Father Mario Pezzi, honorary doctorate in Theology from UCAM

In the Neocatechumenal Way, his catechesis on the Magisterium of the Church, at the service of evangelization, has formed generations of people from all over the world.

On Thursday, November 13, Father Mario Pezzi, priest of the International Team of the Neocatechumenal Way, received an honorary doctorate in Theology from the Catholic University of San Antonio in Murcia (UCAM): a recognition of his extraordinary merits, especially in research and formation in the Magisterium of the Church through the catechesis he has given for decades to the Neocatechumenal communities.

The title was conferred during the opening ceremony of the 2025-2026 Academic Year at the Monastery of Los Jerónimos (an early 18th-century monastic complex known as the Escorial of Murcia and a national monument) where UCAM has its headquarters, in the presence of Monsignor José Manuel Lorca Planes, Bishop of the Diocese of Cartagena-Murcia, the President of UCAM, María Dolores García Mascarell, the Rector, Dr. Josefina García Lozano, various civil and religious authorities, and numerous brothers and sisters of the Neocatechumenal Way from Italy and Spain.

Wisdom—whom in the first reading of the day’s liturgy profesied praise—was the theme of the entire event, which began with a solemn Eucharistic celebration presided over by the bishop of the diocese. This was followed by the Academic Ceremony with a speech by the Rector (who spoke of a “historic event of enormous significance and great depth”) and the Laudatio, delivered by José Alberto Cánovas Sánchez, Vice-Rector of the University, and Monsignor Segundo Tejado Muñoz, itinerant priest.

Mr. José Alberto Cánovas highlighted the extraordinary research and training work carried out by Father Mario on a wide range of topics: the rational foundation of theological anthropology, social doctrine, morality, ecclesiology, the sacraments, and eschatology. All of this constitutes a deepening in the service of evangelization, “in order to provide communities with the elements that help them give reason for the faith they profess and live, and also make the Magisterium of the Church accessible to them.” “Giving reason for hope means coming into contact with those who are far away and their ways of thinking,” explained the Vice-Chancellor. From the beginning of the Neocatechumenal Way, Father Mario recognized the charism of its initiators, Kiko and Carmen, who, together with him, “have made faith possible in generations destined for existential apathy and the absolute absence of their own Being.” With his magisterial catechesis, year after year at the beginning of the academic year, he has instructed generations of Christians from five continents in the faith. Central to his reflections are marriage and family, love and sexuality, crucial themes for the formation of thousands of couples in the Neocatechumenal Way. People of different ages, backgrounds, and cultures have been introduced to the documents of Vatican Council II and to the discovery of the Theology of the Body; catechesis that has made them grow in love for the Holy Father and for the Church. “In all his research there is extraordinary rigor, clarity of thought, and a great depth in the Magisterium of the Church, placed at the service of evangelization.”

Arrival of Fr. Mario Pezzi and start of the inauguration ceremony ©UCAM

The awarding of the honoris causa, or honorary doctorate, followed the investiture ceremony: the Rector presented Father Mario with the Doctorate Title and Medal, attestation ”of the high dignity of the distinction.” The priest then received the Book of Wisdom and the Law of God, with the invitation to keep it as a symbol of all that he must learn and teach. Other insignia entrusted to him were “the cap of laureate,” “an ancient and venerated emblem of the teaching profession,” which he will wear “as a crown” of his studies and merits; “the ring of seniority, emblem of the privilege of signing and sealing the opinions, consultations, and censures” of his science and profession; and, finally, the white gloves, “symbol of the purity and strength that the hands must preserve,” signs of his rank and high dignity.

Father Mario Pezzi then delivered his Lectio Magistralis, in which he first highlighted the work of the Lord in his life. His first memory was of José Luis Mendoza Pérez, founder of UCAM, for whom he asked the Lord to reward him for his efforts in building this ecclesial work. The new doctor thanked the University for granting him the distinction and for its work in the spiritual and integral formation of young people. Among the dates recalled in his speech, Father Mario highlighted 1984, the year in which he was invited by Kiko and Carmen “to prepare a catechesis on the encyclical Humanae vitae by Pope Saint Paul VI.” “From then until now,” he observed, “I have been able to render this service to my brothers and sisters.” Another pillar of his teaching has been the Second Vatican Council. The initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way, he emphasized, were inspired to found it “on the three pillars of the Second Vatican Council”: the Apostolic Constitutions, Lumen gentium, Sacrosanctum concilium, and Dei Verbum. It is the tripod on which this Christian Initiation is based: Community, Liturgy, and Word.

Investiture as Doctor Honoris Causa of Fr. Mario Pezzi ©UCAM

Among the dates recalled in his speech, Father Mario highlighted 1984, the year in which he was invited by Kiko and Carmen “to prepare a catechesis on Pope Saint Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae vitae.” “From then until now,” he observed, “I have been able to perform this service for my brothers and sisters.” Another pillar of his teaching has been the Second Vatican Council. The initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way, he emphasized, were inspired to found it “on the three pillars of the Second Vatican Council”: the Apostolic Constitutions Lumen gentium, Sacrosanctum concilium, and Dei Verbum. It is the tripod on which this Christian Initiation is based: Community, Liturgy, and Word.

“I have lived this path of my life,” concluded Fr. Mario, “with the awareness that it has not been my own doing, but rather that the Grace that comes from above has guided my existence in a mysterious, hidden, and wonderful way, as is the life of every Christian. He then expressed his wish: “Let us fall in love with the Wisdom of God! It is that agile spirit that penetrates souls and forms friends of God.”

After the Lectio Magistralis, the President of UCAM invited the new Doctor to take the oath before the Cross and on the Holy Gospel. The fraternal embrace given to Father Mario by the members of the academic community, honored and joyful to be his brothers and colleagues, was the last moment of the solemn ceremony. A gesture of communion, which marked his admission to the College of Doctors of UCAM, crowning a morning full of meaning, but not only that.

As Monsignor Segundo Tejado pointed out in his speech, the awarding of the honoris causa doctorate crowns a life dedicated since his youth to his vocation: evangelization. The young priest’s restlessness found an answer in his encounter with the charism of the Neocatechumenal Way. “And Father Mario is serving it as a faithful guardian, following the example of St. Joseph, with a profound presence that educates and sustains so many brothers and sisters throughout the world on their journey of faith.”