Wednesday, January 18, 2017

COMPILATION OF COMMENTS BY THOMAS J. HENNIGAN ON THE NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY, PART ONE.

Posted by LaPaz, Jungle Watch Correspondant from Spain.

Some time ago, I was impressed by a comment in a post about the neocatechumenal Second Scrutinies, due to the high authority on the matter showed by his author. He was a priest, called Fr. Thomas J. Hennigan. The comment, in perfect Spanish, was so brilliant I felt the need of looking for more about Fr. Hennigan in internet. 

He is the author of Solo Dios basta (Only God is sufficient), where he introduces his blog both in Spanish and English. About himself, he gives just a brief information, he was born in Ireland and ordained in Rome. By the date, he serves in Andalucia, Spain. He is a former member of Legion of Christ and expert in Canon Law, so he knows perfectly what a cult or sect within the Catholic Church means.

Due to the fact that Jungle Watch and a Catholic Thought are a worldwide reference on the cultic Neocatechumenal Way and many people do check out these blogs for critical and thruthful information, I think it would be very helpful to compile Fr. Hennigan's different comments about the NCW, since those are scattered in several webs and blogs. 

I hope this compilation will help those who are still in the Way but suffering and with many doubts. 

NOTE: I will number the comments to make things easier, although they do not follow any hierarchical order. Remember translations, when needed, are mine, I wish I could speak English as well as Fr. Hennigan speaks Spanish...If something sounds strange surely it was my translation, not his words. Thank you for your patience.


1. Source: http://amywelborn.typepad.com/openbook/2005/12/reforming_the_r.html

If the liturgy of the NW was approved as an experiment that had to be done by mean sof some document or decree. I have failed to find any such decree, which would inidcate that it is a matter of abuses. What is not written has no legal value. Besides, the doctrine of Kiko Arguello and Carmen Hernández, cofounders of the NW, is full problems and even heresies. The litrugical problems are sympomatic of some of the dogmatic problems. The celebration of the Eucharist around a table and reception of Communion sitting emphasise, the eucharist as a banquet. The problem is that they reject the doctrine of the Council of Trent of the Mass as a sacrifice, the doctrine of the real presence, transubstantiation. Kiko seems to be a neoluteran who holds that it is impossible to be freed from sin and also the calvinistic doctrine of predestination, among other heresies. I am not putting the good will of NW members in doubt, or denying that many of them have perceived benefits from their membership. However, the NW must be judged on what the founders have written or from their words which have been taped. They have attempted to keep the latter secret and they have been published by the NW's detractors. An examination of the characteristics of a sect would indicate that the NW has most of them.
Fr. Thomas J. Hennigan




2. Source: Neocatechumenal Spin, by Jimmy Akin
http://jimmyakin.typepad.com/defensor_fidei/2006/01/neocatechumenal.html,


What needs to be judged is not the good will of the vast majority of NW members or the good that is being done. No duobt, non Catholic groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses do much good to many people, but that is not a criterion for judging their orthodoxy. An objective examination of the doctrine taught by the founders of the NW, Kiko Arguelles and Carmen Hernández does leave one rather perplexed in that they seem to reject outright the teaching of the Council of Trent, the doctrine of the Mass as a sacrifice, the doctrine of transubstantiation which they consider "aristotelianism". and a whole lot more doctrines. It would appear that Kiko is a neolutheran in that he thinks that it is not possible to free oneself from sin, and he seems to hold presdestination like Calvin. These and other doctrines have been kept secret from bishops and others until they were discovered by Italian theologians in the mid nineties. It would appear that this is the reason why the Directory of the NW, mentioned in the Statutes approved ad experimentum in 2002 for five years, has not been approved. Kiko and Carmen are probably not formal heretics, but they have taught heresy and confusing, erroneous doctrine. Besides this problem, another one is the sectlike nature of NW. All NW members with whom I have spoken tell me about the positive experiences they have. That is not the matter, but the objective problems which do exist. Some 30 Italian bishops, including several Cardinals have expressed reservations about NW. The approved Statutes do not approve the liturgical abuses they have practiced up to the present. For these to have been approved some written decree would have been necesary. None was given, so they were not approved. Reading between the lines of Cardinal Arinze's interview in the Vatian Radio, one could expect some intervention of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to clear up this dogmatic problem.

Thomas J. Hennigan said...


