Full speech of Leo XIV to the NCW

The entire speech of Pope Leo XIV is found here.

In the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you! 

Dear brothers and Sisters, 

Cari Fratelli e Sorelle, good morning and welcome! I am pleased to see so many of you here. I greet the members of the International Team of the Neocatechumenal Way, Kiko Argüello, María Ascensión Romero, and Father Mario Pezzi, as well as the Bishops and priests that accompany you. 

A special thought goes out to the families present here, an expression of their missionary zeal and of that desire which should always inspire the entire Church: to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world, so that all may come to know Christ. 

In fact, this desire has always animated and continues to nourish the life of the Neocatechumenal Way, its charism, and the works of evangelization and catechesis that represent a valuable contribution to the life of the Church. To everyone, especially those who have drifted away or whose faith has weakened, you offer the possibility of a spiritual journey through which to rediscover the meaning of Baptism, so that they may recognize the gift of grace received and, therefore, the call to be disciples of the Lord and His witnesses in the world. 

Inspired by this spirit, you have rekindled the fire of the Gospel where it seemed to be dying out and have accompanied many Christian individuals and communities, awakening them to the joy of faith, helping them to rediscover the beauty of knowing Jesus, and fostering their spiritual growth and their commitment to witness. 

In particular, besides the formators and catechists, I wish to express my gratitude to the families that, heeding the inner prompting of the Spirit, leave the securities of ordinary life and go on mission, even to distant and difficult territories, with the sole desire to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness to God’s love. In this way, the itinerant teams composed of families, catechists, and priests participate in the evangelizing mission of the whole Church and, as Pope Francis affirmed, contribute to «awakening» the faith of «non-Christians who have never heard of Jesus Christ,» but also of so many baptized Christians who, even though they are Christians, «have forgotten [. . .] who Jesus Christ is” (Address to the Adherents of the Neocatechumenal Way, March 6, 2015).

To live the experience of the Neocatechumenal Way and carry out its mission also requires, on your part, inner vigilance and a wise critical capacity to discern some of the risks that always lurk in spiritual and ecclesial life. 

You propose to everyone a path of rediscovering Baptism, and this Sacrament, as we know, by uniting us to Christ, makes us living members of His Body, His one people, His one family. We must always remember that we are Church and that, if the Spirit grants each one a particular manifestation, this is given — as the Apostle Paul reminds us — «for the common good» (1 Corinthians 12:7) and therefore for the very mission of the Church. Charisms must always be at the service of the Kingdom of God and of the one Church of Christ, in which no gift of God is more important than another — except charity, which perfects and harmonizes them all — and no ministry should become a reason to feel superior to our brothers and sisters or to exclude those who think differently.

 Therefore, I also invite you, who have encountered the Lord and live His discipleship in the Neocatechumenal Way, to be witnesses of this unity. Your mission is particular, but not exclusive; your charism is specific, but it bears fruit in communion with the other gifts present in the life of the Church; the good you do is great, but its purpose is to allow people to know Christ, always respecting each person’s path of life and conscience. 

As custodians of this unity in the Spirit, I urge you to live your spirituality without ever separating yourselves from the rest of the ecclesial body, as a living part of the ordinary pastoral care of parishes and their diverse realities, in full communion with your brothers and sisters, and particularly with the priests and Bishops. Go forward with joy and humility, without closing yourselves off, as builders and witnesses of communion. 

The Church accompanies you, supports you, and thanks you for what you do. At the same time, she reminds everyone that «where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom» (2 Corinthians 3:17). Therefore, the proclamation of the Gospel, catechesis, and the various forms of pastoral action must always be free from coercion, rigidity, and moralizing, lest they give rise to feelings of guilt and fear instead of inner liberation. 

My dearest ones, I thank you for your commitment, for your joyful witness, for the service you perform in the Church and in the world. I encourage you to continue with enthusiasm and I bless you, while invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary to accompany and protect you. 

Thank you! 

Pope Leo XIV meets NCW Catechists

 You can find the following story in the Official Website of the NCW listed at the top .

Pope Leo XIV meets with 1,000 itinerant catechists from the Neocatechumenal Way

This morning, January 19, 2026, the Holy Father Leo XIV received more than 1,000 itinerant catechists in an audience in the Hall of Blessings, responsibles for the Neocatechumenal Way in 138 nations on five continents.

