Vatican caution on Mexican "indigenous priesthood" (Arinze intervention)

Catholic News Service ^ | March 9, 2006

[NYer]

Through a letter sent to the Bishop of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico, the Holy See has called for an end to the so-called “Indigenous Church,” influential especially in southern parts of Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America.

The letter to Bishop Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel, is signed by Cardinal Francis Arinze (bio - news), prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship. He deplores the influence of the ideology of the "autoctonous church,” inherited by Bishop Arizmendi from his predecesor, Bishop Samuel Ruiz Garcia. Cardinal Arinze remarks that the new policy should supress the overreliance on the ordination of permanent deacons in the Mexican diocese.

Bishop Ruiz prevented many different movements and religious orders from being active in the diocese, and seriously discouraged religious vocations to celibate priesthood. Above all, he promoted the massive ordination of permanent deacons, in the expectation that soon the Church would accept married priests, which according to him was better adapted to the vision of an "indigenous" or “autochthonous church.”

The eloquent letter written by Cardinal Arinze, contained in the latest issue of the Notitiae, the bulletin of the dicastery is addressed to Bishop Arizmendi, but its conclusions are extended to other regions such as Guatemala, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru, where a similar “Indian theology” has been spread.

[NYer]

The Vatican continues its crack down. Good!

[kerryusama04]

Is there a cliff note version without the ridiculously long names and titles? WTF does this article say?

[trisham]

Bishop Ruiz prevented many different movements and religious orders from being active in the diocese, and seriously discouraged religious vocations to celibate priesthood. Above all, he promoted the massive ordination of permanent deacons, in the expectation that soon the Church would accept married priests, which according to him was better adapted to the vision of an "indigenous" or “autochthonous church.”

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It seems that the Vatican is concerned that the Church in Mexico was creating its own version of Catholicism. The justification was that it was styling itself after traditional Mexican beliefs.

[kerryusama04]

Sheesh, there's a news flash. I've heard that Mexican Catholics put actual blood on their doorposts for Passover.

[trisham]

Am I right in thinking you are not Catholic?

[kerryusama04]

Relevance?

[trisham]

Your post #5. No need to reply if it's a sensitive area.

[kerryusama04]

I've also seen pictures of Mexican Catholics crucifying themselves on good friday. The spanish mass has always been different. I come from a long line of Catholics, but I left. I hate bringing that up because I end up getting torched.

[livius]

Ruiz was terrible. It may interest you to know, btw, that many of the priests in Mexico who were prosecuted by the Inquisition were charged with syncretist heresy. They were, shall we say, a little too inculturated. So you can see that this is a long-standing temptation.

[trisham]

I've also seen pictures of Mexican Catholics crucifying themselves on good friday. The spanish mass has always been different. I come from a long line of Catholics, but I left. I hate bringing that up because I end up getting torched.

***************

I'm not aware of any official approval by the Church of Good Friday crucifixion. For which I am grateful. It's hard enough trying to be a good Catholic without throwing that into the mix. :)

I don't think I am out of line in saying that anyone, especially lapsed or former Catholics is welcome to these threads. The only thing that we might ask is that those who visit respect our religion.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"Is there a cliff note version without the ridiculously long names and titles?"

San Cristobal de las Casas is the name of a city in Mexico. It's also the name of the Diocese. No worse than Minneapolis-St. Paul Minnesota, I should think.

As for the Spanish surnames: they customarily use both father's and mother's family name. Ridiculous?

[trisham]

Yes. It is good that the Vatican is taking an active interest.

[kerryusama04]

Cuando usted escriba a ellos que hablan ingles, si', es ridiculoso. Mucha gente llama Minneapolis-Saint Paul solamente Minneapolis. Nobody calls Martin Luther King "Doctor Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.", do they?

It's kinda like when the news people read one word in Spanish and over-pronounce it with a Spanish accent.

[livius]

No, it's not ridiculous - and the Spanish don't understand why, in the US, women usually take their husband's names. I tell them it's just a cultural naming convention, like their conventions.

In Spain and Spanish cultures, the name of the father comes first, and then the mother's family name (the name of her father) comes afterwards to distinguish one "García" (the most common name in Spain) from another. The second last name is often abbreviated: Antonio García F., for Antonio García Fernández, for example.

[Flavius Josephus]

Cardinal Arinze Bump!

[Flavius Josephus]

Are you sure? I've never seen Mexican Catholics autocrucifying. Filipinos, yes, not Mexicans.

[kerryusama04]

The article referred to Mexico City that I recall reading.

[Flavius Josephus]

When King was alive he indeed was often referred to as the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, and not vice versa.

[Coleus]

so-called “Indigenous Church,” >>

I could only imagine what they were doing, killing chickens and smoking peyote comes to mind.