(ZENIT News / Rome, 01.19.2026) – In the Hall of Blessings of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV received in audience a large group of members of the Neocatechumenal Way. Two of its founders were present at the meeting: Kiko Argüello and Father Mario Pezzi. The Neocatechumenal Way is a formation process within the Catholic Church, which originated in Spain in the 1960s thanks to Kiko Argüello and Carmen Hernández (deceased and in the process of Beatification). It is organized into small groups that journey along a path to deepen their understanding of Baptism and grow constantly in faith. Today, this Movement has spread throughout the world. It is present in 139 countries and brings together more than 20,000 communities worldwide.
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In the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!
Dear brothers and Sisters,
Cari Fratelli e Sorelle, good morning and welcome!
I am pleased to see so many of you here. I greet the members of the International Team of the Neocatechumenal Way, Kiko Argüello, María Ascensión Romero, and Father Mario Pezzi, as well as the Bishops and priests that accompany you.
A special thought goes out to the families present here, an expression of their missionary zeal and of that desire which should always inspire the entire Church: to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world, so that all may come to know Christ.
In fact, this desire has always animated and continues to nourish the life of the Neocatechumenal Way, its charism, and the works of evangelization and catechesis that represent a valuable contribution to the life of the Church. To everyone, especially those who have drifted away or whose faith has weakened, you offer the possibility of a spiritual journey through which to rediscover the meaning of Baptism, so that they may recognize the gift of grace received and, therefore, the call to be disciples of the Lord and His witnesses in the world.
Inspired by this spirit, you have rekindled the fire of the Gospel where it seemed to be dying out and have accompanied many Christian individuals and communities, awakening them to the joy of faith, helping them to rediscover the beauty of knowing Jesus, and fostering their spiritual growth and their commitment to witness.
In particular, besides the formators and catechists, I wish to express my gratitude to the families that, heeding the inner prompting of the Spirit, leave the securities of ordinary life and go on mission, even to distant and difficult territories, with the sole desire to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness to God’s love. In this way, the itinerant teams composed of families, catechists, and priests participate in the evangelizing mission of the whole Church and, as Pope Francis affirmed, contribute to «awakening» the faith of «non-Christians who have never heard of Jesus Christ,» but also of so many baptized Christians who, even though they are Christians, «have forgotten [. . .] who Jesus Christ is” (Address to the Adherents of the Neocatechumenal Way, March 6, 2015).
To live the experience of the Neocatechumenal Way and carry out its mission also requires, on your part, inner vigilance and a wise critical capacity to discern some of the risks that always lurk in spiritual and ecclesial life.
You propose to everyone a path of rediscovering Baptism, and this Sacrament, as we know, by uniting us to Christ, makes us living members of His Body, His one people, His one family. We must always remember that we are Church and that, if the Spirit grants each one a particular manifestation, this is given — as the Apostle Paul reminds us — «for the common good» (1 Corinthians 12:7) and therefore for the very mission of the Church. Charisms must always be at the service of the Kingdom of God and of the one Church of Christ, in which no gift of God is more important than another — except charity, which perfects and harmonizes them all — and no ministry should become a reason to feel superior to our brothers and sisters or to exclude those who think differently.
Therefore, I also invite you, who have encountered the Lord and live His discipleship in the Neocatechumenal Way, to be witnesses of this unity. Your mission is particular, but not exclusive; your charism is specific, but it bears fruit in communion with the other gifts present in the life of the Church; the good you do is great, but its purpose is to allow people to know Christ, always respecting each person’s path of life and conscience.
As custodians of this unity in the Spirit, I urge you to live your spirituality without ever separating yourselves from the rest of the ecclesial body, as a living part of the ordinary pastoral care of parishes and their diverse realities, in full communion with your brothers and sisters, and particularly with the priests and Bishops. Go forward with joy and humility, without closing yourselves off, as builders and witnesses of communion.
The Church accompanies you, supports you, and thanks you for what you do. At the same time, she reminds everyone that «where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom» (2 Corinthians 3:17). Therefore, the proclamation of the Gospel, catechesis, and the various forms of pastoral action must always be free from coercion, rigidity, and moralizing, lest they give rise to feelings of guilt and fear instead of inner liberation.
My dearest ones, I thank you for your commitment, for your joyful witness, for the service you perform in the Church and in the world. I encourage you to continue with enthusiasm and I bless you, while invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary to accompany and protect you. Thank you!
