Every four minutes a family in Spain and Italy is broken. This figure demonstrates a major problem with modern society, according to Kiko Argí¼ello. He is the initiator of one of the Catholic Church's largest institutions, the Neocatechumenal Way. It has more than one million members throughout the world.
KIKO ARGí?ELLO
Initiator of the Neocatechumenal Way
'Families are destroyed and there is a new phenomenon where people live alone. They're lonely. And being alone makes it very difficult to communicate. Atheists are amazed to see a Christian family. It impresses them. We invite them to eat in a home with seven children and they love it and do not leave. It is ten o'clock at night and do not leave, because otherwise they are alone with a bottle of whiskey. '
He says it's an increasingly dramatic problem and that the Neocatechumenal Way tries to offer the right answer.
KIKO ARGí?ELLO
Initiator of the Neocatechumenal Way
'We must make Christians. If people do not understand what Christianity is, they will never know God. Nobody offers a path to Christianity. We ask the brothers what sense is there in the suffering in your life? Illuminating the suffering is fundamental. Or how you understand your sexuality, or what is your relationship with money? This is educating them in faith. Well, there are parishes where they merely offer masses and social things but not catechism.'
Just a few weeks ago, the Pope sent 250 families from the Neocatechumenal Way on mission. They are going to places where there are no Christians. Argí¼ello said that on that day, the Pope wanted to show them that the Church was with them.
KIKO ARGí?ELLO
Initiator of the Neocatechumenal Way
'I showed him the papers saying that we had a meeting in Madrid with two million people in favor of the family. Also the Family Day in Italy. And I said, 'How is it possible that after all we are doing for the family, you have not invited us to the synod? Everybody may think that you are against the Way.' And he told me, 'No. No.' He wanted to show the whole Church that he is with us. '
A million people follow the Neocatechumenal Way, and they are divided into 21,000 communities in 124 countries. The Way is a program of catechesis initiated by Kiko Argí¼ello and Carmen Hernández in the slums of Madrid more than 50 years ago.
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