Pope Leo XIV says "that desire that must always animate the entire Church: to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world, so that everyone may know Christ" to Neocatechumenal Way
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Pope Leo XIV met with the Neocatechumenal Way leaders at the Vatican on Monday, January 19, 2026.
The Neocatechumenal Way is Catholic formation program founded in Spain in the 1960s by Kiko Argüello and Carmen Hernández. It is made up of small communities that follow an program ongoing formation in the faith.It is currently present in 139 countries across the world, with over 20,000 communities. Hundreds of people were present at the meeting with the Pope in the Hall of Blessings—including bishops, priests, and other members and representatives of the Way, along with the international team that currently leads the group: Kiko Argüello, María Ascensión Romero, and Father Mario Pezzi.
FULL TEXT ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
TO THE LEADERS OF THE NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY
in the Vatican Hall of Blessing on Monday, January 19, 2026
_________________________________
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!
Queridos hermanos y hermanas ,
dear brothers and sisters , good morning and welcome!
I am pleased to meet you in such large numbers. 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 who accompany you.
A special thought goes to the families present here, an expression of your missionary aspiration and of that desire that must always animate the entire Church: to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world, so that everyone may know Christ.
This very desire has always inspired and continues to nourish the life of the Neocatechumenal Way, its charism, and the works of evangelization and catechesis that represent a precious contribution to the life of the Church. To everyone, especially those who have distanced themselves or whose faith has weakened, you offer the possibility of a spiritual journey through which they can rediscover the meaning of Baptism, so that they can recognize the gift of grace they have received and, therefore, the call to be disciples of the Lord and his witnesses in the world.
Inspired by this spirit, you have kindled the fire of the Gospel where it seemed to be dying out, and you have accompanied many individuals and Christian communities, reawakening them to the joy of faith, helping them rediscover the beauty of knowing Jesus, and fostering their spiritual growth and commitment to witness.
In particular, in addition to the formators and catechists, I would like to express my gratitude to the families who, welcoming the interior impulse of the Spirit, leave the security of ordinary life and set out on mission, even in distant and difficult territories, with the sole desire to proclaim the Gospel and be witnesses to God's love. In this way, the itinerant teams made up of families, catechists and priests participate in the evangelizing mission of the whole Church and, as Pope Francis stated , contribute to "awakening" the faith of "non-Christians who have never heard of Jesus Christ", but also of many baptized people who, despite being Christians, "have forgotten [...] who Jesus Christ is" ( Address to the Members of the Neocatechumenal Way , 6 March 2015).
Living the experience of the Neocatechumenal Way and carrying out its mission also requires, on your part, interior vigilance and a wise critical capacity, to discern certain risks that always lurk in spiritual and ecclesial life.
You propose to everyone a journey of rediscovering Baptism, and this Sacrament, as we know, unites us to Christ, making 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 person a particular manifestation, it is given—as the Apostle Paul reminds us—"for the common good" ( 1 Cor 12:7) and therefore for the very mission of the Church. Charisms must always be placed at the service of the kingdom of God and 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 better than our brothers and sisters and exclude those who think differently.
Therefore, I also invite you, who have encountered the Lord and follow him 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 enable people to know Christ, always respecting each person's life path and conscience.
As guardians 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 various realities, in full communion with your brothers and sisters, especially with the priests and bishops. Move forward in joy and humility, without closure, as builders and witnesses of communion.
The Church accompanies you, supports you, and is grateful for what you do. At the same time, she reminds everyone that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" ( 2 Cor 3:17). Therefore, the proclamation of the Gospel, catechesis, and the various forms of pastoral activity must always be free from constraint, rigidity, and moralism, lest they arouse feelings of guilt and fear rather than inner liberation.
Dearest ones, I thank you for your commitment, for your joyful witness, for the service you carry out in the Church and in the world. I encourage you to continue with enthusiasm and I bless you, while I invoke upon you the intercession of the Virgin Mary, that she may accompany and protect you. Thank you!
TO THE LEADERS OF THE NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY
in the Vatican Hall of Blessing on Monday, January 19, 2026
_________________________________
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!
Queridos hermanos y hermanas ,
dear brothers and sisters , good morning and welcome!
I am pleased to meet you in such large numbers. 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 who accompany you.
A special thought goes to the families present here, an expression of your missionary aspiration and of that desire that must always animate the entire Church: to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world, so that everyone may know Christ.
This very desire has always inspired and continues to nourish the life of the Neocatechumenal Way, its charism, and the works of evangelization and catechesis that represent a precious contribution to the life of the Church. To everyone, especially those who have distanced themselves or whose faith has weakened, you offer the possibility of a spiritual journey through which they can rediscover the meaning of Baptism, so that they can recognize the gift of grace they have received and, therefore, the call to be disciples of the Lord and his witnesses in the world.
Inspired by this spirit, you have kindled the fire of the Gospel where it seemed to be dying out, and you have accompanied many individuals and Christian communities, reawakening them to the joy of faith, helping them rediscover the beauty of knowing Jesus, and fostering their spiritual growth and commitment to witness.
In particular, in addition to the formators and catechists, I would like to express my gratitude to the families who, welcoming the interior impulse of the Spirit, leave the security of ordinary life and set out on mission, even in distant and difficult territories, with the sole desire to proclaim the Gospel and be witnesses to God's love. In this way, the itinerant teams made up of families, catechists and priests participate in the evangelizing mission of the whole Church and, as Pope Francis stated , contribute to "awakening" the faith of "non-Christians who have never heard of Jesus Christ", but also of many baptized people who, despite being Christians, "have forgotten [...] who Jesus Christ is" ( Address to the Members of the Neocatechumenal Way , 6 March 2015).
Living the experience of the Neocatechumenal Way and carrying out its mission also requires, on your part, interior vigilance and a wise critical capacity, to discern certain risks that always lurk in spiritual and ecclesial life.
You propose to everyone a journey of rediscovering Baptism, and this Sacrament, as we know, unites us to Christ, making 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 person a particular manifestation, it is given—as the Apostle Paul reminds us—"for the common good" ( 1 Cor 12:7) and therefore for the very mission of the Church. Charisms must always be placed at the service of the kingdom of God and 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 better than our brothers and sisters and exclude those who think differently.
Therefore, I also invite you, who have encountered the Lord and follow him 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 enable people to know Christ, always respecting each person's life path and conscience.
As guardians 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 various realities, in full communion with your brothers and sisters, especially with the priests and bishops. Move forward in joy and humility, without closure, as builders and witnesses of communion.
The Church accompanies you, supports you, and is grateful for what you do. At the same time, she reminds everyone that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" ( 2 Cor 3:17). Therefore, the proclamation of the Gospel, catechesis, and the various forms of pastoral activity must always be free from constraint, rigidity, and moralism, lest they arouse feelings of guilt and fear rather than inner liberation.
Dearest ones, I thank you for your commitment, for your joyful witness, for the service you carry out in the Church and in the world. I encourage you to continue with enthusiasm and I bless you, while I invoke upon you the intercession of the Virgin Mary, that she may accompany and protect you. Thank you!
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