At the end of their convivence held at the “Servant of Yahweh” Center in Porto San Giorgio, under the guidance of the team responsible for the Way worldwide, Kiko Argüello, Father Mario Pezzi, and María Ascensión Romero met in Rome for their first encounter with the Holy Father Leo XIV.

During the convivence, as has been done every year since the Way began, participants shared the evangelization experience that the Way is carrying out in more than 6,200 parishes in 1,408 dioceses around the world to promote Christian initiation, a tool to help bishops and priests in different countries in their work of proclaiming the Gospel in today’s world.

Also present at the gathering and audience with the Holy Father were the 115 rectors of the Diocesan Missionary Seminaries that the Way has helped to open in many dioceses, together with another hundred formators.

In living together, it has been possible to see, through different experiences on different continents, the difficult situation in which the Church is called to carry out its mission today. In this global context, it has become clear that the Neocatechumenal Way is called to contribute to peace and harmony among people, bringing the hope of the Christian proclamation, the kerygma, and forming Christian communities capable of giving the signs of faith to this generation: love and unity.

The Pope’s arrival and departure were accompanied by loud and joyful applause and songs by Kiko Argüello, which the entire assembly sang along to enthusiastically.

Kiko presented the Holy Father with a copy of the icon of the Good Shepherd, painted by himself in 1982, and, since the Pope has a visit to Spain scheduled in the coming months, a publication on Madrid Cathedral, Nuestra Señora de la Almudena, where Kiko painted the mystery crown and the stained glass windows of the apse in 2004.

Pope Leo addressed those present with these words:

I would like to express my gratitude to the families who, responding to the inner prompting of the Spirit, leave behind the security of ordinary life and set out on mission, even to distant and difficult territories, with the sole desire to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness to God’s love.

Itinerant teams made up of families, catechists, and priests participate in the evangelizing mission of the whole Church and… contribute to “awakening” the faith of non-Christians who have never heard of Jesus Christ.

Living the experience of the Neocatechumenal Way and carrying out the mission also requires, on your part, interior vigilance and a wise critical capacity, in order to discern certain risks that always threaten spiritual and ecclesial life.

Charisms are always placed at the service of the Kingdom of God and of the one Church of Christ, in which no gift of God is more important than any other.

The good you do is great, because its purpose is to enable people to know Christ.

Continue forward in joy and humility, without discouragement, as builders and witnesses of communion.

Dear friends, I thank you for your commitment, for your joyful witness, and for the service you render to the Church and to the world. I encourage you to continue with enthusiasm, and I bless you, invoking upon you the intercession of the Virgin Mary, that she may accompany and protect you. Thank you!

Vocations

The Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Guam produced 17 priests for Guam. That was the fruit of the Neocatecumenal Way. The Seminary would still be here today if Archbishop Byrnes (God rest his soul) had not removed the Deed of Restriction. The Deed of Restriction protected the Seminary from being sold in the bankruptcy case of the Archdiocese. With it gone, the Seminary was sold, and no more priests were produced for Guam. So, what happened to the many RMS priests who studied here? They were rejected by Archbishop Brynes and were told to find another diocese elsewhere. According to news report:

"The main reason for closing the seminary is that it is just not a sustainable model for the Archdiocese of Agana," he said, adding that the RMS model envisions a type and formation of priesthood that works in a place like Denver or Miami, for example, where there are millions of Catholics.

According to Jokers Wild (the highlight is mine):

The four Chamorro Seminarians met one on one with AB Byrnes and it was his decision not to ordain them under the Archdiocese of Agana because he felt the RMS was not the acceptable model of priest formation for Guam. Guam has lost these four Chamorro Seminarians to U.S. mainland Archdioceses during a time when Guam really needed younger priests to begin replacing some of the aging and sickly priests on Guam.

The Neocatechumenal Way in Guam currently has 2 Seminarians studying off-island for the priesthood, but they will be ordained in other dioceses. Guam is experiencing a shortage of priests, especially since we have now lost 2 priests: Father Antonio "Nino" Caminiti and Pale Mike Crisostomo. So, Guam is in dire need of priests. This is where we are today. 

