The named organization The Path Néocatéchuménal led to doubts, of the puzzlements, and of the opinions opposed inside the Catholic church since several years. Some people, laic or ecclesiastical, see the Path like a blessing of the mind. Of others, in the same way importance, consider the Path as being dangerous in the doctrine and the methodology; they compared it to a sect, the appelant " une church in the church ".

The Néocatéchuménat insists that their intention is to come back to a way to be a Church similar to the one of the first communities Christians. The Path justifies itself against the accusations to be a sect while saying that they are persecuted. The Néocatéchuménat insists on the fact that whoever follows this way will be capable to make very radical choices and, therefore, this person will be subject to the persecution like all person who follows Jesus seriously in his/her/its daily life.

Since that I was part of a Néocatéchuménale community during several years, I would like to write some of my reflections. I want to make my small contribution in order to help people to understand the psychological makeup of those that subscribes in the " Chemin ". Another incentive that incites me to write my experiences comes of the book that I gleamed and writes by the psychiatrist Américain, Jerry Bergman. The title of this book was The Witnesses of Jehovah and the Mental Health (1996) in which were of brilliant analogies between the Path Néocatéchuménal and Jehovah's Witnesses.

Before beginning, I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to clarify the sense of the " secte word ". For some scholars, this word seems to come of Latin, secta, participle passed of the verb sequor, that means, " suivre ". Therefore, a sect would be a group and the doctrines that it teaches follow-up by individuals. Other scientists pretend that a sect comes of Latin, sectus, that is the participle passed from " couper ". " Sect ", would be then a group that cuts itself of the main body.

Whatever is the correct etymology, the term, sect, took a deeply negative connotation in the world today. He/it denotes a closed mind and a big limitation with the " extérieur world ", it meaning with those that are not part of the sect and that don't share the same ideas and activities.

The limited space that I am allocated here stops from giving a report in depth of all sectarian shapes that they represent. It would be then useful to see if the Néocatéchuménat is an example. But I hope that what I have to say here will be a valid reason of reflection.

The problem with the psychological conditioning inside a sect is that it is again a topic of debate among the scientists.

According to Frank (1974), the mental processes used to attract a person in a sect are very alike to those used in psychotherapy whereas one of the results is the reassuring relation that develops himself between the psychotherapist and the patient. In a sectarian organization, together with the other (brothers and s.urs of the community and catechists), the adept feels better and, in fact, becomes often the father's unconscious projection parental rassurant/figure.

The sectarian organizations have always been accused of (what is usually called) " lavage of brain ", but today the term, " pensée-Reformed ", created by Lifton (1961), is preferred. The person who becomes member of a sectarian group modifies her conduct. The change appears so subtly that the topic himself will only discern with difficulty it. It is a very different history for those that are near of the topics and discerns the change. Thus, we have the term conversion. But this is indeed a true conversion?

Now, for those among you that are not familiar with the Path Néocatéchuménal, a brief synthesis is necessary in order to know what arrived to those that make part of it since several years (some times twenty years or more, dependent of " l'esprit of conversion" of the person). Who reaches the end of the Path, will be capable to affirm that it is capable to affirm that he/it understood that that is the baptism or, even better, he/it will have rediscovered it.

Very often, the person who joins the Path is not a parent or a friend of the one or the one that makes part of it. This member speaks of the Path with such an enthusiasm that it curls the pedantry; he/it feels hurried by a " missionnaire duty to share the  merveilleses" of the Path with other brothers and s.urs. Who decides to take contact with the movement then must participate to fifteen catéchèses that is held in general in the parish every week that follows. After having completed them, the member is obliged to participate in a convivence (to understand, a lived together time) that starts one Friday evening and end one Sunday afternoon; from there, a community will be formed.

The convivence is a crescendo of sensations and new experiences. The experience (especially for someone that was never believer) triggers something in the person so that she/it becomes in an incisive and deeply committed way. That moves and wake something present in every to be humain  up: the need of that that is holy and of a sense to life. Unfortunately, the sectarian organizations take advantage of these needs.

The convivence starts with one named very reminiscent ritual, " lucernaire ". The piece is dived in the black for some minutes. Then a presbytre enters in the piece while holding a candle of Passover lit that explodes among the disturbing obscurity. One Saturday, after a long catéchèse on the way whose Hebrews prepared the Passover and so paved the way for the Passover Christian, the Eucharistique celebration follows the roads established by the Néocatéchuménat for every celebration of Saturday soir : an altar decorated with flowers prepared in the center of the church with brothers and the s.urs of the newly formed community and the catechists the surrounding (obviously, the catechists are only present during the convivence).

