Private audience with the initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way 11-19-2005

Benedict XVI

Vatican City, November 19, 2005

On November 19, 2005 the Holy Father Benedict XVI, has received in private audience, for the first time to the initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way.

Kiko has described the encounter in this way:

«It was a wonderful meeting. We had requested an audience with the Pope, knowing that it was extremely difficult and it was granted to us. Last May, we had a convivence of families and we have sent out in mission 200 of them. We have asked Pope Benedict XVI if he could, as John Paul II had done, who sent more than 400 families in mission throughout the world, to give the crucifix to these new families and take a photo with them to show, wherever they go, that they are Catholic, because they will go to difficult areas of America and northern Europe. We have been told that on January 12 the Pope is happy to send these 200 families to the whole world. It is a very important meeting! It will be the first time that Pope Benedict XVI will say a word about the Neocatechumenal Way in front of the whole Church. Everyone is waiting.

The private audience that we have had on November 19 has been beautiful: I have spoken a little about the plan of evangelization that we had presented to John Paul II, with an “implantatio Ecclesiae” with the families on mission, a little like Saint Benedict did; I have shown the Pope a map showing the 27 seminaries in Europe and where the families on mission are… Well, when it was 5 minutes before the end of the audience, the Pope said: “Very well, now let’s talk of the liturgy. Yesterday I spoke with Cardinal Arinze and we have agreed on some things ”. He has told us that we can make brief admonitions on the readings, some echoes on the word, 3 or 4, that clearly do not replace the homily. The sign of peace remains where we make it and for communion under the two species, we can continue making it as until now, later it will be seen.”