I agree that for the most part the so called "movements" are "weeds" in the garden of the Church. You may have noticed that weeds do flower and sometimes even look pleasant, but the same weeds may be poisonous. Congratulations on that metaphor which I have not seen before. It now seems that the Pope has decided to do some weeding out of the Legion of Christ sect. When will the weeding of the Neocat sect begin? Hopefully soon before the fanatical Kiko and his acolytes do even more damage. The problems of Maciel were moral and also financial scandals. The Neocat problems are also dogmatic.

Estimado Agustín:
Me da mucha pena saber lo que está pasando en tu parroquia. Yo soy sacerdote que también los he conocido en Chile, en la diócesis de La Serena. He podido constatar su modus operandi y puedo dar fe de que lo que dices es cierto. Me invitaron a varias de sus interminables prédicas tanto en La Serena como en Santiago, y a una Convivencia en Padre Hurtado. Allí descubrí el pastel y les hablé claro. Luego me puse a investigar todo lo que pude en italiano, en inglés, en francés y en español y descurí muchas cosas sobre las auténticas herejías que han enseñado Kiko y Carmen Hernández. Tengo conocimiento de las barbaridades que cometen en los escrutinios. A mi juicio son una verdadera peste y lo que un párroco debería de hacer si llega a una parroquia donde están ellos, es decirles que no van a tener ninguna Misa aparte, pedirles las catequesis por escrito para examinarlos. Van a decir que tienen "tradición oral", pero todo lo que hacen está perfectamente dictado por Kiko y Carmen. Además, son my propotentes. Me dijo un Arzobispo que trabajó como secretario personal del Cardenal Secretario de Estado que Carmen llegaba a la oficina del Cardenal (número dos después del Papa) exigiendo una entrevista con él en ese mismo momento. Si en algo te puedo ayudar, con mucho gusto. Normalmente un sacerdote Kiko descuida todo el resto de la parroquia para asistir a las muchas reuniones, convivencias y demás actividades Kikas y el resto de ellos desprecian al resto de los feligreses. No me extraña nada que rechacen la Pastoral Social, pues tampoco tienen interés alguno en la Doctrina Social de la Iglesia. Los catequistas no tiene formación catequética alguna, ni menos bíblica. Son unos fundamentalistas, además dictadores totalitarios. Lamento que sea así, pero no se puede esperar que se logre su reforma sin asumir lo que son.
thomasjhennigan@yahoo.com

TRANSLATION: 
Dear Agustin:
I'm very sorry to hear what's going on in your parish. I am a priest who I also met them (neocatechumenals) in Chile, in the diocese of La Serena. I have been able to verify its modus operandi and I can attest that what you say is true. I was invited to several of their endless preaching both in La Serena and in Santiago, and to a Convivence in Padre Hurtado. There I discovered the cake and spoke to them clearly. Then I went to investigate everything I could in Italian, English, French and Spanish and I learned a lot about the true heresies taught by Kiko and Carmen Hernández. I am aware of the barbarities they commit in the counts. In my opinion they are a real plague and what a parish priest should do if he arrives in a parish where they are, is to say that they will not have a separate Mass, ask them for catecheses in writing to examine them. They will say they have their "oral tradition", but everything they do is perfectly dictated by Kiko and Carmen. In addition, they are very arrogant. An Archbishop told me that he worked as the personal secretary of the Cardinal Secretary of State and that Carmen came to the cardinal's office (number two after the pope) demanding an interview with him at that very moment. If anything I can help you, with pleasure. Usually a Kiko priest neglects the rest of the parish to attend the many kikos meetings, convivences and other activities, and the rest of them despise the rest of the parishioners. I am not surprised at anything that NCW rejects the Social Pastoral, because they have no interest whatsoever in the Social Doctrine of the Church. Catechists have no catechetical formation, no less biblical. They are fundamentalists, also totalitarian dictators. I regret that it is so, but you can not expect that its reform will be achieved without assuming what they are.
Thomasjhennigan@yahoo.com

5. Source: Kiko Argüello, el nuevo faraón (Kiko Argüello, the new pharaoh), by Nemesis, June, 2010

"Nuestra Santa Madre Iglesia a traves de S.S Juan Pablo II y actualmente S.S Benedicto XVI han apoyado incondicionalmente los frutos del Camino Neocatecumenal." Si lo hubieran apoyado incondicionalmente, ¿por qué la Congregación de la Doctrina de la Fe demoró más de 15 años en examinar y corregir los así llamados Mamotretos? Los frutos de las personas los constituye la santidad, que la Iglesia juzga en los procesos de beatificación y canonización cuando ya la persona ya muerto. También el Papa Juan Pablo II encontró mucho frutos que resultaron espurios en Maciel y lo alabó en cartas oficiales bien dos veces.
TRANSLATION: 
"Our Holy Mother Church through His Holiness Pope John Paul II and now the Holy Father Benedict XVI have unconditionally supported the fruits of the Neocatechumenal Way". If they had supported it unconditionally, why did the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith take more than 15 years to examine and to correct the so-called Mamotretos? The fruits of the people constitute the sanctity, which the Church judges in the process of beatification and canonization when the person is already dead. Also Pope John Paul II found many fruits that were spurious in Maciel and Praised him in official letters twice well.



