Carmen Hernandez, co-founder of the Neocatechumenal Way with Kiko Arguello, died July 19, 2016. Within days, followers of the Way began declaring Carmen a saint of a “superior category”. While attending World Youth Day in Poland, the typical “Kiko meeting” after the Papal Mass the following day, Neocats from around the world gathered to hear Kiko bloviate once again. In that gathering, not quite two weeks after her death, there was already a blown up photo of Carmen with the word “Santo” (Saint) running up the side. The Way, as usual, likes to lie and deceive its way past the processes of the “natural religious” regular Catholics in order to achieve status and legitimacy.
The absolute arrogance of the those in the Way pushing through Carmen, a woman who scoffed at Catholic sacramentals (http://www.junglewatch.info/2017/05/saint-carmen-of-neocatechumenate-supreme.html );a woman who spoke with disdain about the church; who mocked the actual sacraments of the church and who spoke against established Catholic doctrine the same as any other Protestant – the Neos ( http://www.cathud.com/RESOURCES_CATHOLIC/pages_MR/Neocatechumenal_Way_Kiko_Arguello.html ) proclaimed her a saint within days of her death – petitioned and opened cause for beatification and are now claiming over 3000 miracles attributed to her intercession already. 😂
On the recent anniversary of her death, those in the Way were given days to organize a special celebration of Carmen, and to continue to press to keep the stories of miracles coming. In typical fashion, members were to drop all their summer family activities, preparations for World Youth Day, work and any other activities for this gathering.
(The letter translates as such: After the opening of the diocesan phase of the Cause of Beatification of Carmen on December 4, 2022, we are in an important phase of study of the numerous documents and testimonies. We celebrate the seventh anniversary of the death of the Servant of God Carmen Hernandez on July 19, 2023. Kiko, Mario and Ascension, would like if possible, each parish to celebrate this Wednesday, July 19, a Eucharist with the communities asking the Lord for the eternal rest of her soul and to continue as quickly as possible the process of canonization. A catechist or responsible can give a monition on the life of Carmen, and also record any brothers that received a grace from (Carmen’s) intercession and send it to carmenhernandez@ffn.es )
Let’s take a brief look at far holier people that have lived, served and died within their Catholic faith – this is just a relevant and recent list of those who many are well known, if not more well known that Carmen from the Neocat sect.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen – Died December 1979. Cause for canonization opened in TWENTY-THREE years after his death in 2002. Only by 2012 he was named “venerable”. Sheen did major evangelization through radio and television, still used today. In 2019 miracle approved and moved toward beatification. 2022, beatification suspended during investigation of mishandling of a priest accused of sexual abuse even though the Diocese of Peoria has thoroughly examined and exonerated Sheen from any mishandling. AB Fulton Sheen’s beatification is still in limbo today.
Rev. Emil Kapaun – Died May 1951 – a priest who served as a chaplain in the Army and eventually was captured and died a POW after faithfully saving his fellow man from execution at his own risk, and served his fellow man despite his own injuries and illness. He was named Servant of God in 1993, 42 years after his death. Cause for canonization opened 2016. 3 miracles reported so far and yet, he has still not received the title of saint.
Local Colorado favorite, Julia Greeley a Secular Franciscan “Denver’s Angel’s of Charity” – Died June 1918. Cause for canonization opened in almost 100 years later in 2016.
He?áka Sápa — commonly known as Servant of God Nicholas Black Elk (1863-1950) of the Oglala Lakota people. A survivor of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, the Lakota holy man became Catholic in 1904, and is reputed to have brought more than 400 people to baptism. Cause opened SIXTY-SEVEN years later in 2017.
The 10 most recent saints declared by Pope Francis most died over 100 years ago.
It’s an average of 181 years between death and sainthood. Notable recent exceptions are Saint Theresa of Calcutta and Pope Saint John Paul II.
Many of those who have been declared an official saint in the church, throughout church history and especially today – it is more who, of influence, they knew (https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/people-power-popular-devotion-key-factor-sainthood-process ); their popularity and the amount of money there is to offer (https://catholicreview.org/finances-bottleneck-potential-canonization-of-dozens-of-american-saints-and-martyrs/) . Although Catholic belief states that those souls who are in Heaven are Saints – whether given an official title or not – the process of official recognition in the church surely has its flaws.
