Posted by LaPaz, Jungle Watch Correspondant from Spain.
"Carmen, a saint of a high top category", Kiko dixit.
Kiko always has/is/makes/needs the most, the best...or the worst, it depends on.
As if many people did not remember how Carmen used to behave in public, as if many of us did not know which kind of personality she had, Kiko has to paint a new background of his first candidate for sanctity, but in a very different way of previous saints in the history of Catholic Church. He has to be -as always- unique. And Carmen, of course, is going to be a revolutionary saint, nothing seen before.
A few time ago, Kiko has revealed Carmen talked in private to JesusChrist in a very loving language as her writtings show. It seems she kept her little sweetness for her diaries.
I am not here to judge Carmen's inner thoughts or wishes. She was on right to say, think and feel in privacy what she wanted, as any of us. But, wanted or not, she was a public figure for half and a million of neocatechumenals. Worth, she was a moral and spiritual guide for them, specially for neocatechumenal women if we believe Kiko's word.
Kiko told in front of millions of internet watchers during the last WYD in Poland that neocatechumenal women had seen how Carmen was absolutely free in her relationship with him, how Carmen was such a flag of truly neocatechumenal 'feminism' (saint feminism, of course). A strong woman who was not afraid to tell the truth to anybody, mean while in her lonelyness spoke to JesusChrist as her only love.
Here I will translate for you an anecdote which shows quite well what kind of character was Carmen in public. I hope if the Catholic Church needs to study in detail her figure this anecdote will help. Sadly, it is anonymous testimony appeared in a Facebook wall which has been published by Neocatecumenali's blog.
It took place in 2000, when the WYD in Israel with John Paul II. Neocatechumenal pilgrims were happy because the Pope was to visit them in the Mount of Beatitudes, exactly where the Domus Galilaeae is. This is the testimony of a young woman who assisted the Kiko's meeting which normaly closes every international pilgrimage for neocatechumenal people.
"The day grew gray, the sky stormed, but the hearts were still filled with expectations. I remember the Mount of Beatitudes packed with neocatechumenals waiting for the Holy Father. From where I was, I watched those colorful caps that distinguished the various communities, I felt the continuous sound, and I could discern a few neocatechumenal songs' notes from the sublime moment dictated by the wonderfully holy place.
I decided to run in the back, there was still much to wait, there Don Gianni contracted with some guy to get a colorful red cap, the yellow did not like him. Such an overhelming hilarity made me to sink into my thoughts.
I decided to stay away from any moral pollution and to take the best out of that event.
Soon after, I left the stage and the chaotic context. Suddenly and relentlessly, a voice began to give orders and to break that inner serenity that I had been able to conquer.
- Me: "What happens?"
- Carmen Hernández (originaly shouting in Spanish): "He creates problems! He does not listen to me! He is a disaster! A disaster!"
The truly disaster coincided with her altered nature.
Unconsciously I tried to catch, with my fingers under my T-shirt, the Rosary and the little medal of Virgin Mary given to me, a day before, by Father Norberth in the kibbutz.
Despite her agitation, she found enough time to concentrate on my actions, or maybe it was only the pretext which finished in her burst. At this point, a very heated, brief but intense conversation started. It made me exasperated! I refused her to be false in her catechesis.
I told her, in my frustration, to avoid mentioning the Virgin Mary because of her lack of respect and intolerance!
She asked me to stay in my (asigned) place.
- Carmen Hernández: "You do not understand anything, maybe you think we are here because we love ourselves, we are nobody, you are nobody, we are here, useless, insignificant, to thank God, take off of your arrogance, you do not have the gift of obedience! Go! Go away! Ask God for forgiveness!"
I looked at her astonished, with my soul in state of agitation I told her, "I'm not insignificant, I am the daughter of God!" I started crying and went away before she could come again to persecute my choice of wearing those holy objects.
I remember with difficulty the remaining events of that day, my mind was exasperately focused on the tormented event that happened with Carmen.
