Text of Pope Benedict's speech to the Neocatechumenal Way - 1/20/2012

Following is the text of the speech given by Pope Benedict XVI to the Neocatechumenal Way on January 20, 2012, approving its form of celebrating the Eucharist. The highlights are mine. It will be evident to those who know, why I highlighted the particular passages.

http://www.zenit.org/article-34156?l=english
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 20, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today to members of the Neocatechumenal Way.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This year I have the joy to meet you and share with you this moment of sending out for the mission. A special greeting to Kiko Argüello, Carmen Hernández and Father Mario Pezzi, and an affectionate greeting to you all: priests, seminarians, families, formators and members of the Neocatechumenal Way. Your presence today is a visible testimony of your joyful commitment to living the faith, in communion with the whole Church and with the Successor of Peter, and to be courageous heralds of the Gospel.

In the passage we heard from St. Matthew, the apostles received a clear mandate from Jesus: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:19). At first they doubted, in their hearts there was still uncertainty, wonder before the event of the Resurrection. And it is Jesus himself, the Risen one -- the Evangelist underlines -- who draws close to them, makes his presence felt, sends them to teach all that he has communicated to them, giving a certainty that accompanies every preacher of Christ: "And behold I am with you always, until the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). They are words that resonate strongly in your hearts. You have sung Resurrexit, expressing faith in the Living One, the One who, in a supreme act of love has conquered sin and death and gives to man, to us, the warmth of the love of God, the hope of being saved, a future of eternity.

In these decades of life of the Way, one of your strong commitments has been to proclaim the Risen Christ, responding with generosity to his words, often abandoning personal and material safety, even leaving your own countries, facing new and not always easy situations. Bringing Christ to the people and bringing people to Christ: this is what breathes life into each work of evangelization. You do it in a way that helps those who have already received the baptism of faith discover the beauty of the life of faith, the joy of being Christians. The "following of Christ" requires the personal adventure of looking for him, of going with him, and always involves going out of the closed-ness of one's ego, breaking down the individualism that often characterizes the society of our time, to replace selfishness with the community of the new man in Jesus Christ. And this happens in a deep personal relationship with him, in listening to his word, in walking the path that he has shown us, but it also happens inseparably with believing with his Church, with the saints, in whom one always discovers again and again the true face of the Bride of Christ.

It is a commitment -- we know -- that is not always easy. Sometimes you are present in places where there is need for a first proclamation of the Gospel, the mission ad gentes; often, however, in areas that, despite having known Christ, have become indifferent to faith: secularism has eclipsed the sense of God there, and eclipsed Christian values. Here, your commitment and your testimony is like yeast that, with patience, in time, with sensus Ecclesiae, causes the dough to rise.

The Church has recognized in the Way a special gift that the Holy Spirit has given our time, and the approval of the Statutes and of the "Catechetical Directory" are a sign of this. I encourage you to offer your original contribution to the cause of the Gospel. In your valuable work, seek always a deep communion with the Apostolic See and with the Pastors of particular Churches, to which you belong: the unity and harmony of the body of the Church are an important witness to Christ and his Gospel in the world we live in.

Dear families, the Church thanks you; it needs you for the new evangelization. The family is an important cell for the ecclesial community, where one is formed in human and Christian life. With great joy I see your children, many children who look to you, dear parents, to your example. One hundred families are leaving for 12 missions ad gentes. I invite you not to be afraid: he who carries the Gospel is never alone. I greet with affection the priests and seminarians: love Christ and the Church, communicate the joy of having met him and the beauty of having given Him everything. I also greet the itinerants, directors and all the communities of the Way. Continue to be generous with the Lord: He will sustain you with his consolation!

A while ago I was reading the decree with which the celebrations which are in the "Catechetical Directory of the Neocatechumenal Way" are approved; celebrations which are not strictly liturgical, but are part of the itinerary of growth in faith. It is another element that shows you how the Church accompanies you with a patient discernment that includes your richness, but also looks to the communion and harmony of the whole Corpus Ecclesiae.