During the please the Supporter, each can ask all high, freely, expressing any feeling the inhabitant. Even during the homily of the presbytre, each" can share with his/her/its brothers and s.urs what the Lord communicated him in readings and how life changed thanks to the " Chemin ". To open up to the other is an element very important of the program. While being revealed in light of what is bed in the Writings, an existential interpretation is given to its own life. It also prepares the Néocatéchumène to open up to the brothers and s.urs of the community of things that were the most hidden and of shameful principles, facts, and episodes of the life of each.

The obvious delivery becomes, yet, a sword to two cutting. On one hand, if the " frère smells like libéré/délivré" and accepted it is because the catechist repeats continually, " Dieu likes you as you are ". Of another side, the person achieves that every present layman as knows him every ins and outs in his/her/its life and it creating an ambiguous dependence. The laymen are not valued the secret of the confessional as the priest the East, therefore as each can imagine it, they are provided with gossiping and non edifying rumors. The Néocatéchuménale celebration ends with a final dance based on the one that David made around the ark of God's alliance.

The community pursues to the rhythm of two celebrations the week made of activities in order to prepare the celebrations, celebration of the Speech, and the Eucharistique celebration of Saturday evening. Normally, after two years, one passes to the first vote, but it depends most of the time on the degree of receptiveness of the members of the community opposite what the catechists taught. The first vote is the first powerful and touching experience of the members. It is to this stage that the disciple begins to unveil the depths of his/her/its c.ur. Indeed, to this first step, there is a very strong call in " s'éprouver opposite the riches ". It would be so that one gets rid of the things to which one is the most attached, for example, money. The catechists, it is a fact, you  invite" to give something personal, something to which you are especially attached (he/it is not necessary that it is money. It can be jewelry or another one things.) to someone that would never know that gave it and what is the source of it.

But, during this ritual, there is one moment that sometimes takes a dramatic size for the person who experiments it. It is when every  frère" and  s.ur" has to say, before all the community and the catechists, what is his/her/its personal cross. This moment is marked by very strong emotions because to make know his/her/its own cross. often confessing with tears and a big interior resistance. has a cathartic and liberating effect. Several are going to lie to this moment because they have shames and are embarrassed. It is the strong first step in the Path and several people leave. But the catechists reinsure those that remain, for " il is not asked all to be salt and light. The Lord invited you. "

An apparently stronger  Je" is created thus. Each identifies as someone of saved especially. to be the one that is called to a mission for the church, luck that is not given to whoever. Subtly, the narrow jacket begins to tighten itself/themselves. She/it tightens herself/itself of as much stronger for those that a  Je" that is weak and groundless. These people, after some years, are not more capable to find whatever it is outside of the Path nor nobody else that their " frèreses and s.urs" in their community.

One year after the first vote, in general, one faces the  shemà" (listens to Israel). Here they drive the idea that a sign is necessary and that it would be to really get rid of his/her/its. But the dawns truly rotating comes with the second vote when the Précatéchumène must take engrossment, serious decisions about his/her/its life taken into consideration the fact that he is called salt and light. The conviction that the salute only depends on the Path is accentuated more again; outside of the Path one would be outside of the church. Often the catechist tells those that tried to leave time and again that, " en outside of the Path you will be with the deaths because it is the road that Lord chose for you. "

Other similar notions are repeated in other opportunities and for other reasons. To the page 20 of the " Orientationses for the Teams of Catechists for the Second Baptismal Vote" (one of the " saintses texts" of the Path Néocatéchuménal) Kiko Arguëllo says, " J'ai seen a priest of parish spending all his/her/its life fighting against us while hating us. It only took one night when he/it has been hit by a strong enough tachycardia that he/it began to take his/her/its life seriously and he/it changed completely. " Thus, for gentleman Argüello, this priest has to have it a providential tachycardia in order to accept the Path! A lot of histories as those are frequently told between people in the community and especially by the catechists. Thus, it influences people again more to achieve that the Path has the unique, or to all the less, the best of that that the church can offer.

The second vote is characterized supposedly by the renouncement to his/her/its " idoles ". Once the community passed this stage, one asks to pour ten percent of his/her/its incomes. It is made of the same way to all collections among the Néocatéchuménat. Outside of the contempt and the disdain, the contributions are deposited in a bag named  l'ordure" - giving money a negative symbol thus.