6. Source: Ellos pueden criticar a la Iglesia pero si les criticas a ellos eres el demonio (Neocatechumenals can critize the Church, but if you critize them then you are the Devil), por Vade Retro, Cruxsancta, July, 2012, http://cruxsancta.blogspot.com.es/2012/07/ellos-pueden-criticar-la-iglesia-pero.html
Después de haber dedicado bastante tiempo a estudiar todo lo que he podido encontrar sobre el CN en Internet, en inglés, español, italiano y francés, y de haber leído bastantes textos de los famosos mamotretos, he llegado a la conclusión, entre otras, que Kiko es un neojansenista o neo luterano. Lutero consideraba que el hombre está sumido en el pecado y nada ni nadie lo puede sacar de ese estado. La misma naturaleza humana está totalmente podrida. Por activa y pasiva se insite a los miembros que son viles pecadoores, más pecadores ahora que antes. Parece que parte de la finalidad de los escrutinios es la de meter en la cabeza y la conciencia de los miembros que son unos pecadores empedernidos. Además, Kiko es un iluminado y sabemos que diversos iluminados han hecho mucho daño en la Iglesia a lo largo de los siglos. En el siglo II, uno de ellos era Montano, que introdujo lo que se llamaba la Nueva Profecía y con la ayuda de dos mujeres profetisas engañaron a muchos. En un primero momento los papas de la época quedaron impresionados, pero al final la nueva profecía fue rechazada.
También se nota una grave falta de discernimiento. La idea expresada por Kiko y Carmen de que la Iglesia se dsvió del verdadero camino desde el tiempo de Constnatino hasta que llegaron ellos en los años 70 del siglo pasado es un verdadero despropósito. Es expresión de una soberbia supina, que desprecia la inmensa labor de los monjes en la Edad Media que tanto contribuyeron a la creación de la Civilización Occidental. Desprecian a tanto grandes santos y doctores de la Iglesia, como San Agustín, Santo Tomás, sin mencionar a doctores místicos como San Bernardo, Santa Teresa y San Juan de la Cruz. Kiko desprecia también los Ejercicios Espirituales de San Ignacio, que tanto bien han hecho a millones de personas a lo largo de casi cinco siglos. Ya sería bueno que aprendieran algo acerca del verdadero discernimiento de San Ignacio.
La ignorancia es atrevida y las opiniones de Kiko y Carmen son las de unos ignorantes o si no mal intencionados, que echan por el borde 1700 años de la acción del Espíritu Santo en su Iglesia que han producido frutos tan maravillosas.
No tienen idea de la verdadera hermeneútica bíblica, pues entresacan textos aislados y los malinterpretan, llevando el agua a su molino. No es de extrañar, pues ¿qué estudios bíblicos o teológicos tiene Kiko, o psicológicos? No digo que no estén haciendo algún bien, pero se necesita una profunda corrección en la obra de Kiko para que deje de ser una suerte de franquicia y se integre de verdad en la Iglesia. 