This gives me the opportunity to offer a brief thought on the value of the liturgy. The Second Vatican Council defines it as the work of Christ the Priest and of His Body the Church (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7). At first glance this might seem strange, because it seems that the work of Christ refers to the historical redemptive action of Jesus, his Passion, Death and Resurrection. In what sense, then, is the liturgy the work of Christ? The Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus are not only historical events; they reach into and penetrate history, but also transcend it and are always present in the heart of Christ. In the liturgical action of the Church there is the active presence of the Risen Christ who makes present and effective for us today the same Paschal Mystery; it draws us into this act of gift of Self that in his heart is always present, and causes us to participate in this presence of the Paschal Mystery. This work of the Lord Jesus, who is the real content of the Liturgy, the entering into the presence of the Paschal Mystery, is also the work of the Church, which, as his body, is a single entity with Christ -- Totus Christus caput et corpus -- says St. Augustine. In the celebration of the sacraments, Christ immerses us in the Paschal Mystery for us to pass from death to life, from sin to new life in Christ.

This applies most especially for the celebration of the Eucharist, which, being the summit of Christian life, is also the cornerstone of its rediscovery, to which the Neocatechumenate tends. As your Statutes read, "The Eucharist is essential to the Neocatechumenate, as a post-baptismal catechumenate, lived in small communities" (art. 13 §1). Precisely in order to promote the rapprochement to the wealth of the sacramental life by people who have strayed from the Church, or have not received adequate training, the Neocatechumenals may celebrate the Eucharist in small communities, after the first Vespers of Sunday, according to the provisions of the diocesan bishop (cf. Statutes, art. 13 §2). But every Eucharistic celebration is an action of the one Christ together with his one Church and therefore essentially open to all those who belong to this Church. This public character of the Holy Eucharist is expressed in the fact that every celebration of Holy Mass is ultimately directed by the Bishop as a member of the Episcopal College, responsible for a particular local church (cf. Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution. Lumen Gentium, 26). The celebration in small communities, regulated by the liturgical books, which should be followed faithfully, and with the particular features approved in the Statutes of the Way, has the task of helping those who are undergoing the Neocatechumenal itinerary to receive the grace of being inserted into the saving mystery of Christ, which makes possible a Christian witness capable of assuming the traits of radicality. At the same time, the gradual growth in faith of the individual and of the small communities should promote their integration into the life of the larger ecclesial community, that finds in the liturgical celebration of the parish, in which and for which the Neocatechumenate is implemented (cf. Statutes, art. 6), its ordinary form. But even during the way it is important not to separate from the parish community, right in the celebration of the Eucharist which is the true place of the unity of all, where the Lord embraces us in the various states of our spiritual maturity and unites us in the one bread that makes us one body (cf. 1 Corinthian 10:16f).

Courage! The Lord does not fail to accompany you and I assure you of my prayers and I thank you for the many signs of closeness. I also ask you to remember me, too, in your prayers. May the Holy Virgin Mary with her maternal gaze assist you and may my Apostolic Blessing sustain you, which I extend to all the members of the Way. Thank you!

Here is a copy of the actual decree:

"By a decree of 11 May 2008 the Pontifical Council for the Laity gave definitive approval to the Statutes of the Neo-Catechumenal Way. Subsequently, following due consultation with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, by a decree of 26 December 2010, the council gave approval to the publication of the Catechetical Directory as a valid and binding instrument for the catechesis of the Neo-Catechumenal Way.

"Now, pursuant to articles 131 and 133 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Apostolic Constitution 'Pastor Bonus' on the Roman Curia, the Pontifical Council for the Laity, having received the 'nulla osta' of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, grants approval to those celebrations contained in the Catechetical Directory of the Neo-Catechumenal Way which are not, by their nature, already regulated by the liturgical books of the Church".

HONEST THOUGHTS ABOUT THE NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY

Dear Friends,

It is not without a little sadness that I share this with you. I have been deliberating over making the following statement for several years and now feel forced to officially say something in the hopes of encouraging better understanding and future cooperation in this diocese which I can see is terribly torn. I thank you for reading the following:

Running a Catholic bookstore and being involved in our local church at many levels I am often drawn into conversations about the Neocatechumenal Way.

The reason the NCW (apologies to those offended by the abbreviation) is the topic of much discussion is a study in itself. Seems like folks either love or hate it.

I have spent many hours with people in and out of the NCW in an effort to get to understand what the problem is.

Recently, I was accused of having said something derogatory which is absolutely not true, so I thought it best to make my thoughts and comments public with a time and date stamp so that even more ill will is not stirred up. God help us.

