what is the neocatechumenal way? Is it approved by the catholic church?

Answer 1

Yes, though they have been recently told to shape up by the Congregation for the Liturgy and are not exactly orthodox in their practices. They were also reprimanded by Pope Benedict XVI on January 12 2006.

suggested readings
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=84608
http://www.chiesa.espressonline.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=46462&eng=y

Answer 2

The Neocatechumenal Way or Neocatechumenate is a Christian initiation within the Roman Catholic Church that is dedicated to adult faith formation. It was founded by the Spanish artist Kiko Argüello in 1964. It was launched in response to Vatican II, and believes that the Church must react to social changes of the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly secularism, by becoming more of a community and returning to the teachings of the early Christians. Over the past thirty years it has built seminaries around the world and is today one of the fastest-growing ministries within Roman Catholicism.

Answer 3

After experiencing an existential crisis in the early 1960s, a Spanish painter named Kiko Argüello identified the suffering of the poor with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This discovery made him change his life. Prior to this conversion, Argüello was an atheist.

Following the footsteps of Charles de Foucauld, Argüello went to live in Palomeras Altas, a slum on the outskirts of Madrid. The environment of the Madrid slums was made up of gypsies and "quinquis" (white nomads) as well as illiterate people, tramps, thieves, prostitutes, young delinquents, etc.

And yes it is acepted. John Paul the II was meeting with the leaders before his death