“For every Dorothy Day — or St. Teresa of Kolkata, St. Oscar Romero or St. John Paul II — there may be hundreds, even thousands, of anonymous potential saints who are not raised to the altars for a very simple reason: Their advocates just can not afford it.” ( www.catholicreview.org/finances )
In the year 1234, Pope Gregory IX established procedures to investigate the life of a candidate saint and any attributed miracles. In 1588, Pope Sixtus V entrusted the Congregation of Rites (later named the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints) to oversee the entire process. Beginning with Pope Urban VIII in 1634, various Popes have revised and improved the norms and procedures for canonization, and even lessened the requirements.
One part of the process is that the Church will also investigate the candidate’s writings to see if they possess “purity of doctrine,” essentially, nothing heretical or against the faith. This part of the process right there should be an instant disqualifier for Carmen as her heretical and oppositional teachings are documented in video and writings, despite her recent release of her “diaries”. For just a sampling of her contempt for the Church’s beliefs: http://www.junglewatch.info/2016/09/carmen-hernandez-her-unortodox-lessons.html and for more on her discovered diaries that have even Kiko scratching his head as if it was a totally different person from the one he worked with for 50 years – read here https://neocatecumenali.blogspot.com/2017/07/carmen-noi-non-sapevamo-del-suo-amore-a.html )
Generally speaking, what qualifies someone to be declared a saint (besides the noted help of money, fame, and connection) one needs to have demonstrated “heroic virtue”
“This definition includes the four “cardinal” virtues: prudence, temperance, fortitude and justice; as well as the “theological” virtues: faith, hope and charity. A saint displays these qualities in a consistent and exceptional way.” (https://theconversation.com/who-becomes-a-saint-in-the-catholic-church-and-is-that-changing-81011#:~:text=This%20definition%20includes%20the%20four,a%20consistent%20and%20exceptional%20way. )
Did Carmen demonstrate prudence – perhaps. It’s not likely that many of the decisions were made on where to go and where to establish a seminary, for example, were done so without a lot of preparation – however, it can be said that she took the microphone often, and even Kiko couldn’t get her to stop talking even when she was clearly stepping into a territory that could cause trouble.
“Prudence is the deliberative, judicial, and decisive means by which Charity manifests itself.” Can proponents of the Way honestly say that Carmen was charitable? Charitable with her words, deeds and actions – this woman who often spoke with rage, who was regarded as unpleasant, rude and so disobedient that she could not humble herself to conform to the convent or any other order? Was she faithful to the church or to the Way? This woman who scolded priests and seminarians about being obedient to “us”, not God, not the Church, but the catechists, themselves…was she faithful to the Church? (https://neocatecumenali.blogspot.com/2017/05/carmen-e-l-insopportabile-ragazzina-che-amava-la.html )
Let’s play Devil’s Advocate for a moment. Carmen did found a movement within the church that gained hundreds of thousands of followers. She did make her way close to those in the Vatican and have private meetings with the Pope. She, with Kiko Arguello, helped to bring many young men to discern the priesthood and to establish communities and seminaries throughout the world, quite remarkable accomplishments.
However, playing Devil’s Advocate once again; based on these arguments, why not declare Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church or any other Protestant leader like Martin Luther a saint, afterall they too established a movement within Christianity. Too broad? Well, ok, let’s say they have to have said they were a practicing Catholic, who met with the Pope, who had “approval” – then let’s open the cause for Marcial Maciel founder of the Legionaries of Christ. Maciel was a sexual predator though, so certainly he was no saint…Carmen wasn’t a predator in that fashion, but it’s hard to imagine she wasn’t aware of multiple high ranking clergy that were (McCarrick and Apruron being the most notorious affiliated with the Way); she still used their connections to further expand the Way and its influence. Kiko himself eulogized that Carmen had no interest in him until she saw him with a bishop – again it’s who you know.
Finally, if we dismiss that there was any heretical teaching of doctrine, that Carmen did truly embrace the faith, and was holy and obedient; did not participate with any scandals – given that, would members honestly be able to say that she demonstrated virtue consistently; that charitable is even a word that would be in the top ten words to describe her? That is a tough one to prove given so much video of her through the years and many accounts of those who’ve interacted with her, including Kiko himself.
Ultimately, the church will decide and it will be a relentless pursuit on the part of the Neocatechumenal Way to have Carmen named a saint as another way to legitimize themselves. If the church expedites and ultimately beatifies Carmen; this would surely be the final nail for those who already have misgivings about the church’s declaration of saints of late as a sham and further the distrust over the processes in place; just like they shoved through their Catechetical Directory bypassing whole steps because they have people in place of influence and money.
No comments:
Post a Comment