal.jpg
Neocatechumenal way seal
Icon of the Virgin Mary by Kiko Argüello, the Spanish painter who initiated the Neocatechumenal Way.

The Neocatechumenal Way, also known as the Neocatechumenate, NCW or, colloquially, The Way, is an organization within the Catholic Church dedicated to the Christian formation of adults. It was formed in Madrid in 1964 by Kiko Argüello and Carmen Hernández[1] and received approval from the Holy See in 2008.

Taking its inspiration from the catechumenate of the early Catholic Church, by which converts from paganism were prepared for baptism, it provides post-baptismal formation to adults who are already members of the Church.[2] It also runs 100 seminaries in various locations, and is responsible for hundreds of "families in mission," living in many cities around the World.

The Neocatechumenate is implemented in small, parish-based communities of between 20-50 people. In 2007 there were around 40,000 such communities throughout the World, with an estimated million members.[3]

History of the Neocatechumenal Way

The Neocatechumenal Way arose in 1964 through the work of Francisco "Kiko" Argüello and Carmen Hernández to evangelize the slums of Madrid.[4] As time passed, their message was embodied in a catechetical synthesis, founded on what they called the "tripod" ("Word of God-Liturgy-Community"), seeking to lead people to fraternal communion and mature faith.

This "new catechetical experience", born in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, attracted the interest of Madrid's Archbishop, Casimiro Morcillo, who encouraged Argüello to spread it to parishes that asked for it.[5] The Way thus spread gradually through the Archdiocese of Madrid and to other Spanish dioceses.

In 1968, Argüello and Hernández arrived in Rome and settled in the Borghetto Latino. With the permission of Angelo Dell'Acqua,[6] Vicar-General of Rome, the first catechesis began in the parish of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and the Canadian Martyrs.[citation needed]

Since then, the Way has continued to spread to dioceses and mission countries around the world.[7]

Leadership and governance

The community of Neocatechumens is currently led by the "International Responsible Team of the Way": Argüello, Hernández, and Fr. Mario Pezzi, a priest of the Diocese of Rome. Under the terms of the 2007 statute, the three members of this leadership team will remain in place for life, after which an electoral college of senior neocatechumenal catechists will elect a new team which, with the approval of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, will have a mandate to lead the Way for a period of seven years until new elections are held.[8]

Leadership at national and regional levels rests in approximately seven hundred teams of "itinerant catechists," comprising a priest and two or three lay men and women, appointed and supervised by the International Responsible Team. Depending on the number of communities in a particular area, a team of Itinerant Catechists may be responsible for the implementation of the NC Way in a country, a group of countries or a region of a country. Pope John Paul II summarized the role of the itinerant catechists in December 1985:

"They contribute by forming the first neocatechumenal communities of a parish, and are supposed to maintain regular contact with the Bishops of the diocese in which they work; the itinerant teams preserve a constant link with the responsibles of the Neocatechumenal Way, visiting periodically the communities they catechized and taking care of the development of the Neocatechumenal Way in the territory assigned to them, being fully faithful to the charism given to the initiators and obedient to the local Ordinary."[9]

The itinerant catechists do not make any formal commitment to their missionary role, and are free to resign at any time.

In June 2008 the Statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way received final approval from the Vatican.

Nature and mission of the Neocatechumenal communities

The Way describes itself as a community—it resists terms such as organization or movement since it is the Church's only approved Post-Baptismal Catechumenate—“at the service of the Bishops as a form of diocesan implementation of Christian initiation and of ongoing education in faith, in accordance with the indications of the Second Vatican Council and the Magisterium of the Church”.[10] It provides an ongoing education in faith and a service of catechesis.[11] From the initial catechesis, it typically takes several years and passing through stages of faith formation in the local communities, until a member reaches the renewal of the baptismal vows (or the baptism).