Then, the Path passes to " l'initiation to the prayer ". After the appropriated catéchèse, the catéchumène discovers or re discovers the beauty of the prayer and begin to pray with the Liturgy of the Hours. The couples that  suivent" the Path concentrates together more on the adherence of their children. Since the children, as the catechists teach it, must be another example of our " idoleses ", they must be let home in the evening with the guard, or the big parents, or someone else if the parents. in one moment of pity. decide to save the children of the long evenings without cuts of the celebrations!

Another stage is the Redditio, where the Creed and the Traditio are given. Next, the Néocatéchumène tells the history of all his/her/its life owing the whole assembly. often sprinkled with the most inopportune details about the change that the Path produced in its life. and he/it recites the Creed. The Path ends with  l'élection" and the renewal of the baptismal promises.

One so brief report obliged me to give the essential of the Path only and to let of side a considerable number of things. But I would like, yet, to offer some considerations. All along the Path, there is a subtle and imperceptible control on what the individual makes while taking part in the community. In fact, the engagement is in the beginning, rather light. one must attend the two celebrations of the week and must take part in their preparations when it is necessary. While making it, the person adopts a language from then on slowly, a way to make the things that are closer to the harmony with the mind of the Path. All change in his/her/its life in relation with the Path. who is the only thing that can bring a satisfaction to his/her/its life.

Information is kept secret. The texts that the catechists use are not published. Once, one tells a priest of parish that of reference texts didn't have, then one tells to him, " mais even you, also, must convert. you didn't reach the phase of the path again, again! "

While executing duties of the Path (the label of the catechists being " temps given to God), the person is helped while having more to think. When she/it carries some doubts or puzzlements in a  frère" or even to a catechist, he/it is told to him that it is Satan who wants to move away it of God. Most of the time, when someone has temptations of this sort, he/it is told him to speak of it with the catechists. The catechists begin slowly to drive your life. The sins passed of the person are used to condition, worse, to disparage it. After several years, one becomes deeply convinced that the catechists are never wrong!

But one of the most serious things is the control on the emotions of people by the use of guilt and the fear. In the first catéchèse, they speak of the baptismal swimming pool in which one must dive in order to look at his/her/its sins in the face. A catechist said, " vous must descend in the sewer in order to carry up of it again with Christ ". Another catechist said, " la community begins to grow when you begin to pity you the some of the other and to vomit all it stinks that you have inside. " All it is very different from what the church teaches about the conversion (" metanoia "). The church recalls us all over it that we are saved by God's love and that it makes us feel the joy of his/her/its very mercy in the middle of our miseries.

Yet, the imposition of guilt (what is very different from to recognize itself/themselves humbly like sinner) is one of the most important methods in the control of the feelings and a person's emotions. The humility is interpreted badly when a person rejects herself/itself. what leads then to alienation. It rather creates a personality who has the tendency to sustain an ideal that is inaccessible and then the person ends up some feeling guilty not to be at the height of this ideal.

One instills to the members of the community that they are part of an elite privileged in the church; they are destined to carry the salute to the people with that they work, to their families, or even in a works far away missionary, as we note it in the case of the "roving  catéchisteses ". As he/it is written elsewhere, people often hear the sentence typical of the catechist", the Lord chose you and invited you and nobody else ". This sentence and other counterparts make the people that they are " spécialements believe elected ". It satisfies their frustrated clean sense unconsciously.

A something else that characterizes the Néocatéchuménat is their goodwill to execute that that the catechists (and mainly, the founder of the Path) say to them what to do. In the communities, in fact, the celebrations are not held in the church, but rather in a room. The altar must be a table and the paten, the chalice, the cross, the lectern, and everything that one uses, must absolutely be signed " Kiko "! All is to the maniac's limit! Once, a future bride, who was in a non Néocatéchuménale parish insisted so that the ceremony takes place in the " inspiré style by Kiko, with his/her/its cross, his/her/its altar, his/her/its chalice, his/her/its paten, his/her/its songs, etc.

Anyone was accustomed to these manners to make during years finds it incredibly difficult to separate his/her/its relation with God of this style and to live his/her/its faith, again in the church, but of an all other way! It creates a psychological dependence that ends on the person by will to control and démoniser everybody, including the bishops and the presbytres, that don't share the path with them. One catechist already said, "good  c'est that we have the bishops and priests who don't believe parce it fortifies us on our road. "

Several Néocatéchumèneses seem to have lost their critical and logical abilities. faculties that make a true Christian. The Writings say that the true Christian is the one that pulls the common sense of his/her/its faith! It is true that a lot of people criticize the Path, but they don't have courage anymore to leave it because they identify the Path with the church. Maybe that they don't know or don't want to know that the church is a place that is more spacious and free that the church that Kikos and his/her/its catechists present!