I was surprised to notice her metamorphosis in the continuation of the day, exactly in the timidity of the events. I began to wonder if she was bipolar or if she was simply cunning and false. Prophets for the second ..... " (End).
Yes, that was Carmen, the upper saint. A woman full of rage, unpleasant, rude, ungobernable, stubborn like a mule in her relations with common people. But this anecdote shows something worst.
If she treated her supposedly "little brothers and sisters in faith" in such way, it is better not to know how bad she would be with her "equals" (if they existed, of course).
Not to talk about the "reason" Carmen found to humilliate that young woman: A pendant imagine of Virgin Mary and a Rosary around her neck, which she weared with devotion!
How can it be possible? It is NOT the first time at all I heard of Carmen's hate on those catholic sacramentals. Carmen hated all imaginery devotion. That is why is so strange what Kiko tells about her personal writtings, where she repeteatedly called JesusChrist as "Gesú". In the end, she was just acting in private in the opposite way she used to do publicly.
Because the laughing on the image of the Sacred Core of Jesus was such a must in their predication, the absurdity -for them- of many popular devotions, definetly, their identification of all those things with the hypocrisy of the christians of Sunday, natural religious people, etc.
Nothing more distant than Kiko and Carmen from the catholic devotion for the Virgin and the saints through lighting candles, praying novenas, attending processions and such. Very surprising.
Suddenly Carmen was able to tell neocatechumenal pilgrims a bible on the beauty of a romanic crucifix at the same time she was horrified by the Rosary attached at Kiko's belt. It was not just a personal opinion, not just a question of like. She hated those things. Can a truly saint hate Virgin Mary devotion?
Many people just think Carmen was a spoiled rich girl, many that she suffered some kind of mental illness (I agree), of course never diagnosed. Nor Kiko nor her could admit she had it, because all their catechesis about the origin of mental illness could have compromised both. They were always obsessed with the hidden sin under each depression, for example.
They have always denied the healing with psychiatrist and psychologyst's help. Only God was the salvation for those who suffered any mental disorder. Applying their own criteria, both must be hidden sinners without redemption, because their respective strange behavioural symptoms were there, in front of our noses. Maybe Carmen was bipolar, maybe borderline, who knows? The only thing I am sure she was not 'normal' at all.
For those who think I am exagerating, please read some commentaries posted by former members about the related anecdote in Neocatecumenali:
Somebody who signs as @ex-fratello (former brother) says: "In a nutshell, the true purpose of these two impostors: to humiliate, to denigrate, to undo the dignity of every human being to make them puppets in their hands ("you do not have the gift of obedience!"), the Devil disguised as a lamb!
It is true that Carmen is a top class saint, but of the demon's army!
Catechumens who are still into the Way and have doubts, run out, free yourself from this sect, open your mind, analyze what you say and do and you will realize that you are all speaking the same words, doing the same reasoning and worse, accusing yourself of being wrong when you make a mistake and losing the path of God, the true merciful. I still have troubles believing that God loves me as I am and I still have so many false guilty feelings that have been overwhelmed by 20 years into the NCW! Even though in good faith you believe that the NCW is not perfect and you justify it because it is done by men, you are silent about your conscience who is telling you to go out because it is not a question of human limits but brainwashing studied and calculated by these two impostors."
@Valentina Giusti posted: St. Louis de Grignion in the "Treatise of True Devotion to Mary" had very well identified the type of "devotee" to which Carmen belonged, defining it as one of the seven false devotions to the Virgin inspired by the Devil.
This is the devout "critic": below the description he did.
