Wednesday, May 21, 2014

THE LETTER WAS A WARNING NOT AN ENDORSEMENT

The previous post was rather long so here's the abbreviated version. 

The title of the Zenit story is: Pope Francis Backs Neocatechumenal Way Liturgy

The story is about a letter Kiko Arguello reportedly received from Pope Francis. The pope's letter was reported to be a response to Kiko's own letter to the pope in which, as per the Zenit story, Kiko "told the Pope of his concern about several negative interpretations of the words of the Holy Father addressed to a group of some 12,000 neocatechumens on February 1st, 2014."

The words in question are these: "It would be better to renounce to live in all its details what the itinerary of the Way would demand, in order to ensure unity among the brethren who form the one ecclesial community."

As a result of those words, Kiko claims that certain pastors began:

  1. taking away the the Eucharist celebrated in community on Saturday night, and 
  2. eliminated the Paschal Vigil of the community.

Of course Zenit does not ask him "who, what, where, and when", so he is allowed to construct his usual straw man. Zenit only asks him what the pope's response means, and Kiko replies: "thanks to God, the Pope has saved us...We are very happy that the Pope loves us and defends us."

Of course, the Pope does no such thing. What the pope DOES do is:

  1. Tell Kiko that there can be no misunderstanding about his words.
  2. Defends ecclesial communion by reminding Kiko that the Paschal Vigil and the Sunday Eucharist must conform to the Way's "regulatory charter." 

The pope relies on Kiko's integrity to know that the Statute, the "regulatory charter":

  1. does not allow for a separate celebration of the Easter Vigil in the Neocatechumenal communities - as per the reference to the letter Paschalis Solemnitatis wherein it says "(t)he celebration of the Easter Vigil for special groups is not to be encouraged...";
  2. does not permit a closed celebration of the Eucharist apart from the church; and
  3. does not permit the distribution of communion as it is practiced in the neocatechumenal "eucharists". 

So, via the usual Kiko-spin, what is essentially a very strong reply from the pope 1) affirming that his words relative to ecclesial communion were NOT taken out of context, and 2) to conform to the "regulatory charter", we get from Kiko via Zenit:

  1. The pope loves us!
  2. The pope saves us!
  3. The pope defends us!
  4. The pope backs the Neocatechumenal Way Liturgy!


And for the record:
THERE IS NO "NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY LITURGY"! 


There is only THE LITURGY as provided for in the approved Liturgical Books (the Missal and the GIRM). The Statute of the Neocatechumenal Way DOES NOT provide for a Neocatechumenal Way Liturgy. What it does provide for (in Art. 13) are three exceptions. They are:

  1. the communicants may receive communion under two species,
  2. the communicants may receive the sacred species remaining in their place standing (not sitting), and 
  3. the Rite of Peace may be transferred to after the Prayer of the Faithful.

In all other matters: "the approved liturgical books of the Roman Rite are followed..." (Art 13 § 3)

  1. There is NO allowance for the priest to move his own communion till after the consecrated bread has been distributed. 
  2. There is NO allowance not to consume the consecrated bread immediately upon receiving it as is required of the rest of the Church. 
  3. And there is NO allowance to sit back down after receiving without first consuming. 

In all THREE of these practices, the Neocatechumenal Way departs from its Statute and by doing so, places itself outside its "charter" and outside "ecclesial communion."

The letter was a WARNING not and endorsement!

20 comments:

  1. Yeah right!!! A warning with an apostolic blessing! Yeah right! Some warning! LOL!!!!!! Get real.

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    1. Is this another demonstration of kiko-intelligence? The pope always sends his Apostolic Blessing to whoever he addresses. If he warns them it is because he loves them. If they are in error then they are ever more in need of his blessing. How small the neo world must be not to know this.

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    2. Praying for the return of your humility. Tim is doing a great job of spelling it out in a charitable way and your pride blinds you to the Truth. Why you guys fight tooth and nail to remain separated from your Catholic brethren is saddening.

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    3. Letter with Apostolic Blessings? Show me the written letter typed on a Vatican Letterhead paper and the signature of Cardinal Becciu!

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    4. Please answer Anon 2;13 PM on his query as to "why you guys fight tooth and nail to remain separated from your Catholic brethren is saddening". Aren't we one and the same universal and apostolic church? Do you truly believe that YOUR WAY is the only way even if it means causing division and animosity among your Catholic brothers? The Pope, as a good father would, was trying to be paternal and gentle in his words, clear as they were. He is hoping and praying that you will heed and listen to him. The Church has been around for 2,000 years and has had centuries to discern and to follow God's will. She knows what is best. The NCW has been around for 40 plus years. It's a baby in comparison and like any baby, it will make mistakes, act like a baby, and has a lot of growing up to do. Listen and learn.