It is implemented in dioceses under the jurisdiction the bishop and the guidance of the Responsible Team of the Way “according to the lines proposed by its initiators”.[12][13]

Missionary activity

Responding to secularization the Way introduced a program called "families in mission": Families serving to establish the presence of the Catholic Church in countries where there is none (this is referred as Implantatio Ecclesiae) or to strengthen the presence of Catholic communities in particularly difficult areas.[14]

On January 12, 2006, about 200 families met with Pope Benedict XVI asking for a missionary mandate before beginning their mission to France, Belgium, Germany and China—bringing the number Families in Mission to more than five-hundred.[15]

In March 2008 the Way met with nine cardinals and 160 European bishops at the Domus Galilaeae International Center on the Mount of Beatitudes in Galilee. Christoph Cardinal Schönborn said that during "the last 40 years Europe has said ‘no’ to its future three times: in 1968 when it rejected 'Humanae Vitae'; then, 20 years later, with the legalization of abortion; and today with homosexual marriages." He called the Neocatechumenal Way an "answer of the Holy Spirit to this situation." A joint declaration from the bishops said "[h]ere we have an important proposal, the proposal of the Neocatechumenal Way, which is to renew the life of the family."[16]

On January 10, 2009, Benedict XVI met with over 10,000 people for a celebration marking the 40th anniversary of the Neocatechumenal Way in Rome. From this celebration several whole communities were sent on mission, along with itinerant catechists, mission families, and the Missio Ad Gentes (a newer form of mission that sends three to five families to a particular area at the request of the bishop).[17]

The World Youth Days

Approximately every three years, the World Youth Day has been organized by the Roman Catholic Church, during which the Pope summons youths from all over the world to a chosen city. The Way has been an active supporter of these, rallying its young members to attend. For instance, during World Youth Day 2008 held in Sydney, George Cardinal Pell said that of the 110,000 international visitors that attended, 40,000 were from the Neocatechumenal Way,[18] and some 300,000 attended Madrid World Youth Day.[citation needed]

During the event, young members of the Neocatechumenal Way meet with Argüello for a "vocational call." In Sydney, for example, approximately 1,500 men answered the call for the priesthood and 850 young women stood up to show their willingness to a consecrated life, and in Bonn (2005) around 1,500 young men and another 900 young women answered the call. These young men and women begin a process of discernment in their own dioceses and communities, which may lead to priesthood (most of the priestly vocations go to a "Redemptoris Mater" seminary) or consecrated life.[19]

The Neocatechumenal Way in the Eastern Rites and the Holy Land

During the Neocatechumenal Way vocational meeting held near the Sea of Galilee following Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the Holy Land in May 2009, Arguello described the Way's situation in the Holy Land, claiming thirty communities that follow several different Christian rites, and holding them up as an example of the ecumenical breakthrough.[citation needed] There are seven communities following the Latin Rite, in Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Cana.[citation needed] In March 2000, the Way opened its Domus Galilaeae formation center on the slopes of the Mount of Beatitudes in Israel. The facility is used for studies and retreat, Christian seminars and conventions.[20]

In June 2007, Archbishop Elias Chacour proposed the establishment of a new "branch" of the Neocatechumenal Way "to work specifically in the Eastern-rite Church." Archbp. Chacour stated in his message that he has searched for "someone or some community to preach the Good News to my parishioners" as an answer to proselytism of the sects, and that the Neocatechumenal Way is an answer. A spokesman for the Way reported the letter to ZENIT, saying that "We share the sense of urgency expressed by Archbishop Chacour to evangelize 'the living stones' in the land of the Lord."[21]

The Greek Catholic (Melchite) rite runs a Redemptoris Mater Seminary within Domus Galilaeae, and has 12 neocatechumenal communities in several Palestinian villages: three each in Shefamer, Tarshiha and Melia, two in Ibilin and one in Cana. Additionally, there are two Maronite communities in Gish and Haifa, as well as two Hebrew-speaking communities in Haifa and Tel Aviv.[citation needed]

The Redemptoris Mater Seminaries

File:Redemptoris Mater seminaries.png
The seal of Redemptoris Mater seminaries

The Way also operates several seminaries dubbed Redemptoris Mater seminaries which combines the priestly formation found in a seminary with the Christian formation received in a neocatechumenal community. Potential candidates often undergo a time of "Pre-Vocational Formation" before entering the seminary, which operates somewhat in the manner of a pre-med course, designed to prepare and awaken their vocations.