These thoughts are based only on my observations and personal experiences. I am not in the NCW and have never attended any of their functions though I often have the pleasure of joining Fr. Ivan and the seminarians for lunch. By the way excuse any terms, phrases, or references that I may use that evinces my ignorance of the NCW. I mean no harm and I apologize for my ignorance.

Here’s the good stuff:

1. The NCW is teaching people the truth about sex. Thank God for that! I know women in the NCW who have gotten their tubes untied and many who have gotten off birth control. I know people who were living lives contrary to the teachings of the church as regards sex and who are now living in conformity with those teachings. The teaching of the NCW is heroic in this regard.

2. The NCW is getting people to pray, especially the liturgical prayer of the Church. I was blessed to have been exposed to it many years ago (in college), but since then I have never been encouraged to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.

3. The NCW is teaching people to be givers…AND they are succeeding. I see NCWs contributing in large ways, especially financially.

4. The NCW is producing vocations. And I know that the seminarians are learning Latin and Gregorian Chant in conformity with the true wishes of Vatican II. I don’t see that happening anywhere else.

5. I see NCW priests wearing their clerics. They are visible to the community. God Bless them for that.

6. I was sitting with Fr. Ivan and Fr. Eric Forbes when Fr. Ivan asked Fr. Eric if he would teach the seminarians how to say the Traditional Latin Mass. Fr. Eric responded positively and also offered to teach them the theology of this beautiful Mass. This is in conformity with the wishes (if not command) of the Pope in his recent Moto Proprio. I don’t see anyone else rushing to embrace the Pope’s desires in this regard.

7. The NCW is teaching people to study their faith. They are studying the Scriptures, the Catechism, and the Early Fathers. It’s wonderful to see.

8. I understand that the NCW is also active in the prison. I used to teach in the prison for GCC and saw how active non-Catholic groups were with the prisoners. The majority of the prisoners are Catholic. Where is the Catholic ministry? The NCW is now there.

9. I see the NCW going out 2 by 2, knocking on doors and inviting people back to the Church, in other words, doing exactly what Christ commanded. The only other group that I know that does this is the Legion of Mary, so good for them too.

10. Most of all I am moved by the politeness, the kindness, the general charity of those I know in the NCW, especially the priests and seminarians, but essentially most everybody I know personally who is connected with it.

11. I should also mention that I have been asked on many occasions to order the book The Pope’s Armada which as you may know is not very favorable towards the NCW and other ecclesial communities. I only placed one order for it and that was before I knew what it was. When I am asked now, I politely let the person know that it is not a book that I would recommend. I don’t say this because of the negative it has towards the movements, but because the book calls into question the wisdom and the authority of John Paul II. And I’m a JPII defendant.

Now here are my issues, which I intend to lay out just as honestly and again only from my personal observations and experiences as an outsider. Some of these things do not have anything to do with the NCW, but just personal preference, like the first one:

1. I feel that I shouldn’t have to “join” something in order to practice my Faith to its fullest. I have Jesus Christ and the Sacraments of the One, Holy, Catholic, Church. What else is needed? I feel that if there is anything lacking it is more ordained minsiters who will teach the truth. I know many who do, but all should.

2. I completely understand the NCW in terms of what I think it was originally constituted to do which is to evangelize, to reach out to those who are marginalized, or left behind. This is not what I see happening. I see the NCW going into parishes and taking people out of the pews and forming what is, in effect, parallel "community" churches.

3. I do not understand what I’ll call the “line of accountability”.

• The thing that makes us Catholic is that we can SEE that line: priest – bishop – pope. It’s the only guarantee that I have that I have access to the truth. In the NCW I do not know the line of accountability. 
• While its statutes have been blessed by the Pope, I do not know who the individual catechists and “responsibles” are answerable to. I do not know what qualifies these people to teach in the name of the Church. I understand that locally the NCW is “under Father Pius”, or this is what I’m told. 
• When I ask who Father Pius is “under” I am told either the Bishop or “a couple that lives in California”. 
• With the Bishop I understand the canonical order, however, I also know that the Bishop is not directing the NCW here in Guam but hosting it. I believe Fr. Pius is directing it. Or so I’m told. 
• Correct me if I’m wrong. But then who is the “couple in California” and “by what authority” do they direct Fr. Pius if in fact they do. 

I could be severely wrong about all this. I am only repeating what I am told in the hopes that those within the NCW can see the frustration of those of us not “in it”. (Actually those words “not in it” are an issue in themselves. See point #1.)