Critical devotees are usually proud intellectuals, strong and presumptuous spirits, who have a certain devotion to the Blessed Virgin, but who criticize almost all of its practices that simple people simply and holyly address to this good Mother. They criticize them because such practices are not of their taste; Call into question all the miracles and stories brought by authors who are worthy of faith, or drawn from the chronicles of religious orders, which testify to the mercy and power of the Blessed Virgin; They look with discomfort for simple and humble people kneeling in front of an altar, or a picture of the Virgin, sometimes in a corner of the street, to pray to God; And accuse them of idolatry, as if they worshiped wood or stone; They say that - as far as they are concerned - they do not like these external devotions and are not so weak in spirit to add to the faith all those stories and stories about the Holy Virgin. When the wonderful praises that the Holy Fathers tribute to the Blessed Virgin are then told, they respond by saying that they have spoken by speakers, exaggerating, or giving them an altered explanation. This kind of false devotees and proud and humble people is very much to be feared; They make a huge mistake to the Blessed Virgin and manage to divert the people, with the pretext of extirpating abuses".
Among many others extraordinary comments in Neocatecumenalis, just mention one very valuable which I hope Diana and Guam neocatechumenal's could read someday. An Spanish man, called Jose Antonio, says:
"We were raised as a family on mission and we went to the covivence of sending to Porto San Giorgio in October of the year 2000. It coincided with the Jubilee of the Families and there were in Rome representatives of several movements. Carmen Hernández criticized Chiara Lubich. She messed with her hair (I think she was envious because she was a very elegant woman) but the worst thing is that she got into her charisma. She said who was going to believe that woman to accompany Christ abandoned.
I believe that the process to canonize Carmen will never begin, but if it were so I would testify on the Sacred Scriptures that what I say is true.
Many greetings from Santiago de Compostela".
That is the point. Kiko and Carmen always ridiculizing the rest of (non-neocatechumenal) catholics. No matter if you were a founder or a simple family man. If you are not in the NCW, your faith is just ridiculous. I am glad some former members can remain Carmen's words in front of hundreds and thousands of neocatechumenals, until the point of offering to testify in front of an ecclesiastical court if needed. Bravo!
@Tripudio, one of Neocatecumenali's editors, says: "True objections concern the spiritual life of Carmen, like anyone else, Christian virtues, attitudes about the truths of faith and the sacraments: it may happen that somebody faithfully lives poverty, chastity and obedience, and then teaches some wrong doctrine Or live in a superficial way (if not a bit hostile) sacraments. The great heretics of the past were all so, for most of the ascetic specimens (remember, for example, Pelagio, càtari, Giansenio ...) and at the same time cheating on the truths of faith.
Christianity, in fact, is not a list of moral rules. Christian morality is the result, not the premise of faith. When the wealthy young man explains to Jesus that he has an excellent moral life, Jesus responds to something that obfuscates him. That is, the fact that to consecrate to the Lord does not suffice an impeccable moral life. The tension towards Christian virtues is a result of the life of faith, for the Christian understands that sins are at least an obstacle to union with God.
Even on the NCW, as in all other ecclesial groups, making canonization of its founders is the most comfortable from all points of view: that of ecclesial marketing, that of member identity, that of self-justification of the capibastone (mafia boss), that of the "original charism to be rediscovered "when there is nothing to say, that of silencing those who raise well-founded criticism, and so on.
Unfortunately, John Paul II has left us an annoying legacy: in the very good intent of unlocking canonization causes that had long been devastated (and without him they would remain firm in the archives for who knows how many other years), he left a bit too free to what they call in jargon "the factory of the saints". Today, unfortunately, it is no longer taught that the levels of holiness of souls can be varied - and for example, to recall the charism of a Saint Francis, which spans eight centuries over the charism of a saint founder of a small institute, venerated practically only by those who directly have known him.
The Summits of the Way -Kiko in the head, who, five years ago, was distributing his sanctity- have everything to earn to make the "saint (Carmen)" who personally have verified to have been an arrogant person, exhausted by the power she had longed for since he was a disgruntled nun in Madrid's shacks, and above all a teacher, a shameless, ambiguous, fundamentally heretical doctrine, never recognizing her own mad mistakes, always considering her "inspirations" (by the Devil) most important elucubrations of the Church's doctrine. Considering her as infallible by stirring up an ecclesial recognition means bringing innumerable souls to ruin (in addition to what the Way has already damed)".