The intent was to establish a seminary that was both international, i.e. with vocations coming from different nations, and missionary, i.e. upon ordination, the priests are available to go wherever their ordinary sends them,[22] In 1988, the first Redemptoris Mater Seminary was established in Rome by Ugo Cardinal Poletti,[23] and today there are Redemptoris Mater Seminaries all over the world in places such as Managua (Nicaragua), Rome (Italy), Kearny (NJ, USA), Madrid (Spain), Berlin (Germany), Guam, Sarajevo (Bosnia and Hercegovina), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Manila (Philippines) and Warsaw (Poland).

The Statutes and the Catechetical Directory

In 1997, Pope John Paul II "encouraged [Argüello and Hernández] to examine their thirty-year experience of the Way, and to formalize it with a written statute,"[24] and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger urged the drafting of the Statutes as "a very important step that will open the way to the formal juridical recognition by the Church, and giving you a further guarantee of the authenticity of your charism" [25] The Statutes drafted in response were approved ad experimentum for five years in 2002,[26] and on June 13, 2008, after review by five dicasteries and the Pontifical Council for the Laity,[citation needed] Stanislaw Cardinal Rylko published a decree containing the definitive approval of the statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way.[27]

The Statutes describe the nature of the Way and regulate its charism and specific tasks within the Church.[28] Through them the Neocatechumenal Way was endowed with "public juridical personality" status.[29] The Way is thus closely governed by an ecclesiastical authority, performs entrusted functions "in the name of the church," and that it has no material goods of its own.[30]

Inter alia, in article 13, the Statutes stated that the Masses of the communities must be "open also to other faithful"; that communion must be received "standing"; that for the biblical readings, only "brief [ad]monitions" of introduction are permitted, apart from the homily".

The Statutes refer to a Catechetical Directory[31], which received Vatican approval at the end of 2010.

This originated with thirteen volumes of materials published by Argüello in 1972, based on his and Hernández's preaching, and titled the Orientations for the Teams of Catechists. The Orientations were held in secret until 1997 when Cardinal Ratzinger ordered that they be handed over to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for a doctrinal examination. The examination lasted until 2003, during which the Congregation made minor corrections and added citations of about 2,000 references to parallel passages in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

After thorough examination by various Vatican dicasteries, on December 26, 2010 the Pontifical Council for the Laity approved the text of the catecheses which are handed on to neo-catechumens during their itinerary.[32][33][34] Pope Benedict XVI praised the approval: "With these ecclesiastical seals, the Lord confirms today and entrusts to you again this precious instrument that is the Way, so that you can, in filial obedience to the Holy See and to the pastors of the Church, contribute, with new impetus and ardor, to the radical and joyful rediscovery of the gift of baptism and to offer your original contribution to the cause of the New Evangelization.".[35]

Liturgy

The Neocatechumenal Way regards liturgy as one of its three fundamental elements (tripod), along with the Word of God (scripture) and Christian community.[36] The Paschal Mystery, celebrated in the Sacred Triduum, is seen as a liturgical axis and source of Christian life and a fulcrum of the Neocatechumenate which leads to "rediscovery" of Christian initiation.[37] The Eucharist is essential to the Neocatechumenate, since this is a post-baptismal catechumenate lived in small communities. In fact, the Eucharist completes Christian initiation."[38]

  • The Neocatechumenal Communities celebrate the Sunday Eucharist in the small community; this celebration takes place according to the dispositions of the diocesan bishop. The celebrations of the Eucharist of the neocatechumenal communities on Saturday evening are part of the Sunday liturgical pastoral work of the parish and are open also to other faithful. [39]
  • For the celebration of the Eucharist in the small communities the approved liturgical books of the Roman Rite are followed, with the exception of the explicit concessions from the Holy See. Regarding the distribution of Holy Communion under the two species, the neocatechumens receive it standing, remaining at their place.

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has observed the Way's liturgical practices from the beginning.[40] Pope John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist at the meeting with the communities in Porto San Giorgio in 1989, exactly as the communities do it, including the communion rite in a sitting position.[4]

Cardinal Francis Arinze, however, the Prefect of the Congregation from 2002 until 2008, wrote in December 2005 a private letter to Arguello, Hernández and Pezzi on behalf of Pope Benedict.[41] He advised that "[i]n the celebration of the Holy Mass, the Neocatechumenal Way shall accept and follow the liturgical books approved by the Church, without omitting or adding anything." The letter directed members of the Way to adopt the prescribed method of receiving Holy Communion, to participate in parish life, and to celebrate Mass with the rest of the parish community on at least one Sunday each month.

