Monday, January 01, 2007

The Neocatechumenal Way-In Disobedience?


Those Who Are Resisting Benedict XVI
The disobedience of the Neocatechumenals. The black legends of the conclave. The translation boycott. Three different ways of opposing the new pope.
The first words of Benedict XVI’s first encyclical letter, almost the motto of his papacy, are "Deus Caritas Est," God is love.
But not everyone in the upper levels of the Church is full of love and solidarity for this new pope. Resistance to his guidance is tenacious and widespread, and in some places it is on the rise. And almost all the resistance shields itself behind the protection of anonymity.
The only open and avowed resistance is that of the Neocatechumenal Way, which has opposed a papal directive issued last December, which struck at one of the movement’s cornerstones.
The Way, founded and directed by Kiko Argüello and Carmen Hernández, both Spanish, is today the most vigorous of the new Catholic movements that emerged during the last half century. It is present in 900 dioceses on all the inhabited continents, and boasts the strength of a million followers in over 20,000 communities, with 3,000 priests and 5,000 religious. It has an international network of 63 "Redemptoris Mater" seminaries, which are thriving with new vocations, in contrast with the vacuum in many diocesan seminaries.
One of the factors in its numeric expansion is the elevated number of children that its families bring into the world, running to ten, twelve, or even more. Each year, scores of these families go on mission into faraway countries. Last January 12, 200 of these families departed all at once from Rome, with the personal blessing of Benedict XVI, who met them in a Nervi Hall that was crowded and pulsing with enthusiasm. Some of the families were going to Patagonia or Japan, but some others were going into the most dechristianized areas of Europe: France, Holland, the former East Germany.
With such a legacy of success, it is natural that the Neocatechumenals receive the support of a large number of bishops and cardinals. Two of these patrons – cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, prefect of the Vatican congregation for the propagation of the faith, and cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop of Washington – were at their side in Nervi Hall on January 12. But criticisms have also rained down upon the Neocatechumenals over the years, especially against their carving out a separate place for themselves in the Church, with their own secret catechism, their own rituals, and their own parallel hierarchy. But these criticisms were always overruled by the unconditional support given to them by John Paul II.
But that’s no longer the case with pope Ratzinger. There is one thing about the Neocatechumenals that the pope does not accept, and which touches the heart of Christian life: the unusual way in which they celebrate the Mass (1).
In effect, the Mass that every one of the 20,000 communities of the Way celebrates each Saturday evening – separately from the parishes and the other sister communities – follows the dictates of its founder Kiko Argüello much more closely than it does the liturgical canons that are universally valid for the Catholic Church.
Instead of the altar in the apse, at the center of the hall is a large square dinner table, around which the Neocatechumenals receive communion in a seated position.
Instead of hosts, a large loaf of unleavened wheat bread, made with two-thirds white flour and one-third whole wheat flour, is divided and eaten. The bread, which is baked for a quarter of an hour, is prepared according to very detailed guidelines established by Kiko.
The wine is drunk from cups, also in a sitting position.
The homily is replaced by spontaneous comments from those present, before and after the readings from the Gospel, the letters of Saint Paul, and the Old Testament.
Benedict XVI has ordered that all of this come to an end. He did this through a letter delivered in mid-December to the three main leaders of the Way: Kiko, Carmen, and the Italian priest Mario Pezzi. The letter was signed by cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Vatican congregation for the liturgy, but from its very first lines it clearly states that these are "the decisions of the Holy Father." Six unambiguous commands follow.
For example, regarding communion, the exact dispositions of the letter are these:
"On the manner of receiving Holy Communion, a period of transition (not exceeding two years) is granted to the Neocatechumenal Way to pass from the widespread manner of receiving Holy Communion in its communities (seated, with a cloth-covered table placed at the center of the church instead of the dedicated altar in the sanctuary) to the normal way in which the entire Church receives Holy Communion. This means that the Neocatechumenal Way must begin to adopt the manner of distributing the Body and Blood of Christ that is provided in the liturgical books." (2)
But instead of simply obeying, the Neocatechumenals disobeyed while asserting that they were perfectly obedient.
When Vatican analyst Andrea Tornielli first gave the news of the pope’s directions, the official spokesman and director of the Way in the United States, Giuseppe Gennarini, protested that in reality these orders amounted to an approval (3).
When on December 27 www.chiesa published Arinze’s letter in its entirety, Gennarini called the very authenticity of this letter into question. He added that "this does not change its nature of a confidential and internal instrumentum laboris (working instrument)," devoid of any normative force. He restated that the only valid norm is "the confirmation by the Holy Father of the liturgical praxis of the Way." And by way of proof he cited the blessing that the pope would bestow a few days later upon the Neocatechumenal families leaving on mission, during the audience of January 12 (4).
The audience did, in fact, take place. And so did the blessing. But there was also a second, ringing summons to obedience from Benedict XVI:
"Recently the congregation for divine worship and the discipline of the sacraments imparted to you, in my name, some norms concerning the Eucharistic celebration, after the trial period that had been granted by the servant of God John Paul II. I am certain that these norms, which draw upon the provisions of the liturgical books approved by the Church, will meet with attentive compliance from you." (5)
There was no comment from the directors of the Way after this second call from the pope. But word was given to the 20,000 communities to continue as before.
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Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Catholic News & Current Events-11/14/2006


