On the abnormal approvals boasted of by the Neocatechumenal Way

The process by which the Statute and the Catechetical Directory of the Neocatechumenal Way were approved by the Holy See was fraught with significant deviations from the normal protocols.  These abberations cast doubt on the integrity of the whole process and put the Church itself at great risk. Lino Lista, a prolific Italian critic of the Neocatechumenal Way, provides more details: The following arguments are intelligible to anyone with a minimum of knowledge on the subject of deliberations.  We imagine that we must follow up on any measure, by virtue of the decisions assumed in it.  It is evident, then, … Continue reading On the abnormal approvals boasted of by the Neocatechumenal Way

“My experience with the Neocatechumenal Way”

I recently received this letter from Friedrich Griess, an Austrian Catholic and former president of the European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Cults and Sects (FECRIS), an organization created in 1994 in France which serves as an “umbrella organization for associations which defend victims of cultic excesses in more than 30 countries“.  In his letter to me, Mr. Griess relates his personal experiences with the Neocatechumenal Way in both Vienna and in London. June 4, 2016 About 1986, my wife Poldi joined a NCW group in Vienna. There were two reasons: 1. a couple who had been with us … Continue reading “My experience with the Neocatechumenal Way”

Sin, Grace, and the Neocatechumenal Way

I recently engaged in an exchange of email messages with a lady who I’ll call “A”, a woman originally from Colorado who had been a member of the Neocatechumenal Way for 15 years.   While our discussion was wide-ranging, at one point I asked her a question about the Last Things which eventually led her to reveal a shocking aspect of the Neocatechumenal view of sin and grace. What did you learn about the eschatological teachings of the Church while you were walking in the Way, specifically, about Purgatory and the Last Judgment? Formally, not much on Purgatory. There was no explanation … Continue reading Sin, Grace, and the Neocatechumenal Way