The Way argues that Arinze's letter has been superseded by the Final Statute of the Neocatechumenal Way insofar as it says that “the celebrations of the Eucharist of the neocatechumenal communities on Saturday evening are part of the Sunday liturgical pastoral work of the parish and are open also to other faithful.”[42][citation needed] In his Canonical Observations on the Definitive Approval of the Statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way, Msgr. Juan Arrieta, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, summarizes the liturgical concessions of the Neocatechumenal Way as follows:

“First, that the neocatechumens celebrate the Eucharist in the small community, after the First Vespers of Sunday. Second, that this celebration, after First Vespers takes place according to the disposition of the diocesan bishop. Third, that these celebrations [...] are part of the pastoral work and consequently are open to all the faithful. Fourth, that in these celebrations the liturgical books approved by the Roman Rite are followed, 'with the exception of the explicit concessions from the Holy See' (always with unleavened bread), moving the rite of peace before the consecration, communion under both species, brief admonitions and echoes and, finally, a new way for the distribution of Communion: 'Regarding the distribution of Holy Communion under the two species, the neocatechumens receive standing, remaining at their place.'[43]

In an interview with the Spanish newspaper La Razón, Antonio Cardinal Cañizares, current Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, expressed his view on the Eucharistic celebration of the Neocatechumenal Way:

"There are no liturgical anomalies [in the Eucharist]; everything is in full compliance of the guidelines of the ‘Ordo Missae.’ What I have really seen there are Eucharists celebrated without any hurry, with a great faith, and where you can perceive the joy and the thanksgiving for the gift which is being bestowed in the Eucharist.” [44]

The Statutes also mention the sacrament of Penance celebrated according to the rite of reconciliation for multiple penitents, with individual confession and absolution.[45]

Criticisms

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The Neocatechumenal Way has encountered resistance and criticism from both clergy and theologians. After the Neocatechumenate was introduced into the parish of St Germain-des-Prés in Paris, for example, the Archbishop of Paris, François Cardinal Marty, blocked any further expansion before his retirement in 1981,[46] and similar controversy in 1992 prompted the Bishop of Nancy to transfer the neocatechumens to a different church.[47]

The orthodoxy of the Way's teachings and the validity of its liturgical practices has also drawn criticism. In 1995 the Italian Passionist priest and theologian Enrico Zoffoli published a critique of the Way that accused the movement of heresy: “Their doctrine is seriously compromised with errors against fundamental dogmatics of the Church, the Popes and the Councils. They negate the Redemption, the sacrificial character of the Eucharist, the transubstantiation, etc... they misunderstand the sin and the Grace concepts... their doctrinal statements are fundamentally wrong.” Zoffoli warned that "the building of Neocatechumenal seminaries, where candidates are prepared for the priesthood educated in accordance with the doctrinal errors of Kiko, could be one of the worst threats for the Church of tomorrow.".[48] The Way did not officially respond to the accusations of heresy.

There have been allegations that the Way could have a divisive impact on parishes into which it moves. The Neocatechumenal communities are made up of people from the parish, however they do not celebrate their Masses on Sunday with the community but separately on Saturday evening with a Vigil Mass, with their respective communities.[49] In 1994, the Diocese of Clifton undertook an extensive investigation of the communities, and concluded that the movement was "a form of spiritual enslavement" and that its presence in parishes was "completely divisive and destructive." Bishop Mervyn Alexander issued a decree the next year banning the Neocatechumenal Way from further activity in the diocese.