4. I am DEEPLY attached to the Traditional Latin Mass. Even at the Novus Ordo I do not touch the host. Communion in the hand was conceived in disobedience and allowed because the disobedience was so wide spread that it was deemed to cause more damage to stop it, so it was allowed. (Look it up yourself.) I do not believe that the Mass is supposed to be a re-creation of the upper room but an anticipation of the heavenly liturgy, the Lamb’s Supper, not the Last Supper. The Catechism itself states this.

• 1090 "In the earthly liturgy we share in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle. With all the warriors of the heavenly army we sing a hymn of glory to the Lord; venerating the memory of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them; we eagerly await the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, until he, our life, shall appear and we too will appear with him in glory."

Thus I hunger for Holy Mass that best represents the heavenly liturgy and I find it in the Traditional Latin Mass. I have not attended an NCW Mass but it has been described to me and I do not find the description of it to match what I read in the Catechism. This too is just personal preference. Obviously the NCW form of the Mass is allowed, as is the Novus Ordo. It’s just that I find the BEST expression in the TLM. So that’s where I go. And that’s where I will continue to go. I find it extremely heartening that the NCW rectors here in Guam want the seminarians to learn the TLM. God bless them and may they discover the great beauty of the beloved Mass of our saintly ancestors.

5. The only other issue I would have is the arrogance of some in the NCW who seem to believe that the “Way” is THEE Way, that you are not fully Catholic unless you are in the “Neo." But I do not blame the NCW. This is not what they are taught to do. It’s a natural result of the exuberance people often experience when they feel that they have "found it”, be it religion, a career, or the right girl or guy. I admit it gets a little annoying but I understand it. I would also encourage those who lead NCW groups to help new people in this regard.

6. But that brings to mind one more thing that I find frustrating. There is an element of secrecy that is strange to me as a Catholic. At my bookstore I am often asked for certain resources that are particular to the NCW. I am happy to order them but I would prefer to have them in stock. To facilitate keeping these items in stock I have often asked for the name of the person in charge so that I might know who to contact about possible future needs. I am ALWAYS met with an evasive answer. I am most often told “I don’t know”.

This raises all kinds of red flags with me. How can you be involved in something that is very well organized and not know who is in charge. The only answer I get is “the Bishop”. While I know that the Bishop is canonically responsible for all things that happen in his diocese I seriously doubt "he’s in charge” in the way that I am asking.

There is an obvious element of secrecy that is inherent in the NCW process. I have no criticism of such secrecy directly, though it seems strange to me as a Catholic. Many organizations have “trade secrets” or whatever. But then tell the truth. Say “we are not allowed to tell”.

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In summary I yield to the Holy Spirit and the wisdom of our earthly Vicar of Christ. If it’s okay with the Pope then it’s okay with me. But just like communion in the hand and other liturgical practices that I dislike, I have a right as a Catholic to choose to practice my faith the way I know I am called to practice it.

By coincidence I was moved to write this early this morning as a result of almost daily confrontations I have regarding the NCW. I wanted to just write this and hand this to people whenever the subject came up…to save me time, but also to protect myself from being misquoted.

This afternoon I received an email from a dear friend bearing me the bad news about something I supposedly said about the NCW. She mentioned the time and place that I supposedly said this so I knew exactly where it was coming from and knew exactly what it was that I had said. It was at the diocesan convocation this past Monday night.

I was sitting at the table with Archbishop Apuron, 3 monsignors, two of whom I know are involved with the NCW (David C. Benavente and Brigido Arroyo), 2 lay people - one a catechist in the NCW, and an NCW priest. If I had anything negative to say you can bet that I would not be so stupid as to say it in that company.

Here’s exactly what I said: “not everyone is going to join the Neocatechumenal Way”. That’s it. That’s all I said. And I said that in response to a question as to how to catechize more adults. And I said it only after complimenting the NCW in how well they are doing in reaching adults. But I added my comment by way of encouraging the pastors present at my table to consider offering another venue for catechesis. The riches of the Church should not be hidden away or relegated to the teaching of a particular group.

Why this person felt it necessary to broadcast my supposed ill will toward the NCW, I don’t know. But the issue shows that there is a problem, a hyper-sensitivity, a bad misunderstanding, a festering wound. It needs to be honestly looked at before the cancer spreads. I can only see sadness ahead if it does.

Sincerely,

Tim Rohr

April 3, 2008