The Neocatechumenal Way was not the only controversial group that was persecuted. Other groups such as Opus Dei also faced persecution. Below are some of the controversies surrounding Opus Dei. Note the similarities between Opus Dei and the Neocatechumenal Way: Allen describes Opus Dei as "the most controversial force in the Catholic Church," receiving both support and opposition.
Based on reports from Spain, the Superior-General of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Wlodimir Ledochowski (1866–1942), told the Vatican he considered Opus Dei "very dangerous for the Church in Spain." He described it as having a "secretive character" and saw "signs in it of a covert inclination to dominate the world with a form of Christian Masonry."[1] These allegations against Opus Dei from within well-regarded ecclesiastical circles ("the opposition by good people," as Escrivá called it), which happened time and again in its history, are considered to be some of the roots of present-day accusations coming from the most varied quarters. This is the conclusion of some writers, including John L. Allen, Jr., CNN's Vatican analyst.[2]
According to John Allen, one of the original sources of criticism of Opus Dei are some members of the Society of Jesus who did not understand the big difference between Opus Dei and the religious orders. Opus Dei is composed of ordinary lay Christians who are taking their baptism-based calling to become holy, as the first Christians did, without in any way being externally distinguished from other citizens of the Roman Empire, as Escriva explained.
Aside from this full-blown campaign in the 1940s, there were other attacks from Jesuits in the 1950s who told some Italian parents of members of Opus Dei that their sons were being led to damnation. Another Jesuit writing against Opus Dei was Michael Walsh, who later left the Society of Jesus.
Messori also blames the Jesuits and perceivedly-liberal sectors of the church for the "myth" that Opus Dei supported fascism. From its early association with the far-right Franco regime in Spain, Opus Dei has been associated with ultra-right wing regimes.
Opus dei has always focused on the lay person rather than the clergy. The organisation supports and encourages offering up everyday actions and tasks to God while living a normal life, unlike other Catholic organisations and groups which focus on specific tasks such as feeding the poor or spreading the faith through education. Priests of Opus Dei are encouraged to always wear the clerical collar while in public.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_about_Opus_Dei
The founder of Opus Dei was Josemaria Escriva. There were many controversies surrounding Opus Dei that they were even labeled a cult. Depsite these controversies, Escriva's teachings was endorsed by Popes John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and even Pope Francis. Ever since Escriva was declared a saint by the Vatican, not much has been heard from the opponents of Opus Dei. Their Eucharist is also celebrated differently from the regular Mass. According to Father Neil:
This past summer I personally attended Mass in at the Opus Dei shrine in Torreciudad (Spain), at London's Brompton Oratory and a Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form celebrated by Cardinal Burke at the Fota Liturgical Conference in my native city of Cork (Ireland). While not everything in these celebrations would be my own cup of tea, I have no diffculty in accepting that these are valuable parts of the Church's liturgical treasury and I appreciate how they can help in the salvation of many souls. In a similar way, the minor liturgical adaptations that have been granted to the Neocatehumenal communities are precisely to help them answer to the needs of the New Evangelization and bring people back to the Church and to a fuller encounter with the Risen Lord.
http://neocatechemunal.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-danger-of-pride.html
What Father Neil pointed out in his letter is very important.
"We have a Church that today has many liturgical rites, we have a special form of liturgy for use in the former Zaire, for use by the former Anglicans and those who use the Extraordinary Form are allowed to maintain their particular liturgical spirituality and practices. What binds the Catholic Church together is not uniformity in liturgical practice, but unity in belief and faith in communion with the Successor of Peter."
Our unity in belief and faith in communion with the Pope is what unites us, not the uniformity in liturgical practice.
But Opus Dei is a personal prelature isn't it? This is entirely different to the NCW. Also there is a priestly order in the Opus Dei, but not in the NCW.
ReplyDeleteFinally, I don't think that you will find any mention of a "separate liturgy" or liturgical variations in the Opus Dei statutes.
"Their Eucharist is also celebrated differently from the regular Mass"
Can you elaborate on what these supposed differences are? And do they have permission for these differences?
Dear Anonymous at 1:07 pm.
ReplyDeleteDid you not read the post above. The reasons Opus Dei was persecuted are very similar to the Persecution of the Way. They were called a cult just like we were. Father Neil was there when he celebrated the Eucharist with them, and he can testify that there were a few minor variations which was different than the regular Mass and from the Way. Were YOU there to see the difference?
No, I wasn't. But as I said, they are a personal prelature. From wiki:
ReplyDelete"Personal prelature is an institutional structure of the Roman Catholic Church which comprises a prelate, clergy and laity who undertake specific pastoral activities. Personal prelatures, similar to dioceses and military ordinariates, are under the governance of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops. "
The NCW is not this and you can't compare this organisation with the NCW which is not even an "organisation".
And it absolutely matters what constitutes the so-called "few minor variations" in the liturgy. If you don;t even know what these are, how can you make any comparison ?