In some places such as China and the Middle East, local Catholics have complained that missionaries of the Way have forced European songs, rituals and prayers on them. [50] Archbishop Peter Takeo Okada has described the Way's presence in Japan’s small Catholic community as "a serious problem" and "divisive and confrontational". Staff and students of the Takamatsu Redemptoris Mater seminary relocated to Rome in 2009[51] and in 2010, the Japanese episcopal conference asked the Way to suspend its activities in Japan for five years.[52] Local bishops suspended the Way's activities in the northern part of the Philippines in 2010, and in Nepal in 2011.[53][54]

Assuming that "there are about Neocatechumenal 25,000 communities in 800 dioceses and 6,000 parishes in 124 nations, including 1,000 communities in 300 parishes and 75 U.S. dioceses,"[citation needed] the above-mentioned incidents are claimed to be anomalies.

In February 2014, Pope Francis told the Neocatechumenal Way that “The freedom of the individual must not be forced, and you must respect even the eventual choice of those who should decide to look outside of the Way, for other forms of Christian life”.[55]

Papal statements

Pope Paul VI stated in 1974: "What great joy and what great hope your presence and activity give us!... Living and promoting this reawakening is what you call a form of 'follow-up to Baptism', which will renew in today's Christian communities those effects of maturity and deepening which in the early Church were achieved by the period of preparation for Baptism," as cited by John Paul II in his open letter Ogni Qualvolta, in which he himself said, "I recognize the Neocatechumenal Way as an effective means of Catholic formation for society and for the present time."[56]

From L'Osservatore Romano in August 2002: " He (John Paul II) leaves it to the judgement of the Ordinaries to act according to the pastoral needs of their own dioceses."[57] when considering the Way.

In February 2014, Pope Francis also told the members of the Neocatechumenal Way that the Holy Spirit has already preceded the Neocatechumenal Way, explicitly stating, "The Church is grateful for your generosity! I thank you for all that you do in the Church and in the world."[58] Demonstrating Pope Francis' previous criticism to be constructive, on March 6th, 2015, Pope Francis again addressed the Neocatechumenal Way in Vatican City, during another sending of missio ad gentes families, stating, with his familiar humor: "I confirm your call, I support your mission and I bless your charism. I do not do so because he [pointing at Kiko] paid me, no! I do so because I want to do it. You will go in Christ's name to the whole world to bring his Gospel: Christ precedes you, Christ accompanies you, Christ will bring to fulfilment the salvation of which you are bearers!"[59]

Regional Statistics

The highest number of communities found in Europe (and the World) are found in Italy (10,000 communities) and Spain (7,000 communities).

The highest number of communities in the world in a country per capita is found in Malta, which has 100 communities in an island of 400,000 persons, which is the equivalent of twice the number of communities both in Italy and in Spain.

The Way is present in all continents, in over 900 dioceses, with a total of about 40,000 communities in 6,000 parishes. Each community may consist of 20~50 members (Brothers and sisters). In 2014 there are 100 Redemptoris Mater (Mother of the Redeemer) seminaries in total.

In Africa there are 800 communities, as well as in the Middle East with Lebanon having the highest number of communities.

Notes, documents and references

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.(primary source)
  2. The term post-baptismal catechumenate is also used in the §1231 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, related to the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church itself, “By its very nature infant Baptism requires a post-baptismal catechumenate.”
  3. Kiko Argüello meets with Benedict XVI (27 May 2007).
  4. Michael Hayes, New Religious Movements in the Catholic Church 12 (2006); see also http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/pclneoca.htm.
  5. (Carmen Hernández speech says Morcillo visited the slums (in Italian) June 28, 2002) (primary source).
  6. Father Dino Torreggiani (1905-1983), wrote a presentation letter to Card. Dell'Acqua (source: Kiko, Dossetti e 'le ironie della sorte' (Catechumenium.it)) primary source.
  7. Statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way, June 2002.
  8. Statute of the Neocatechumenal Way, Title VI, Art. 34-35.
  9. L'Osservatore Romano, 11 December 1985 (Italian edition)
  10. Statute of the Neocatechumenal Way, Title I, Art. 1, § 2.
  11. Statute of the Neocatechumenal Way, Title I, Art. 1, § 3.
  12. Congregation For the Clergy, General Directory for Catechesis, 223: see c. 755 §1 CIC; c. 617 CCEO
  13. Statute of the Neocatechumenal Way, Title I, Art. 2, citing John Paul II, letter Ogniqualvolta, 30 August 1990, in Acta Apostolicae Sedis (AAS), nr. 82 (1990), page 1515.
  14. Homily of Pope John Paul II recorded in the Italian edition of L'Osservatore Romano, 31 December 1988)
  15. Benedict XVI speech to Neocatechumenals (12 January 2006).
  16. Neocatechumenal Way Saying "Yes" to Europe.
  17. Address of his Holiness Benedict XVI to members of the Neocatechumenal Way on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of its Origins in Rome
  18. Homily of Cardinal Pell
  19. Neocatechumenal Meeting Attracts 90,000 (Zenit News Agency).
  20. Cardinal O'Malley: Domus Galilaea in Israel
  21. Melkite Leader Invites Neocatechumenal Way (Zenit).
  22. (cfr. chapter 10 of Presbyterorum Ordinis)
  23. Michael Mullaney, Incardination and the universal dimension of the priestly ministry 216 n.259 (2002).
  24. Brendan Leahy, Ecclesial Movements and Communities 68 (2011).
  25. [1] (citing Address to the Neocatechumenal Way, 25 January 1997, p. 4; ORE, 5 February 1997, p.9) (primary source)
  26. During the process, Card. Ratzinger was elected Pope, and at a Q&A section in February 2007, responded to a question of how pastors should integrate movements in order to develop a real ministry of unity in the universal Church by talking about the Way:

    "For example, we ask ourselves whether, after five years of experience, it is possible to confirm definitively the Statutes for the Neocatechumenal Way, whether a trial period is necessary or whether, perhaps, certain elements of this structure need perfecting. In any case, I knew the Neocatechumenals from the very outset. It was a long Way, with many complications that still exist today, but we have found an ecclesial form that has already vastly improved the relationship between the Pastor and the Way. We are going ahead like this! The same can be said for other Movements."

    Lenten meeting with the clergy of Rome: Address of his Holiness Benedict XVI
  27. Multiple sources report this Zenit, Radio Vaticana and CBC news
  28. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (primary source)
  29. Pontifical Council for the Laity, Decree
  30. Statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way Title 1 Art. 4 (primary source).
  31. [2]
  32. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (primary source)
  33. Neocatechumenal Way receives Vatican approval for its teachings, instructions from Pope (EWTN)
  34. Church Gives Final OK to Neocatechumenate (Zenit)
  35. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. Cf. Statutes Art. 8 § 2.
  37. Cf. Statutes Art. 12 § 1.
  38. Cf. Statutes Art. 13 § 1.
  39. Cf. Statutes Art. 13 § 2.
  40. Cf. Notice of the Congregation for the Divine Worship on the celebrations in the groups of the Neocatechumenal Way, in L’Oss. Rom. (Italian), 24 December 1988
  41. On Liturgical Norms for the Neocatechumenal Way (Zenit).
  42. Final Statute of the Neocatechumenal Way, Art. 13, § 3.
  43. Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Legislative Texts, Canonical Observations of the Definitive Approval of the Statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way, 2008, http://www.camminoneocatecumenale.it/new/default.asp?lang=en&page=statuto08_4 (primary source)
  44. Interview with Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, Prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship, December 14, 2008[citation needed]
  45. Statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way, Title II, Art. 14 § 1
  46. Gordon Urquhart, The Pope's Armada: Unlocking the Secrets of Mysterious and Powerful New Sects in the Catholic Church, Bantam, 1995 p.109
  47. Michael McGrade, "The Last Trojan Horse", Christian Order, October 2002
  48. Enrico Zoffoli, "The Neocatechumenals: Who they are, What their creed is, What we should think of them"
  49. Liturgy: Benedict XVI Brings the Neocatechumenals Back to the Right Way (Chiesa).
  50. Madeleine Bunting, An Elite of the Damned. The Guardian, March 2, 1996.
  51. Neo-cats go off on their own way UCA News
  52. Japan's bishops want Neocatechumenal Way to leave for five years (CNA).
  53. [3]
  54. Neocatechumenal Way in Lingayen-Dagupan
  55. respect local cultures and churches The Tablet
  56. http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2OGNIQ.HTM
  57. http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2OGNIQ.HTM
  58. http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-francis-address-to-members-of-the-neocatechumenal-way
  59. http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-francis-address-to-the-neocatechumenal-way

External links