Neocatechumenal Way Initiator Named Consultor for Pontifical Council for the Laity

Pope Francis has confirmed the initiator and leader of the international lay movement the Neocatechumenal Way, as a consultor for the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

Kiko Argüello will serve for a five-year term. This confirmation is in addition to his nomination in 2011 as consultor of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization.

The international leader of the Neocatechumenal Way has belonged to the laity council since his appointment in 1993 by Blessed John Paul II, a nomination that continued for the rest of that pontificate and later on, under Benedict XVI.

Argüello has participated as an Auditor in various Synods in the past several years, the most recent being the Synod on the Eucharist (2005), the Synod on “the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church” (2008) and the Synod on “The New Evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith” in 2012.

On February 1, Pope Francis received 10,000 people from the Neocatechumenal Way in audience at Paul VI Hall. Due to lack of time, the Holy Father was only able to send out 12 of the 40 new "missio ad gentes" teams destined for Asia. Two weeks later, on February 14th, the Holy Father received Argüello, along with Carmen Hernández and Fr. Mario Pezzi, and the presbyters responsible for the other 28 missio ad gentes who will be working in the evangelization of Europe and the United States. (J.A.E.)