Dear Anonymous at 6:45 pm,
DeleteYou missed the point of my post. I was comparing the PERSECUTION of Opus Dei to the persecution of the Way. Those who opposed Opus Dei said that they are a cult. Those who oppose the Way said the same thing. Those who oppose Opus Dei said that they have a secretive character. Those who oppose the Way said the same thing.
nice job Diana ;)
DeleteSorry, but far from "nice job". It is entirely reasonable that driticism is justified in one case, and not in the other. This can be determined only by looking and testing. The NCW falls short in its explanation as it always comes back to the language of control. eg the obsession with "obedience", the justification that "we do what we do because we were told to" and the plethora of unthinking and fanatical devotion to everything that comes from the mouth of Kiko.
DeleteAs a personal prelature, the Opus Dei has a particuylar relationship with the broader Church. The NCW, being a "method" not a thing, has an entirely different relationship. There may be indults or permissions given to minor variations in the liturgy, but they must be in accordance with those permissions. Can you show whether Opus Dei has violated its own guidelines in relation to the liturgy, as the NCW does, or do you just rely on this vague statement by a single priest with NCW symapthies?
Dear Anonymous at 3:53 pm,
DeleteThe NCW already has the approval and endorsement of the Pope; therefore, the NCW does not care about your criticism. The Pope's approval is all the justification we need.
Diana, your group is not being PERSECUTED so stop using that word in trying to compare the NCW with Opus Dei. Most people on Guam do not have first hand experience with Opus Dei, let alone know who they are but they do with the NCW because the effects and affects of the presence of the Way has hit closer to home.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that you would lump the NCW in the same teabag as Opus Dei for the sake of crying PERSECUTION. What's next? A Martyr? Or a Saint like in Opus Dei? That's just so ridiculous right? No, the NCW is not being PERSECUTED, especially here on Guam. It's being SCRUTINIZED.
Dear Anonymous at 3:55 am,
DeleteThe fact that the jungle is calling for the destruction of the NCW and for foreign seminarians to get out of the island is persecution.
We are defending our island and faith from the NCW and soldiers of your false prophet.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 12:02 pm,
DeleteWe have heard from your side a lot. I'm sure the Vatican has heard too much from you. It is now time that they hear our side. The NCW has its own auditors, so while you go around accusing us of spending your money on the RMS seminary, the NCW has their auditors to show where all the NCW money is going. The parish have their auditors to also show where all the parish money is going.....and those parish collections are not going to the seminary. It is time that the visitors hear our side of the story.
"the NCW has their auditors to show where all the NCW money is going"
DeleteThen, simply show us
Do you know where they spend your money? Because last i checked members have no idea where their money is used because kiko does not believe in transparency, which is contrary and s is a fact to what the pope and the church are trying to do nowadays, but wth right what does the pope know about finances, especially not this one who is trying to get the church rid of all the past mistakes and for all the times it was greedy and hid money or took what it didn't belong to her in the past obviously when the pope acted more like a king rather than a man of god, amd this pope is taking the biggest steps to remedy those mistakes.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 7:01 pm,
DeleteYou should have asked a long time ago. Instead, you would rather make accusations. The NCW will now be the one to provide all that information to the Vatican visitors.
Dear Keith,
DeleteYes, we know where it goes. We also know how much was collected. The collection is always announced to the brothers so we know how much went to the evangelization. The parishes also have their auditors, and they should be able to determine how much the NCW gave to their parish whenever they use the church facilities.
"auditors to show where all the NCW money is going"
DeleteStatutes of the NCW:
"Art. 4
[Temporal goods]
§ 1. The Neocatechumenal Way, being an itinerary of Catholic formation that is implemented
in the dioceses through services freely given, has no material goods of its own. "
So are the auditors auditing spiritual goods or what? Because of course the NCW "has no material goods of its own"
Dear Anonymous at 2:22 am,
DeleteAs you can see from our Statutes, the NCW is not supposed to own anything. Why? Because any material goods the community has is given away. As we keep telling you, all our travel expenses to the Philippines to see Kiko came from the communities. The NCW supported the seminarians' travel expenses as well. The mission families do not touch any parish money. All your $2.00 collection money from the parish stays in the parish and does not go to the seminary.
Diana dont you think that the money can be used for something other than things having to do with building neocatechumenal communities? Why does Kiko not provide for example voluntary work experiences? When I was going to do a voluntary work experience this summer and we went to talk to the catechists upon the request of my girlfriend's mother and father because they said they didn't want to take a decision on their own which is already stupid enough because THEY are her parents, obviously they are in the ncw, The catechists then told us that although we are free to choose obviously they do not exactly recommend we go, simply because the organisation we were going with didnt have anything to do with the ncw. They also tried to scare us by telling us that something can happen where we don't remain together, but I had already stopped being part of the ncw by that time so I went out of respect. Can you tell me how that is not a sect like tendency please?
DeleteDear Keith,
DeleteThe money is not used to build neocatechumenal communities. It I used for evangelization. People are free to do volunteer work if they want. That come naturally. Some of the brothers in my community are already doing volunteer work in the Church. But we did not tell them to do this. They did it on their own.