An euphoric and auto-enlarge atmosphere is created inside the community that reaches his/her/its point culminating in the Vigil Pascale. The vigil is celebrated during the night and young children are baptized. The time passing and the growing children, they will be submitted to a religious formation that is very questionable.

Speaking of the children, it was written before it, in general, the Néocatéchumèneses are very prolific because they are pro-life. Yet, since the children don't owe beings of the idols, they are let to the care of the big parents or guards until late in the evening because God passes before all thing and God is identified with the Path. In the second vote, when one asks them to get rid of the idols in their life, someone in the Néocatéchuménat has he/it ever suspected that one of their idols could be the Path himself! Several forget that a path must be a means to arrive to God and no one end in itself.

I would like to envelop these reflections on the Path by the summary what follows :

1. Kikos and his/her/its catechists have a sovereign authority. Something that a catechist said is talking, " Même the priests should be part of the path and should convert!"
2. The people who follow the Path consider themselves as chosen in a predetermined way to become salt and the light of the church and the world.
3. He/it is promised to the members of the Path the salute in the Path as unique and dear life style for some privileged. A thing often said by the catechists is, " si you undertake this path, you will have the mind of Jesus Christ. We feel that it was true for us in our lives. "
4. The community exercises a sum important of pressure on his/her/its members. The members are submitted to a discipline of iron hand in the Path, as the catechists say it, " cela is going to drive you to the point to make a radical choice in your life. "
5. It creates an attitude of segregation against those that are not part of the Path. Are included in exclude them of the Christians who are part of the church, of the people who are active in other Catholic movements, and even the despised Catholics who go to the Mass Sunday. Personally, I saw several people who are richer in mercy that a lot of Néocatéchumèneses!
6. The disciples of Kiko put the pomposity on the missionary activities even though they have some big families.
7. After the second vote, the members must give ten percent of their monthly incomes, but over it it has other collections even for other goals to which it is necessary to contribute! One never produces budget of year end in spite of all levees of fund. The catechists justify it with the evangelical teaching, " que your right hand doesn't know what the left hand makes. " Do I have then, to ask me, why the church does she/it have understandably in every parish and ecclesiastic body an advice of the finances? Contributions, incomes and expenses are clearly spread on the tables.
8. Often without even to achieve it, the Néocatéchuménat adopts a language, a particular jargon that makes them be different and distinguishes them of the other.
9. Generally, the Néocatéchuménat reacts enough violently when someone critical the Path. They try to avoid the topic, where as it is especially the case with the catechists, they have resort to dialectics (the sign of the best sophiste). Once, I was hit indeed of the way of which a person of the Path reacts towards a man who tells to him that he didn't believe there. In the beginning, the disciple of the Path gave his/her/its the personal testimony of his/her/its life; even though he/it was common in his/her/its critique of the pope and bishops, he/it didn't get in anger until the moment where the man criticized the Path. Hardly liking his/her/its enemy in the dimension of the cross!
10. The Néocatéchuménat often feels persecuted and them démonisent (as I wrote it earlier) those that don't make part of it but if they should be considered like their brothers in the Christ. The sects typically démonisent those that don't think as them because they have need to create an outside enemy (a scapegoat) on which they can target all their fears and their individual anxieties.

To grow in the faith grow in the love without taking care during years with a lot of activities, preparations, celebrations, while passing by different stages or something else. Several Néocatéchumèneses have the illusion that to fulfill of. uvres, " faire of the things ", and "active  être" during years fact of you of the converts. One should say to the world, yet, that a document has been published by the Holy Seat in 1986 by the Council for the Promotion of the unit Christian. Titled " Le Phenomenon of the Sects or The New Movement Religieux s: A Pastoral Challenge ". To the page three, talking of the present intolerance in the sects, " un similar mind can be met in communities of people who belongs to churches or the ecclesiastic communities. "

Now, some questions that don't always have a réponses : Why are the texts of Kiko so rigorously held secrets? Why does the Néocatéchuménat return it him not public his/her/its incomes? Did they already consider that the critiques directed against them, doctrinal and methodological, could be made from the love of the truth and no by the demon persecutor who has the spite against them? To see as they are familiar with the Speech, they don't not ever have reflexive to this verse of daring that says, " c'est the love that pleases me and no the sacrifices. God's knowledge, rather than the holocausts. " (Daring 6 : 6)

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