TRANSLATION:
After having spent a lot of time studying everything I could find on the Internet in English, Spanish, Italian, and French, and having read quite a few texts from the famous mamotretos, I have come to the conclusion, among others, that Kiko is a Neo-Lutheran or neo-Lutheran. Luther considered that man is in sin and nothing and no one can get him out of that state. Human nature itself is totally rotten. By active and passive (Kiko) insists the members who are vile siners, more sinful now than before. It seems that part of the purpose of the scrutiny is to put in the head and the conscience of the members who are hard-core sinners. In addition, Kiko is an enlightened one and we know that diverse enlightened ones have done much damage in the Church throughout the centuries. In the second century, one of them was Montano, who introduced what was called the New Prophecy and with the help of two female prophetesses deceived many. At first the popes of the time were impressed, but in the end the new prophecy was rejected.
There is also a serious lack of discernment. The idea expressed by Kiko and Carmen that the Church left the true path from the time of Constnatino until they arrived in the 70's of the last century is a real nonsense. It is an expression of supine pride, which despises the immense work of the monks in the Middle Ages who contributed so much to the creation of Western Civilization. They despise both great saints and doctors of the Church, like St. Augustine, St. Thomas, not to mention mystical doctors like St. Bernard, St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross. Kiko also despises the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, which have done so well to millions of people over almost five centuries. It would be good for them to learn something about the true discernment of St. Ignatius.
Ignorance is daring and the opinions of Kiko and Carmen are those of some ignorant or if not badly intentioned, who throw by the edge 1700 years of the action of the Holy Spirit in his Church that have produced such wonderful fruits.
They have no idea of the true biblical hermeneutics, because they separate isolated texts and misinterpret them, taking water to their mill. No wonder, then what biblical or theological studies does Kiko have, or psychological? I do not say that they are not doing something good, but a deep correction is needed in the work of Kiko so that it stops being a sort of franchise and is integrated really in the Church.

7. Source: Nemesis, El Camino Neocatecumenal- Otras Percepciones (una estremecedora experiencia) (Neocatechumenal Way- Other perceptions. A shocking experience), 23 de mayo de 2013
http://laverdaddeloskikos.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/el-camino-neocatecumenal-otras.html
Te felicito por tu escrito. Espero que tu experiencia neocatecumenal no te haya hecho separarte de la Iglesia, pues la Iglesia es mucho más que la secta kika. Es la Iglesia de tantos grandes santos, mártires, confesores, misioneros que tanto bien han hecho a la humanidad siguiente el verdadero camino de Jesucristo.
He tomado mucho tiempo para estudiar el CN y lo que he descubierto coincide con lo que escribes. Yo fui miembro de otro grupo sectario,los legionarios de Cristo, por lo cual creo poder comprender lo que escribes. Cuenta con mis oraciones y recuerda que a pesar de todo el Señor en su maravillosa providencia saca bien del mal. Que te dé una plena sanación de todas las experiencias negativas que hayas tenido. Cuenta con mis oraciones.
Congratulations for your writing. I hope that your neocatechumenal experience has not made you separate from the Church, because the Church is much more than the kikos sect. It is the Church of so many great saints, martyrs, confessors, missionaries who have done so well to the following humanity the true path of Jesus Christ.
I have taken a long time to study the CN and what I have discovered coincides with what you write. I was a member of another sectarian group, the Legionaries of Christ, so I think I can understand what you write. Count my prayers and remember that in spite of everything the Lord in his wonderful providence brings out good from evil. Give you a full healing of all the negative experiences you have had. Count my prayers.

Sooner, second part. 
Father Thomas J. Hennigan, if you read this post, thank you for the inmense help which your words are always!

13 comments:

  1. This an extraordinarily valuable resource.

    I hope someone close to the Bishop of Chalan Kanoa will share it with him.

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  2. I wonder if the PDN or the Post will consider publishing this as an editorial? It should be made readily available to the obedient ncw follower who does not venture into the jungle.

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  3. meaning CNMI Lawyer?

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    1. No hidden meaning. The statements by Father Thomas J. Hennigan are extremely insightful.

      Saipan does have a small NCW Cult presence, and one alumnus of RMS Guam “on loan”.

      It goes without saying that the Coadjutor Archbishop of Agaña should read this, too.

      Perhaps Archbishop Byrnes and Bishop Jimenez could discuss it with each other.

      The latter attended St. Patrick’s Seminary in Palo Alto, CA. I doubt he would send any diocesan candidates for the priesthood to RMS Guam, unless they were already walking in “The Way”.

      The shortage of vocations in the CNMI is equal to or greater than that on Guam.

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  4. Thank you Lapaz! These comments are very interesting. God bless you for your work.

    PS: if you need help with translations in English, count on me (you can find me in the italian blog "Osservatorio")! I'll be glad to review your translations.

    Autore della Lettera

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  5. Excellent commentary.

    Bottom line: Follow the money. It's the only thing Rome has ever understood and they don't care where it comes from. They'd still be collecting massive stock dividends from birth control pill manufacturers if that obscene hypocrisy hadn't been exposed.

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  6. https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-backs-neocatechumenal-way-liturgy/

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    1. Zenit is a Kiko news hack. Francis did NOT back the neocat liturgy. In fact, he reprimanded Kiko for not complying with his "charter of reference." But Zenit turned it into an approval. Typical:

      http://www.junglewatch.info/2014/05/what-are-your-thoughts-on-this-post-by.html

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  7. Amazingly excellent Thomas Hennigan !!! I confirm because I was there a long long time in my own person, that it is dictatorship and that Jesus Christ is their toy with which they can ration how little or much people get freed from sin.