I do not know about your girlfriend's mother and father as to why they constantly need the decision of the catechists. We do not do that here. The only time we call the catechists is when we have a question or a disagreement among the brothers in the community. For example, if there is a dispute as to what kind of wine to use for the Eucharist, we would call the catechist. WE would also call the catechist for guidance on how to prepare for a word we cannot find in the Bible (such as Vatican II). But we never call the catechists to ask them whether we should do volunteer work this summer or not. That decision is left to the individual.
If you do not mind my asking,.....how old are you and how old is your girlfriend? And is your girlfriend living with her parents?
Well that is different here then, which is exactly my point. There is no control over the catechists unless a problem as large and public as that of guam occurs. So it is important to keep that in mind.
DeleteAsking catechists about those things you mentioned make sense because they should be knowledgeable about them but as you can see it is not the case in Malta, at least in the communities I've seen and the catechists I've met.
I am 21 years old and my girlfriend is 20 years old. We both live with our parents, everybody does in Malta since it's a small island.
Dear Keith,
DeleteI have had the opportunity to visit your island. Guam is also a very small island. However, some of the youths in my community have been to Malta before they head out to Spain for WYD. These youths had many positive things to say about the communities and families they met in Malta. I do not know the whole story of the NCW in your island. I have not heard from any Catechists there. Do you think perhaps that your girlfriend's parents may have some insecurity about making decisions for themselves?
As much as i would like to say they are insecurities, I fear it is much more than that. I believe that they are tired of being parents, my girlfriend was the first child and she said they were strict with her and in fact she is the most mature child they have now. But they have four children in all, two of which were 'suggested' by the catechists. Her father has to work a lot so he is rarely home which is obvious because without money one cannot give four children and a wife things to eat, drink, a home where to live and clothes to wear. Her mother is maybe insecure, but the problem is that most probably the catechists know this yet do nothing about it. Let's not say nothing, but they do little of good. Maybe and I'm trying to imagine what a priest would do here, they tell them to stay united as a family and take care of their children because it is the parents' responsibility to do so. If you choose and accept to have four children you have to be ready to take care of them and form them well in every aspect of life. Of course a priest would also say if he sees he is not enough to solve the situation to go to a psychologist or a family helper (not sure what they're called), so as to get the family even closer together. But i do not see this, and in this way I see it is a close minded organization, not because you clap in the mass, or take the Body of Christ standing or sitting. Those are secondary to me as long as you have approval and go by that approval honestly. The more important things are the family environment. You would know who the Catechist children are immediately because they feel proud, they usually have more money than the other families, but maybe that is just in this community again, but that does not make it any less a problem of the ncw, because if Kiko wants to do something he has ro ensure it is done correctly or at least say sorry for the mistakes and change accordingly.
DeleteIn reading the article about Opus Dei, the words "controversial," "criticism" and "opposition" are used. But not "persecution," which is the favored and truly inappropriate term used by the NCW. Kiko and his disciples fancy themselves as being "persecuted," but they (including you, Diana) are not. To see REAL PERSECUTION, go here http://www.catholic.org/news/international/middle_east/story.php?id=56339 and ask yourselves if this is what Tim Rohr, Chuck White and others who post in Junglewatch are doing to you.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the above post St. Josemariá Escrivá used the words "opposition by GOOD PEOPLE" to describe critics of Opus Dei. Kiko Arguello characterizes critics of the NCW as "Judases." St. Josemariá characterized critics of Opus Dei as "good people." Therein lies the difference: the good saint saw good in everyone, even those who criticized/opposed him or his personal prelature; but Kiko sees anyone who criticizes/opposes him or the NCW as evil.
The only thing that Opus Dei and the NCW have in common is that the men who founded each one came from Spain.
Dear Anonymous at 7:42 am,
DeleteThose words "opposition" and "criticize" were also used for the NCW. However, as we already know, the Archbishop's tires were slashed, Zoltan's job was threatened, members were intimidated, and there was a $500 reward for my head. That is persecution.
AnonymousJanuary 5, 2015 at 7:42 AM Diana made a good point. The man who discover the Archbishop's tires were slashed personally a friend of mind and work at the Archdiocese. We know who the rogue deacon who leaked things up and it's true. Is this evil information from the opposition or charity?
DeleteThe Archbishop is a good man. THANKS
ReplyDeleteIt should be mentioned that Opus Dei was founded by a priest. Unlike the NCW is founded by a former altar server and an former nun. Let your imaginations run wild with this tidbit. Former altar server who probably didn't have what it takes to be a priest and former nun who couldn't last in the convent, etc...
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 8:43 pm,
DeleteAre you saying that God works ONLY through the priests and not through any lay person??? I will remind you that the Founder of the Society of Jesus was a soldier. I will also remind you that God chooses whoever He wants. And you would be surprised to see whom God choses. The fact that the founder of the Way was a former alter server and a former nun shows that they were truly chosen by God. After all, God chose Paul who was a persecuted of Christians. What does that tell you about God's choice?? He chooses the unlikeliest of people.