Pope Francis, Saturday, told members of Neocatechumenal Way to pay attention to cultural differences when they go about missionary work.
He said the Catholic Church’s overall unity is more important than the details of their own practices.
Pope Francis also told the groups they are also to respect the authority and guidance of local bishops.
The Neocatechumenate’s religious zeal has reportedly wreaked havoc in Japan, the Philippines, and elsewhere in Asia and Europe, where local bishops have tried to limit their activities and close their seminaries.
In 2011, the archbishop of Tokyo wrote an article noting the country’s bishops wanted to suspend the Neocatechumenals’ work completely in the country for five years. The archbishop of Lingayen-Daugupan in the Philippines, Socrates Villegas, went so far as to bar the community from seeking new recruits and revoked existing members’ right to teach catechism lessons.
Francis appeared to have taken the bishops’ comments seriously, telling the group that they must be patient and merciful with all they encounter.
“The freedom of each person must not be forced, and you must respect even the possible choice of those who decide to search for other forms of Christian life outside the Way,” he warned.
Sources
- Inquirer
- Image: Archdiocese of Miami