Message to Archbishop Ryan Jimenez

 The damage has been done. Indeed, in our society, a person is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Unfortunately, your Pastoral decree with Prot. No. 02-48 has done more damage than you realize. The moment you stated in your decree that Father Luis has been laicized, the media quickly took up the story and published the laicization of Father Luis. Now, that you have come out and admitted your error, do you think the media is going to publish your clarification? The damage has been done, and I am still waiting for the media to publish your clarification. According to an anonymous person who posted in the jungle:

AnonymousDecember 16, 2025 at 7:24 PM

Regardless of whether he thinks Camacho is guilty, he should have given Camacho the benefit of the doubt until Camacho exhausted all his appeal rights. In this case, he knew Camacho intends to file an appeal. So, his announcement about Camacho being laicized was not only premature, but managed to destroy Camacho's reputation on the spot. Any attempt to backpedal not only looks foolish by showing his incompetence, immaturity, and ignorance, but prevented Camacho's reputation from ever being restored in any meaningful way should he win his appeal and reverse the verdict permanently. Camacho may have a civil case for damages.

Clarification from Archbishop Ryan

 You can find the following letter in the Archdiocese of Agana website:

15 December 2025

Some canonical clarifications concerning the case of Rev. Luis Camacho

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In reference to my “Pastoral Update to the Faithful Regarding the Case of Luis Camacho” with Prot.
No. 02-48 dated December 11, 2025, I wish to make some clarificatory statements for the public to
understand:

1. Rev. Luis Camacho, in all stages of suspension, investigation, and appeal, maintains the right
of due process and innocence in accordance with the norms of Canon Law.

2. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, in its letter dated 7 November 2025 with Prot. N.
450/2015 – 107269 stated that Rev. Camacho “is to be informed of his right to present recourse” to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith “within the peremptory time limit of sixty (60) useful days from the date of notification of this Decree.”

3. I acknowledge that I prematurely mentioned in my ‘pastoral update’ that Rev. Camacho “has
been laicized.” The right of appeal has not expired, and Rev. Camacho fully intends to
exercise his right to appeal to the Collegium of the Doctrine of the Faith within sixty (60) days
from the notification of the decree dated 2 December 2025. Therefore, Rev. Camacho is not
dismissed from the clerical state while the recourse is ongoing.

4. In any manner the rights and reputation of Rev. Camacho are infringed by my ‘pastoral
update’ with Prot. No. 02-48 dated December 11, 2025, and inadvertently sent in error, I wish
to state herein the restoration of those rights and reputation. I acted in haste and that my
actions were not intended to cause any harm or scandal to Rev. Camacho, to his family or to
the Archdiocese of Agana.

 
5. Meanwhile, we must wait in prayer for Rev. Camacho and for all of us that, after all the
requirements of canon law are met, we accept the Holy Will of God.

Sincerely in Christ,
+Ryan P. Jimenez, D.D.
Metropolitan Archbishop of Agana

Looking Forward

 A few weeks ago, our youth returned home from Rome and Austria. They shared their experiences of the Pilgrimage, and they are always looking forward. 

2027 is two years away, but the years go by so fast. My family is already looking forward to the next World Youth Day, which will be in South Korea. We have already started saving up for the trip. So, we are looking forward to WYD. It's fortunate for us because we are close to South Korea. The last WYD was in Portugal, which was very far for us. 

In the meantime, the NCW continues to evangelize both in Guam and other Pacific Islands. We hope to produce more vocations especially the priesthood. We already have a few who are studying for the priesthood. These sons of Guam may not be priests in Guam, but they are for the universal Church. We continue to pray for them. 

Pilgrimage to Rome

 The NCW in Guam and Saipan are on their way to Rome for a pilgrimage. Kudos to the youth.

Kiko Meets Pope Leo XIV

 

The Election of Pope Leo XIV

 The following article can be found here.

It is with great joy that the Neocatechumenal Way has received the news of the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as Successor of Peter. His first words have filled us with joy, placing at the center the Risen Christ, who offers us his peace, and evangelization that springs from a missionary heart.

