Two hundred and fifty archbishops and bishops from five continents, accompanied by itinerant missionaries, priests, and lay people responsible for the Neocatechumenal Way in their dioceses (a total of more than 500 brothers and sisters), were invited by the international team responsible for the Way—Kiko Argüello, Father Mario Pezzi, and Ascensión Romero—to a meeting in the Holy Land.
The invitation to the Holy Land had been confirmed by a letter from His Beatitude, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who was unable to attend because he had to attend meetings of the cardinals and the funeral of the Holy Father. The participants, who arrived in the Holy Land on Easter Monday, were shocked by the death of Pope Francis, and it was this news that became the first point of communion among all: prayer for the soul of Pope Francis and for the upcoming conclave of cardinals.
The meeting began at the Domus Galilaeae, on the Mount of Beatitudes, where the bishops had the opportunity to experience days of communion and prayer, visiting the holy places around Lake Tiberias: Korazin, Capernaum, Tabgha, the Primacy of Peter… and obtaining a plenary indulgence in Nazareth.
Throughout their time together, Kiko Argüello, founder of the Neocatechumenal Way together with the Servant of God Carmen Hernández, has shared with the bishops some aspects of Christian initiation that the Way offers to dioceses, explaining some key catechetical and kerygmatic elements that are at the basis of this journey of faith.
The bishops had the opportunity to reflect, grouped together by language, on the great challenges facing the Church today, highlighting above all the crisis of the family, with the inevitable consequences of childlessness, loneliness, and the abandonment of the elderly. With bishops coming from so many countries, the dialogue was very enriching for all participants, who shared both the sufferings of churches that are empty and those that are persecuted by a lack of freedom or by extremist violence. The bishops greatly appreciated the response that the Way offers based on its 60 years of experience in evangelization.
The meeting continued with a two-day pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The Cardinals and some Presidents of Episcopal Conferences, together with some Bishops from Argentina who were already in the Holy Land for the meeting, had to leave for Rome to attend the funeral of the Holy Father. All the others were able to follow the funeral liturgy with emotion on a large screen set up in a spacious pavilion at the Domus Betaniae, a structure that offers priests and laypeople a time of formation and immersion in the biblical sites.
At the Pontifical Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center, a meeting was held with Monsignor Adolfo Tito Yllana, Apostolic Nuncio to Israel, and Moshe Lion, Mayor of Jerusalem. They emphasized that the return of Christian pilgrims is essential and that the presence of so many bishops, who experienced the pilgrimage in complete tranquility, will greatly contribute to this return.
The Apostolic Nuncio, in addition to emphasizing the importance of the Neocatechumenal Way in the Church, wished peace for Jerusalem as a hope for the whole world. The mayor of Jerusalem, after expressing his sincere condolences for the passing of Pope Francis, gave a warm welcome to those present.
Finally, Kiko Argüello addressed words of gratitude to the civil authorities, the Apostolic Nuncio, and the many prelates who participated in the meeting, concluding with a song from the prophet Isaiah: “I am coming to gather all nations; they will come and see my glory.” This prophecy was fulfilled in the joy of all these bishops who had come from the five continents.
The convivence was completed with a visit to the Cenacle—perhaps the most moving moment for many bishops—and concluded with the bishops first visiting the Holy Sepulcher and then the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, once again obtaining a plenary indulgence. We were able to see in many of the participating bishops a heartfelt sense of gratitude for the unique experience they had lived.
See more photos…
