Era of Peace

Ch 6. "We Are All Priests" - Heresies in the Neocatechumenal Way (Author: Fr Zoffoli)

The bold quoted text as usual are quotes from Kiko and Carmen's "catechesis documents" with the page numbers in brackets.

The Church, visible and hierarchical society, bases its own juridical structure on the sacrament of Ordination, which distinguishes essentially the "ministerial priesthood" from that common to all the faithful who are simply baptised (LG 10). But, according to Kiko, such a distinction is not made, being all participants in the single priesthood of Christ. Thus it follows that, in the Church there is no Hierarchy distinguishing the clergy from the people: clergy that, representing the Head, talks and acts "IN NOMINE ET PERSONA CHRISTI"; and a people that, represented by the clergy, elevates itself to God in virtue of its mediation which renders sensible that absolute primary mediation of the Incarnate Verb.

Here are some extracts from this chapter:

As usual, the charismatic founder of the N.M. pronounces himself with amazing cheekiness: "We do not even have priests in the sense of persons who are separate from all because in our name they get in contact with the divinity. Because our priest, he who intercedes for us, is Christ. Moreover, since we are His Body, we are all priests. ... In the New Testament, the word "priest" is not used except in reference to Christ; instead it speaks of ministers and presbyters..." (p. 56s).

Perhaps we are at the most deadly "blow below the belt" striked by Kiko to the heart of the Church: Luther would have delighted in it.

If "every member of the Church is a priest"; if "we are all priests"; if in the Church there are no "priests" as a category of persons that, separated from the other faithful, intercede for them with God; if we only have "ministers" or "servants" of the priesthood (the only one of Christ), such as to make it visible with their own service, the essential distinction between "ministerial priesthood" and "common priesthood" of which the Council speaks disappears insensibly until it becomes baffling... More than that:

  • according to Kiko, "there is no eucharist without the assembly (...). It is from this assembly that the Eucharist springs out from.". (p. 317). It would not be held then that a celebrating priest, consecrating, whose Mass is very much valid even wihout any assistence from the people...;
  • only the catechist would have "the charism of discernment of spirits" (p. 188);

In other words, for Kiko, ... ,the catechist is more than the Priest. the function of the catholic priest is annulled, once denied - as we will see in its own context - the reality of the "Eucharistic Sacrifice".

in the neocatechumenal communities, who presides is not the "priest", but the "catechist".

(Talking of what Pope John Paul II said on the subject) The summons is unmistakable. Nevertheless, it results that the neocatechumenal communities have remained deaf to it.

Read this chapter in its entirety in the upcoming book! The book will be given at no charge to selected individuals.

On to Chapter 7