A particular echo in the hearts of all the brothers and sisters of the Way—and particularly in mine—has been that the election took place on the day of the Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii, because Our Lady of Pompeii has had a special meaning and presence in the history of the Neocatechumenal Way. In 1968, when the Servant of God Carmen Hernández and I arrived in Rome, we were taken by Don Dino Torreggiani, founder of the “Servants of the Church,” to place at the feet of Our Lady of Pompeii the mission that had begun among the shanties of Palomera Altas, on the outskirts of Madrid. Since then, there have been several events that have significantly accompanied the Way on May 8.

During his episcopal ministry in Peru, he also had the opportunity to meet the team responsible for the Way and to accompany them, as well as to preside over a vocational meeting where he encouraged young people to become missionaries of Christ.

The name he has taken as Successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV, reminds us that his predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, had to govern the Church in truly difficult times, in defense of Christian identity.

The Way is above all a charism that prioritizes mission through Christian Initiation offered to dioceses and parishes. Concrete signs of this are the thousands of families on mission in the most de-Christianized places, the Redemptoris Mater seminaries, where priests are formed for the New Evangelization and all family and youth ministry. We are happy to be able to continue, with His Holiness, putting all these gifts of the Lord at the service of the Church for the good of humanity, and especially of those “many baptized who end up living… in a de facto atheism,” as Pope Leo XIV recalled in his first homily in the Sistine Chapel.

We assure the Holy Father of our prayers and those of all our brothers so that his ministry may bear all the fruit that people today need.

Kiko Argüello

May 8th, Virgin of Pompeii

Action Speaks Louder Than Words

 The former Archbishop Anthony Apuron has a point. All the bishops and priests who were found guilty of child sexual abuse were defrocked. He was the only exception. He still retained his title of Bishop. The only thing he lost was the Archdiocese. There is no doubt that certain people want to see Apuron step down even BEFORE the sex abuse Scandal broke out. At any rate, Tim Rohr even agreed that the only way to defrock Apuron is through child sexual abuse. According to Rohr (the bold is mine):

TimFebruary 23, 2017 at 4:09 AM

There is no doubt that all of this could have been avoided had the Vatican guys did a bit more homework. Even the noticing of the witnesses was very much slipshod. True, Attorney Lujan also could have done more on his end, but we don't know that he didn't. Maybe he did and he saw that there was nothing to gain by cooperating with Rome. He certainly has every right to distrust the institutional Church.

However, the consequences of a stalemate are exactly as the title states. While Apuron could be reprimanded for his financial misdeeds and his abuse of priests, just to name a few items on a very long list, the only way he could become a candidate for defrocking (laicized), would be through the sex abuse allegations. At 40 years distance, it still is a "he said-he said" situation, no matter how powerful the alleged victims' testimonies may be on paper.

Someone who was with Apuron at that time said that the verdict was a political one. At that time, Theodore McCarrick was found guilty of child sexual abuse and defrocked. That was in February 2019. It was also in February, 2019 just a few days after McCarrick that Apuron was found guilty of the same offense. At that time, the Pope was under tremendous pressure to do something about the clergy sex abuse scandal. Therefore, the verdict may likely have been political, which had nothing to do with justice. 

Unlike Theodore McCarrick, Apuron was not defrocked. Also, McCarrick was never exiled from his home country, but Apuron was exiled. Why do you think that is? Could it be because Apuron's life was threatened, and Pope Francis exiled him for his protection?

There was indeed a climate of fear in Guam.The tires of the former Archbishop were slashed at the Chancery. He was stalked by the people who hated him. They wrote letters to the Vatican, urging them to find him guilty NOW without a canonical trial.

As for the plaintiffs who voluntarily dismissed their case, what was the main reason for the dismissal? One of the primary reasons for dismissing a case is lack of sufficient evidence. One reason that was given was because Apuron had no money or assets to give. This reminded me of the time when Cardinal Burke came to Guam to interview the alleged victims. None of them wanted to speak to Burke. However, when they heard that the Church's ATM was opened, they decided to take the interview. See the story here. Action speaks louder than words.

So, Bishop Anthony Apuron has a point. The fact that he was NOT defrocked and treated differently than the rest of the priests and bishops who were defrocked for the same offense speaks volumes. Unlike Brouillard who was accused of the same offense and defrocked, Apuron was not secluded. He was never told to stay away from children. He was simply told to stay away from Guam. Action speaks louder than words.