    "Integrated really into the Church" under no. 6 is a double edged sword (Xiphias Gladius style, also known as ratchet mechanism, pincer movement and dialectic). It already is so.

    All bishops must publicly and explicitly release all NCW members from all commitments however vague, towards the NCW scheme and that there are going to be no more so-called "stages" whatever.

    (Everybody is entitled to hold Bible studies and keep up friendships.)

    We were told we were "a people of the ear" then sitting through long lectures had effectively been cautioned without realising it.

    Through mimetics ( = sorcery) Morcillo, Filoni, Myers and their like have kneejerked some of the archbishops in the UK into unconsciously maintaining an invisible personal prelature, treading on the toes of genuine bishops and diocesan parishioners alike, in places which haven't "officially" got the "way" as well as those that "have".

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  8. i don't understand Austin. You sound like an intelligent guy. How did you get sucked in to NCW and how were they able to contain you for HOW long?

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    1. Hi, I'll recap some of what I've posted in bits and pieces over many threads across the months. I don't know what country you're posting from so most of this probably won't make any sense to you. It just so happens that not only in my generation but my parents' and my grandparents' we got scarcely any catechesis whatsoever. We are also not of the "regulation" ethnic extraction to be Catholic. The Catholic Church in the UK had virtually shut down after the failure of "Easter People". Spiritual thirst is a very risky thing to have. Not only were the itinerants still fresh and hadn't been in the NCW scheme long enough to get jaded, themselves, but they apparently represented Cardinal Basil Hume (I started to think it fishy we didn't get messages from Hume after that). Lots of my friends joined the "community" at the same time so I was hanging out with people I knew. Even as my "presbyter" was seriously damaging parishioners and fellow clergy I appreciated the Wednersday Bible studies when we didn't have our itinerants (who got replaced by different ones) breathing down our necks. After some of the members of my own "community" got damaged I was ready to leave. The thing is one has been told one is a "people of the ear" then sitting through long lectures one is cautioned and doesn't realise it. We had been promised religion with less intensity and less mystique but the intensity and mystique had been ramped up sky high. I am talking about a time when I was only half the age I am now, and also there were less possibilities of research. Please research "memetics", "mimetics" and "dialectic". Lazy bishops in every country welcome fake enthusiasm and leave their flocks wide open to fall victim. A whole series of things appeared in print attributed to diocesan officials denigrating ordinary NCW members (as a class) (i.e way beyond criticising bad conduct by its leaders). The last straw was when my courageous bishop's scheme to rescue us got torpedoes by his deputy's deputy (apparently egged on by a large faction of uncaring clergy and laity). We met in homes but as we hadn't been publicly released our itinerants were able to get back in and pretend we had to continue doing stages. Three of the surrounding archdioceses and one diocese abroad have interfered. I've not been attending continually, but have missed out great chunks over the years, and put in scarcely any money either. It's only since finding "Jungle Watch" that I realise the NCW scheme is on Mondays a "diocesan itinerary" in my diocese, on Tuesday ditto in someone else's diocese, on Wednesday a "sodality" (whatever that might mean!) on Thursday an invisible personal prelature by proxy, etc. I knew since at least 2008 the so-called "eucharists" are crap, and stopped "receiving" (you just cross your chest). Recently I wanted to wind down my attendance to less frequently, but when the loudest mouthed member told me I had to attend all the gubbins, I just dropped out altogether. There aren't many left. Yes they do keep an eye on a couple of old ladies who have been part of it for 30 years. Moral of the tale - if you represent a diocese or parish or CCOG or LFM, don't say anything denigrating about members per se, AND ask your Archbishop to explicitly halt all stages and release all members.

      Above - after "hold Bible studies" I should have added "in their homes".

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  9. I almost never leave a response, however after browsing a few of the remarks
    on this page "COMPILATION OF COMMENTS BY THOMAS J. HENNIGAN ON THE NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY, PART ONE.".
    I actually do have some questions for you if you do not
    mind. Could it be only me or do a few of these comments look as if
    they are written by brain dead folks? :-P And, if you are posting
    at other places, I would like to follow everything fresh you have to
    post. Could you make a list of all of your social pages like your Facebook page, twitter feed, or linkedin profile?

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  10. Look for JungleWatch on Facebook.

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