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    5. Here is a link to Cardinal Becciu's letter, on his letterhead:
      http://www.scribd.com/doc/218368368/218195099-14-04-2014-10

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    6. Here is Zenit's translation.

      Vatican, April 3rd, 2014

      Most Esteemed Sir

      Mr. Francisco ARGÜELLO,

      With a respectful letter of the past March 15th, you expressed to the Holy Father your grave concern because some people interpreted a quote from the discourse of the past February 1st in a negative way towards the Neocatechumenal Way; there, where His Holiness said that, at times, it would be better to renounce to live in all its details what the itinerary of the Way would demand, in order to ensure unity among the brethren who form the one ecclesial community.

      I have to assure you that Pope Francis has considered carefully what you explained and wishes to confirm, as he has already expressed in the context of the Audience and of His Speech on February 1st, His paternal closeness and His loving encouragement to you and to all adherents to the Way.

      The Holy Father does well know the evangelizing dynamism of the Neocatechumenal Way, the experience of authentic conversion of life of so very many faithful, and the fruits of good generated thanks to the presence of the communities all over the world. His Holiness is convinced that the words above mentioned, which aimed to underline the need to safeguard the precious good of ecclesial communion, do not lend themselves to misunderstandings, above all because they are valid for any form of Christian life.

      Such words do not in any way modify the Statutes, rather they confirm them: as far as it pertains to the celebrations of the Paschal Vigil and the Sunday Eucharist, mentioned by you, articles 12 and 13, read in their entirety, constitute therefore the regulatory charter of reference.

      As the Paschal Solemnities approach, Pope Francis assures His closeness and His memory in the Lord and, while he asks to persevere in prayer for His universal ministry, He sends from His heart to you, to the International Team and to all the adherents to the Neocatechumenal Way, His Apostolic Blessing.

      With feelings of profound esteem and a heartfelt greeting in the Lord.

      + Angelo Becciu

      Substitute

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    7. Anon 5:02 it looks like a cut and paste letterhead. Why would the first page want Kiko Arguello's signature? The letter does not look authentic.

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    8. Yah, there's something strange about the first paragraph. It doesn't begin with a capital letter, but then the the sentence could be considered to begin with the greeting. In any event, it doesn't matter because the content of the letter makes our case, not theirs. As detailed in my post, the actual letter was a rather stern warning to Kiko that the pope was NOT taken out out of context and that he meant what he said and that if he wants his Way to stay legitimate then he must conform to the Statute. The expressions of closeness etc are typical for any pastor but especially the pope. They may also be a warning…letting Kiko know that the pope is "close". I'm sure that this is how Kiko took it which is why he appears so shaken in the Zenit interview.

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  2. Gosh, this picture of Kiko IS scary...

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    1. Bleary eyed, deep dark circles around his eyes . We can attribute these scary features to the relentless persecution of Mr. Tim Rohr, of Agat. Poor, poor Kiko. Tim you schoolyard bully! Leave pointy beard alone.

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  3. LOL...the neo's have this weird notion that when a photo of the Pope and kiko is taken everything they now say and do is law!

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  4. If the neo's would only study a little church history, they would discover why there can be no "neo liturgy".

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  5. cultish, i say.

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  6. Part of it may be that the Non Catholic Way targets pagans and non believers, and many of those who don't have much history or understanding of the Catholic faith. They only know the book according to Kiko. They target the vulnerable and use their sins and guilt to build loyalty to their community. They brain wash people to believe that the community is more important than their family, not as important, but more important. They create a world of us against them, and that anything negative about the way is evidence that they are the Gods chosen ones. And it goes on and on and on. I pray that my mother is not mistreated and taken advantage of in her community. She is in her senior years and a very kind woman. I pray that she does not become another brain washed Kikobot.

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    1. "Part of it may be that the Non Catholic Way targets pagans and non believers, and many of those who don't have much history or understanding of the Catholic faith."

      There is no MAY BE about it...that in fact, is what they do. They are very outspoken w/their 'past'. God will have Mercy on the deceived. May God have Mercy on the deceivers!

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  7. What a picutre. All you need is red face paint and horns to match that devilish smirk.

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  8. Thank you Tim for clearly defining and explaining to readers what happened in this zenit publication. It took much time and trouble to explain all this to readers and is a service to the church and to the situation on Guam today. god will bless you and your family for the time you have given to the people of our island and the for the protection of our catholic faith. We just wish they would all leave Guam and let us all once again live in peace. The archbishop has really destroyed our church by allowing kiko mentality to rule here.

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  9. Tim. Do you allow readers to use mild bad language on your page if we desire. We follow all your rules as you are the owner. But what is the position on bad language. Can we use mild swear words. What is the rule on this.

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    1. If you mean "stupid Archbishop". No. I didn't let that one through. It's at your own risk. I may or may not let comments through depending on what I think at the moment.

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