In Kiko Argüello’s 2017 Advent Announcement (Annuncio di Advento), given on November 29, 2017 in Rome, he provides a problematic explanation of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
At this moment when you die, when the soul separates from our body, we know that Jesus Christ comes to take our soul. This is why in the icon of the Eastern Church—which you can see up there—we see the Madonna who died and Jesus Christ who comes and carries Mary’s soul. Thus He comes to take our soul to make it one with Him and carry it to heaven with Him. The body, our remains, remain here and are taken to the cemetery, but Christ comes for us. This is the icon of the Eastern Church to explain the death of every Christian; this is my death and yours. At the moment of the Virgin Mary’s death, the apostles arrive, having been brought from all over the world, and Christ comes to take her soul and carry it to heaven, and there is the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. P. 7, Avvento 2017
In the original Italian:
In questo momento in cui muori, in cui l’anima si separa dal nostro corpo, sappiamo che viene Gesù Cristo a prendere la nostra anima. Per questo nell’icona della Chiesa di Oriente – che potete vedere lì in alto – si vede la Madonna che è morta e Gesù Cristo che viene e porta l’anima di Maria. Così Lui viene a prendere la nostra anima per farla uno con lui e portarla in cielo con lui. Il corpo, le nostre spoglie, restano qui e le portano al cimitero, ma Cristo viene per noi. Questa è l’icona della Chiesa d’Oriente per spiegare la morte di ogni cristiano, questa è la mia e la tua morte. Nel momento della morte della Vergine Maria vengono gli apostoli, che sono stati portati da tutte le parti del mondo, e viene Cristo a prendere la sua anima e la porta in cielo, e c’è l’Assunzione della Vergine Maria.
There are two issues here and one is very problematic.
First, Argüello says “the Madonna who died,” but the Church has never formally specified whether or not Mary died before she was assumed into Heaven, even if some Church Fathers held that she did. Argüello borrows this from the Eastern Orthodox teaching of the Dormition of the Mother of God. He may be excused if he is merely adopting the perspective of Eastern Catholics.
The second issue, which is very serious, is that in the text of his Advent Announcement explicitly associates only the soul of Our Lady with the Assumption, not her body. Even the Eastern Orthodox teaching of the Dormition of Mary includes what they call the translation of her body to heaven, but Argüello makes no mention whatsoever of the Assumption or Translation of Our Lady’s body into heaven.
The Church clearly and solemnly teaches:
“Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.” The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians…” [CCC 966, Munificentissimus Deus 44, Lumen Gentium 59]
Argüello is teaching the Eastern Orthodox tradition of the Dormition of Mary, but without including the assumption of her body into heaven. This omission is very strange because “resurrection” is central to Neocatechumenal teaching, so one would expect that since Our Lady’s Assumption is an anticipation of our resurrection, Argüello would would mention the assumption of her body. By the way, while the word “resurrection” some 83 times in the first volume of the Neocatechumenal Catechetical Directory, the resurrection of the body is never mentioned in that volume. Why is that?
Works Cited
Argüello, Kiko. Annuncio di Avvento 2017. 29 Nov. 2017, Seminario Redemptoris Mater, Rome. Address transcript.
Argüello, Kiko, and Carmen Hernández. Catechetical Directory for Teams of Catechists. Vol. 1, Phase of Conversion or Initial Catecheses, Hope Publishing House, 2012.
Catechism of the Catholic Church: Complete and Updated. Crown Publishing Group, 1995.
Pius XII, Pope. Munificentissimus Deus: Apostolic Constitution on Defining the Dogma of the Assumption. 1 Nov. 1950. The Holy See, www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-xii_apc_19501101_munificentissimus-deus.html.
Second Vatican Council. Lumen Gentium: Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. Promulgated by Pope Paul VI, 21 Nov. 1964. The Holy See, www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html.
Kiko is a narcisist ignorant of the Church tradition and when I left that cult after 30 years I had to start learning Catholicism from zero. The worse part is that all the members obey and copy like parrots what he says, and everyone think that he’s absolutely right in everything. They consider kiko already a SAINT. For the NCW “copy and paste ” is the way of living, without challenging him on the truth of doctrine and magisterium. The ignorance follows their priests too who are poorly prepared in their Redemptoris Mater Seminaries and whoever has a real calling, sooner or later finds himself is a life crisis. I’ve known quite a few. They leave the priesthood or start in a different Seminary all over again away from those wolves dressed in lamb’s clothing.
I’d like to hear your story, Isabella.
My story is very long and complicated unfortunately. There are family members involved who don’t consent to openly talk about it for fear of repercussions etc…
Stories of abuse of power, nepotism, narcissistic behaviour, cover ups of abuses etc.. ( all this from the head catechists responsible of all Oceania and the other catechists chosen by them). We were controlled in every aspect of our lives. Being Italian I started reading from the blog Osservatorio sul Cammino Neocatecumenale, and on FB people who left and had similar stories, but too late unfortunately. Only after nearly 30 years, I discovered what I thought for long time that unfortunately my story wasn’t isolated, but a culture within the community of silencing victims and covering up abuses of all sorts, including sexual. All for preserving the good name of Kiko and the movement. There is a cultish ideology from the top down, and members are silenced constantly and viciously , put under obedience and strictly under scrutiny for every decision in their lives, from procreation to how to raise children, from property investments to money, from choosing a job or a career. No freedom of speech but total surrender to the catechists.
The priests have to obey to the catechists, who are in charge of the Redemptoris Mater Seminaries in deciding who gets ordained and who has to be left behind, where do they need to go in mission etc.. claiming to have discernment over everybody, claiming to be angels sent by God . Priests are only a shell to what really goes on . All depends from Porto San Giorgio’s convivenze in Italy where the big boss meets with all his minions once a year for the convivenze of INIZIO CORSO( beginning of the year). From there all decisions are made. It’s all very well structured. I’m not theologian, I just suffered in that community the constant judgements and gaslight of those who claim to be catholic teachers and brothers and sisters in Christ, and showed not love,compassion or care for the ones who see the truth and aren’t afraid of saying it.They put family members against each other, the cult has to have priority on everything and everyone.
Perth bishop didn’t answer to my emails ,certified letters of my personal experience in that cult. Not only that ,he actually supports the NCW and all their heresies. In fact he is so modernist that he openly celebrates masses with aborginal smoking ceremonies ,in the Cathedral as well as in Broome for the newly appointed bishop.
It is a scandal for the many Catholics who seek guidance and true Catholic teaching.
I could tell many many stories…..and my crusade started the moment I truly realised that I had been among wolves dressed in lambs clothing, wasting the best years of my life. I believed in a big fat lie.
Padre Ariel Di Gualdo in Rome wrote a book amongs many others, called
THE NEOCATECHUMENAL SECT
KIKO BECAME THE HERESY AND CAME TO LIVE AMONGST US.
If you want to write to me personally for further talks please do I’m available.
Thank you for your just fight