Bishops: U.S. must help end Iraqi Violence

The head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged national policymakers Monday to leave behind the campaign season's "shrill and shallow debate" over Iraq and help end sectarian violence, so that citizens of the war-torn nation can find peace.

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Politics Source of Conflict Between East and West, Not Religion

Though the Pope is visiting Turkey at the invitation of the president, Erdogan added: “The status of the Pope is twofold. One is political, and the other religious. With regard to his political identity, our president will meet him, while our head of religious affairs will host him as a religious leader. As for me, I will attend the NATO summit in Riga. This is not a reactionary attitude. I cannot cancel the NATO summit simply because the Pope is coming. The world continues to turn and we have to perform our duties.”

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Vatican Encourages N. Korea Denuclearization

The Vatican is encouraging negotiations to obtain the "denuclearization" of the Korean peninsula, Pope Benedict XVI said Monday.

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Vatican Official Blasts Human Trafficking

Human trafficking, including women forced to become prostitutes or minors forced to do child labor, is worse now than the trade in African slaves of past centuries, a top Vatican official said Tuesday.

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Vatican Official: Immigrants Must Follow Local Laws, Including Bans On Veils

Immigrants must follow local laws, including bans on veils covering the face, a Vatican cardinal said Tuesday, referring to debates in Europe about Muslim women and integration.

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Vatican Official Criticizes U.S. Border Fence Plan

A top Vatican official called the Bush administration's plans for hundreds of miles of new security fences on the United States-Mexico border "inhuman."

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Anglican, Catholic Bishops Meet In England

Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops in England and Wales have begun their first joint meeting.The 2-day conference includes discussion of some of the issues dividing the two churches, including the ordination of women, ordination of gays and the Anglican rejection of clerical celibacy, The Times of London reported.

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Catholic News & Current Events-11/13/2006


Pope Benedict XVI and top Vatican officials will hold a meeting to discuss requests for lifting the celibacy requirement made by priests seeking to marry or who have already married, the Vatican said Monday.

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Appalled by a report that 800 million people in the world today are undernourished and that a great many people die from hunger every year, Pope Benedict XVI has called for a radical change – a "conversion" – in "the model of global development."

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Pope Benedict XVI received a delegation from the Marmara Foundation last week, when the group was in Rome to attend meetings organized by the Turkish and Italian foreign ministries to mark the 150th anniversary of Turkish-Italian relations.

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At a national meeting starting today in Baltimore, the bishops are expected to make changes that adjust to their new circumstances. They plan to channel resources away from broad social pronouncements and focus more on defining Catholicism for an often-uninvolved flock.

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The head of Poland’s Church has apologised to a leading Catholic priest after publicly comparing him to a communist police spy for investigating former clergy agents.

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Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Catholic News & Current Events-10/31/2006



Vatican delegate addresses UN on religious freedom
The Vatican's permanent observer at the UN made a plea for recognition of religious freedom. Read further by clicking here.
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Nicaraguan lawmakers approve abortion ban
Nicaragua's parliament has approved legislation banning nearly all abortions. Read further by clicking here.
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Brazilian cardinal to head Congregation for Clergy?
Cardinal Claudio Hummes of Sao Paulo, Brazil, may soon be named by Pope Benedict XVI as the new prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. Read further by clicking here.
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