Kiko’s Fairy Tale

Kiko Arguello, when explaining his Neocatechumenal Way to a
meeting of Capuchin Friars in Krakow, Poland in 2011, was heard to say:

“We are with the Church, with the Pope, but slowly, slowly. You know when we give the Rosary in the Way? After twelve years we give the Rosary. If we give it before that, they run away.   After fifteen we bring them to the Pope. With patience, with patience, with patience.  We must be very careful because people can not stand devotions. Atheists cannot stand Fatima, the devotions, Fatima, these things. So we believe that we are a new, different church.  And we must demonstrate that we are not heretics and we do things out of love for them, because it says that the Good Shepherd takes the lost sheep and puts it on his shoulders and guides slowly to Christ.”

or in the original Italian:

” Noi siamo con la Chiesa, con il Papa, però lentamente. Sapete quando diamo noi il Rosario nel Cammino? Dopo dodici anni diamo il Rosario. Se lo diamo prima, scappano.   Dopo quindici li portiamo dal Papa. Con pazienza, con pazienza con pazienza.  Bisogna stare molto attenti perché la gente non sopporta i devozionismi. Gli atei Fatima non la sopportano, i devozionismi, Fatima, queste cose. Allora credono che noi siamo una chiesa nuova, diversa. E noi dobbiamo dimostrare che non siamo eretici e che facciamo le cose per amore a loro, perché dice che il Buon Pastore prende la pecora perduta e la mette sulle spalle e la porta lentamente a Cristo.”

Run away when presented with the rosary?”, What is he talking about?”, you may ask.  “I have friends in the Way, and they pray the Rosary!”, you say.

Exactly.  Kiko is telling the good Friars a story.  If we take him at his word, we’d have to believe that our friends in the Way would run in fear if their catechists presented the rosary to to them after they walked in the Way for 10 or 11 years!  Doesn’t he believe that contemplating the events of the Gospel through the eyes of Mary can be formative in itself?  Obviously not.

And what about “after fifteen [years] we bring them to the Pope”?  We all know dozens of young members of the Way who have attended one or more World Youth Days with the Pope.  It seems the thing to do if you are young and in the Way.

Or how about this:

“We must be very careful because people can not stand devotions. Atheists cannot stand Fatima, the devotions, Fatima, these things. So we believe that we are a new, different church.”

The people cannot stand devotions?  Atheists? A new and different Church?

The Truth
Kiko's Fairy Tale
Kiko’s Fairy Tale

Throughout the speech to the Friars, Kiko says that the Way is a “new Church”, aimed at atheists and Communists, who hate Fatima and devotions.  Kiko therefore justifies waiting the twelve years to teach the Rosary.  In reality, very few members of the Way are former atheists.  That the Neocatechumenal Way is directed toward “atheists and communists” is Kiko’s grand fabrication, a great story, because actually, Kiko takes 99% of his followers from parishes, and many of them have a great affection for the Rosary and devotions!   Moreover, what good skeptical, secular, atheist would be attracted to a sect that demands him to submit his most basic life decisions to the authority of a “catechist” for the rest of his life?  None.  It’s Kiko’s fairy tale.


 

References and Acknowledgements

The Neocatechumenal Way’s international team of responsibles, Kiko Arguello, Carmen Hernandez, and Fr. Mario Pezzi participated in a Chapter of the Capuchin Friars held in Krakow, Poland, September 7-9, 2011.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl1vv1dEiiU&feature=youtu.be&t=59m2s, referred to me by Lino Listo, of Naples, Italy.

Many thanks to Lino Lista and Martina Primavera for their help in extracting Kiko’s words in Italian.

 

tags:  neocatechumenal, neocatecumenale, rosario

6 thoughts on “Kiko’s Fairy Tale

  1. He means that the atheists can’t stand fatima because miracles happen there ,and thats the proof of an exsisting god..which means devoting time for him… the same thing when people can’t stand the rosary , because it means devoting time and self to god and his mother.. and don’t forget that he is speaking with friares not with normal people .stop attaking him.

    1. Dear Hiba in Iraq,

      Very few former atheists walk in the Neocatechumenal Way, and the vast majority of people who walk in the Way come from parishes. You know that. Kiko is really attacking devotions in general because of his animus against all forms of “natural religiosity”. If you listened to him closely, you’d hear that he was speaking of devotions in general, and using Fatima as an example.

      And Capuchin friars are not “normal people”? The friars I know would be very surprised to hear that!

      1. Sorry sir, i meant by (normal people) people who didn’t study the bible in a deep way, the Capuhin did study the bible deeply right? I’m sure they will understand Kiko.. any way ,the way is accepted by the pope jhon paul 2 .so our argument is meanless

        1. Hiba,

          I’m very sure that not every Capuchin in that room agreed with Kiko. Poland still has many faithful Catholics that appreciate traditional devotions.

          And is our argument really meaningless just because some Popes expressed approval of the Neocatechumenal Way? Check out the Church’s troubles with Marcial Maciel and the Legion of Christ. Pope St. John Paul II lavished praise on that man and his movement, but beneath the facade there were lots of problems. Thankfully, some brave priests and lay people stood up and spoke the truth.
          Fr. Marcial Maciel

  2. Wow. I keep commenting on this site because everything Chuck has to say rings so true. Truly an accurate objective analysis.

    I have a lot to say about the Neocatechumenal Way. And Kiko. And the whole fairy tale they present to people like my family. And the people I know who were itinerant catechists in Guam.

    Maybe at some point I’ll figure out how to reach Chuck directly here, lol… it would be good to chat. -JMS

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *