The Pope, Pachamama, Politics, and the Periphery: Everything Is Connected

 

In a previous post, I characterized the currently ongoing Amazonian Synod as “one of the more bizarre (and potentially very destructive) events of the Francis pontificate.” Little did I know of the horrors that were about to occur when I wrote that.

On Friday, October 4, to get the festivities rolling, a “tree-planting” ceremony took place in the Vatican Gardens to consecrate the synod to St. Francis of Assisi. But what we got was a pagan ritual centered around the now infamous Pachamama.

When journalists asked about the statue of the naked pregnant woman – who seems to be everywhere the pope is – the respondents couldn’t really explain who or what it is.

Robert Royal, at The Catholic Thing writes:

Everyone has by now seen the naked pregnant female figure, painted red, that has popped up in the Vatican gardens, before altars, and in a formal exhibition in the Carmelite Church a few hundred yards from St. Peter’s Square. No one has the come forward or been able to delve into the reality to say what, exactly, that figure and other indigenous objects mean.

Yes, she’s probably Pachamama, goddess of the earth or world/universe in some areas of the Amazon, fertility goddess in Peru, etc. To anyone who takes the First Commandment seriously, this is not kids playing with dolls, but the kind of idolatry or worship of “strange gods” that, from first to last, the Bible and our whole tradition warn against.

Idolatry and worshiping of strange gods at the Vatican – these fools are dancing with the devil – threatening their salvation and bringing grave scandal to the Church.

As if witnessing this blasphemy is not enough, they are also subjecting us to insults. Antonio Spadaro S.J., a priest who can be considered as one of the pope’s top spokesman (he is the Director of La Civiltà Cattolica, the Vatican weekly that is published with the approval of the pope) had this to say about the proceedings of the past week-and-a-half after having observed them “living from the inside”:

The interventions in the aula and in the groups are painting a large fresco in which everything is interconnected: faith and history, hope and geography, charity and politics. This is why the preemptive attacks aimed at the Synod, dressed up as a fundamentalist religiosity that does not disdain racist tones, come from groups that protect political-economic interests. The theological themes in the Synod aula are closely intertwined with the life of the people, geopolitical tensions, and care of the «common home».

Spadaro labels orthodox Catholics, who want nothing more from this synod than for the Holy Father to protect the faith, as fundamentalists, racists, and coming from groups that protect political-economic interests. It is quite telling that Spadaro’s report at the midway point of the synod contains not a single mention of Jesus Christ or evangelization. This is outrageous.

If anyone can be labeled racist at this synod it is retired Bishop Erwin Kräutler of Xingu, Brazil (assumed to be one who had great influence on writing the pre-synod working document), who, when commenting on the need for married priests said that the indigenous people are not smart enough to understand the concept of celibacy.

And as to political-economic interests, it was revealed yesterday that a large amount of funding for the key groups behind this spectacle has come from the pro-abortion, pro-LGBT Ford Foundation.

The six principle errors that Cardinal Burke and Bishop Schneider warned about in their jointly written statement before the synod began are being manifested before us:

  1. Implicit pantheism.
  2. Pagan superstitions as sources of Divine Revelation and alternative pathways for salvation.
  3. Intercultural dialogue instead of evangelization.
  4. An erroneous conception of sacramental ordination, postulating worship ministers of either sex to perform even shamanic rituals.
  5. An “integral ecology” that downgrades human dignity.
  6. A tribal collectivism that undermines personal uniqueness and freedom.

The Church under Francis, rather than being the source of salvation, is becoming just another woke NGO. Spadaro again:

The Amazon, which covers nine nations (Guyana, French Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru), is speaking from Rome. The periphery speaks form the center with the awareness that its experience is heard as a prophetic voice for the whole Church. And, precisely for this, it is judged by some as disturbing.

The ecological themes are experienced in a perspective of faith, as part of the social doctrine of the Church and in their close connections with the desire for justice. But they are framed in a perspective that goes well beyond the Amazon: the concern for salvation — the salus animarum — is deeply connected to that of the fate of planet Earth and all of humanity. From this mature experience it will be possible to point out «new paths» for the universal Church.

So rather than taking the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to the peoples of the Amazon, Francis wants their pagan ways to be a prophetic voice for the Church. We learn from the Amazon that our concern for salvation comes not from knowing Jesus Christ and His Church but is rather connected to the fate of planet Earth.

These “new paths for the Church and for an integral ecology” – which are the focus of this synod – are summed up in one picture that has been displayed in the church of Santa Maria in Transpontina (yes, that is a woman holding a baby and suckling a capybara):

This whole thing is an abomination that I pray will be condemned by all orthodox bishops, priests, and laymen.

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  1. DonG Coolidge
    DonG
    @DonG

    Gaia worshipers are running amok in religion and politics.  Yuck!

    • #1
  2. James Gawron Inactive
    James Gawron
    @JamesGawron

    Scott,

    The Jews had escaped Egypt by the miracles provided by Gd. Now they must receive the Torah because freedom from tyranny is only half the story. Now they must live by Gd’s code. The Mishkan (The Tabernacle) is the large tent-like structure that the Jews then construct in the desert to formally worship Gd having received the Torah. Moshe (Moses) and Aron (as High Priest – Kohen Gadol) will perform the very first worship service to inaugurate the Mishkan. However, this spiritual high is very rapidly followed by a disaster. The two eldest sons of Aron sneak into the Mishkan and perform their own version of the service. This is referred to as Avodah Zarrah (alien fire). Both sons die as a result.

    I don’t understand much about the Catholic faith but I have a sense that the current Pope manages to offend the great majority of believing Catholics with many of his actions and words. This can’t be right.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #2
  3. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    Phil Lawler with his usual insightful analysis.

    • #3
  4. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    • #4
  5. E. Kent Golding Moderator
    E. Kent Golding
    @EKentGolding

    Thought about converting to Roman Catholic  while Benedict was Pope.   Glad I stayed Protestant.  Still greatly respect the faithful Roman Catholics.

    • #5
  6. Unsk Member
    Unsk
    @Unsk

    Actually, Scott I think this is good thing because it once and for all exposes the Pope as a heretic and not fit to be Pope. 

    • #6
  7. Aaron Miller Inactive
    Aaron Miller
    @AaronMiller

    Royal said on EWTN that conservative reporters couldn’t get anyone official to explain the statue. Why doesn’t someone ask non-official locals? Commoners don’t dissemble. 

    I wish I knew more about how the Church has interacted with tribal peoples in the past. The central foolishness of this synod is the pretense that South American situations have not been witnessed a hundred times before in other parts of the world. 

    • #7
  8. Barfly Member
    Barfly
    @Barfly

    The Church (capital C) is pretty much overrun, isn’t it. I don’t know who the enemy is, but I can’t get over the delight they take in their work. 

    • #8
  9. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    Aaron Miller (View Comment):
    Royal said on EWTN that conservative reporters couldn’t get anyone official to explain the statue. Why doesn’t someone ask non-official locals? Commoners don’t dissemble. 

    Diane Montagna has been all over this story.

    The communications on this – the official part anyway – are a joke. The pope doesn’t want the nonsense going on behind closed doors to be made public.

    • #9
  10. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    Aaron Miller (View Comment):
    I wish I knew more about how the Church has interacted with tribal peoples in the past. The central foolishness of this synod is the pretense that South American situations have not been witnessed a hundred times before in other parts of the world. 

    I belong to St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish here in Buffalo, TX. She was evangelized by the Jesuits (I mentioned some of these martyrs in my first post on this synod – link above in the OP). Those men went in and proclaimed Jesus Christ Crucified.

    St. Junipero Serra is also one who evangelized tribal peoples in what is now the western USA.

    You are right Aaron – these are the examples of evangelization and witness that need to be proclaimed at this synod.

    • #10
  11. Patrick McClure Coolidge
    Patrick McClure
    @Patrickb63

    I have no words.

    • #11
  12. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    Is the Pope Catholic?

    • #12
  13. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    Thank you Bishop Strickland.

    • #13
  14. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    As Spadaro said, everything is connected.

    • #14
  15. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    Aaron Miller (View Comment):
    I wish I knew more about how the Church has interacted with tribal peoples in the past.

    • #15
  16. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    Vatican backpedaling as usual.

    • #16
  17. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    The kairos, the culture of encounter, being lauded in the Pan-Amazon Synod is a Bergoglian kairos and culture. The church “called to be ever more synodal,” to be “made flesh” and “incarnated” in existing cultures, is a Bergoglian church. And this church, not to put too fine a point on it, is not the Catholic Church. It is a false church. It is a self-divinizing church. It is an antichristic church, a substitute for the Word-made-flesh to whom the Catholic Church actually belongs and to whom, as Cardinal Müller insists, it must always give witness if it means to be the Church. 

    So where does that leave us? It leaves us, quite frankly, with the question of how both the true Church and the false can have the same pontiff, and what is to be done about that fact. Others are raising this very question in their own way. It is a most uncomfortable question, whether for the lowly layman or for the lofty cleric, against both of whom the Instrumentum takes aim if they give the least hint of petrification. I expect that it is a very uncomfortable question for the pontiff himself, who holds the office of Peter while using it to attack “petrification.” But it is the question raised by the Synod of the Amazon, which is indeed a sign of the times.

    • #17
  18. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    A frightening question to ask.

    • #18
  19. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    I listened to Trent Horn on this yesterday (Counsel of Trent, podcast #221, starting at 20 minutes). He notes that Pope Francis witnessed the tree planting ceremony, but, rather than giving his remarks, he opted to recite the Lord’s Prayer instead, without comment. Trent found this significant.

    Trent acknowledged that the statue before which people bowed could be interpreted as the fertility goddess Pachamama. He also acknowledges that neither the Pope nor the Vatican organized the ceremony, but rather by the Global Catholic Climate Movement (ugh), Pan Amazonian Ecclesial Network, and the Franciscan Friars Minor.

    When the participant were dancing in the circle, Francis was looking at his program. Trent thought he looked tired and slightly uncomfortable. One of the participants offered the statue as “Our Lady of the Amazon,” with a clear reference to the Holy Mother (which I find disturbing in itself). He recounted the Communist crucifix incident when Evo Morales gave it to Francis and his under-the-breath remark was “not good.” Trent believes Francis was uncomfortable with the whole thing and was just being polite (yikes, how I’ve come to despise politeness!). 

    He discussed how missionaries condemned ancestor worship in Asia, but didn’t offer a replacement, which is why, scholars speculate, there were so few converts to the faith there. He encourages cognizance of those things that are contrary to the faith in foreign cultures and those things which can be used to reveal the faith (St. Paul talking to the Greeks about the temple to the “unknown god.”) He believes the statue was not Pachamama, but a representation of a pregnant Mary. He also believes there is definitely a problem with “folk Catholicism” in the Amazon, but he’s taking a charitable view of the ceremony (celebrated on the feast of St. Francis) toward a people still on the path to full understanding. He discourages a “heavy-handed” approach, and cites the incremental approach taken by God in the Old Testament (belief in multiple deities, divorce, …). 

    Given your additional information (and that horrible poster!!), Scott, I can be charitable toward the “folk Catholicism” of the ceremony, while reviling the organizers who know better and are purposefully sowing chaos in the Church. It’s particularly telling that Chief Jonas Marcolino Macuxí knows better. 

    • #19
  20. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    @westernchauvinist I respect Trent Horn for his knowledge of Catholicism but when one has to twist oneself into knots to try to convince people that this pagan ceremony was “folk Catholicism” I have to question his application of that knowledge.

    Who knows what the pope’s prepared remarks were? I imagine them to be all about integral ecology and cosmovision and listening and accompanying. All the same feminist eco-theology and liberation theology of the IL.

    The pope might not have organized the ceremony but he sure allowed Pachamama and the canoe and all the other crap to follow him around – see the photo above.

    I used to try to spin the pope’s words and actions as Catholic but this abomination of a synod has pushed me over the edge. This is all being done purposely, and he puts no stop to it.

    Our righteous sorrow needs to be turned into righteous anger. The Church of Rome today is way too feminine. We need a masculine, virile, potent Church. Where is the Cardinal or Bishop who will grab that statue and take it outside and destroy it.

    And I’m not buying the our lady of the amazon spin. Along with Pachamama the pope received the liberation theology black ring (one can notice the black ring on the fingers of quite a few of the mopes who are paraded out to answer questions – even the bishops).

    This is idolatry, pantheism, and paganism and must be stopped.

    • #20
  21. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    Scott Wilmot (View Comment):

    @westernchauvinist I respect Trent Horn for his knowledge of Catholicism but when one has to twist oneself into knots to try to convince people that this pagan ceremony was “folk Catholicism” I have to question his application of that knowledge.

    Who knows what the pope’s prepared remarks were? I imagine them to be all about integral ecology and cosmovision and listening and accompanying. All the same feminist eco-theology and liberation theology of the IL.

    The pope might not have organized the ceremony but he sure allowed Pachamama and the canoe and all the other crap to follow him around – see the photo above.

    I used to try to spin the pope’s words and actions as Catholic but this abomination of a synod has pushed me over the edge. This is all being done purposely, and he puts no stop to it.

    Our righteous sorrow needs to be turned into righteous anger. The Church of Rome today is way too feminine. We need a masculine, virile, potent Church. Where is the Cardinal or Bishop who will grab that statue and take it outside and destroy it.

    And I’m not buying the our lady of the amazon spin. Along with Pachamama the pope received the liberation theology black ring (one can notice the black ring on the fingers of quite a few of the mopes who are paraded out to answer questions – even the bishops).

    This is idolatry, pantheism, and paganism and must be stopped.

    Yeah, I get it. I was just recounting Trent’s thoughts. He’s anticipating a push-back and I’m thinking he’ll get it.

    • #21
  22. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    E. Kent Golding (View Comment):

    Thought about converting to Roman Catholic while Benedict was Pope. Glad I stayed Protestant. Still greatly respect the faithful Roman Catholics.

    I’ve heard a lot of this recently. I’m sorry you didn’t take the trip across the Tiber. We’re still here to welcome you into the fullness of truth. Don’t let the nutty actions of one man and his sycophants throw you off.

    • #22
  23. Aaron Miller Inactive
    Aaron Miller
    @AaronMiller

    Pope Francis is not as clear-headed as Pope Benedict XVI. I can believe that, having been encultured in modern multiculturalism, he simply doesn’t know how to walk the fine line between welcoming integration of benign local customs and permitting contrary beliefs to substitute or compete with Catholic beliefs.

    Undoubtedly, like any diplomat, he has only a vague expectation of what will occur at ceremonies that were arranged by his assistants. He might indeed have been surprised by the statue. But, like Scott, I think Pope Francis should have a keen understanding of the image now that it reportedly follows him around in processions. If it is pagan, he must rebuke it.

    Our Holy Mother has adopted different faces in her long history of spiritual apparitions. Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Guadalupe do not look the same. It would not be heretical if she were honored in a local guise, provided that the locals truly know Mary as herself. As Tolkien called “progressive revelation”, the Lord has made Himself known to pagan peoples, preparing them for “the fullness of truth” and “end of revelation” that is Christ.

    Not all that Christian missionaries find among pagans must be rejected outright. Where we find half-truths, we must share the full truth. A good teacher uses the student’s experiences and mental models to explain the unfamiliar.

    Thor and Zeus are powerful but prone to rage and lust. God is even more powerful and also just. Your gods demand blood and riches for themselves because they are petty. But my God, the one true God, loves His creations so much that He gave His own blood for us. And He wants our riches for each other, to help the least among us so that all can know love. Your gods leave you to be petty. But God calls us to be perfect, to be heroes, in preparation of a kingdom greater than this world.

    This approach is why the Lord says “I am a jealous god” rather than “I am the only god” in the Old Testament. It is how the Apostles spoke to pagans: first proving their gods lesser and insufficient, then finally as false.

    When Moses asked God to change his staff into a snake, the pharoah’s priests did the same. Pagans have reasons to believe in spirits. They are people like any of us, reasoned and experienced. The challenge is to correct what they already know and show what has been hidden. Pope Francis might not be up to the challenge.

    • #23
  24. Aaron Miller Inactive
    Aaron Miller
    @AaronMiller

    A final note: Missionaries should learn as well as teach. Our faith needs no compromise. Our tradition cannot be syncretized with unlike traditions. But we are always learning from the experiences and thoughts of others. 

    No student or foreigner wants to feel as if he or she has nothing to offer. Personal relationships are essential in sharing the Good News. Therefore, missionaries should be eager to embrace whatever they can from pagans and atheists. 

    Christ washed the feet of those who owe Him everything. A teacher of Christianity offers the Word not from above but at the student’s side or at one’s feet. 

    Of course, willingness to learn and to love is often not reciprocated. The strength to “endure all things” and to defy lies is also necessary. To everything there is a season. 

    • #24
  25. Brian Watt Inactive
    Brian Watt
    @BrianWatt

    Aaron Miller (View Comment):

    Pope Francis is not as clear-headed as Pope Benedict XVI. I can believe that, having been encultured in modern multiculturalism, he simply doesn’t know how to walk the fine line between welcoming integration of benign local customs and permitting contrary beliefs to substitute or compete with Catholic beliefs.

    Undoubtedly, like any diplomat, he has only a vague expectation of what will occur at ceremonies that were arranged by his assistants. He might indeed have been surprised by the statue. But, like Scott, I think Pope Francis should have a keen understanding of the image now that it reportedly follows him around in processions. If it is pagan, he must rebuke it.

    The Pachamama idol is not a bug, it’s a feature. Francis has absolutely no problem with people bowing before it and chanting and priests and bishops holding it aloft. It is everywhere and part of the festivities. Are there any brave Catholics in Rome with the guts enough to smash it with a sledgehammer? Apparently not.

    With respect, I think you are ascribing too much naivety and befuddlement to this pope. Given all of the other scandals, heretical remarks, the slanders, the promotion of known sexual predators, the embracing of an abortionist, the support of an American priest who constantly spouts heretical nonsense and promotes homosexuality contrary to Catholic teaching, the refusal to respond to the Dubia cardinals, and on and on – there is a more compelling argument that Bergoglio knows precisely what he’s doing and gets quiet and sullen when he’s challenged on any of this.

    • #25
  26. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    Brian Watt (View Comment):

    Aaron Miller (View Comment):

    Pope Francis is not as clear-headed as Pope Benedict XVI. I can believe that, having been encultured in modern multiculturalism, he simply doesn’t know how to walk the fine line between welcoming integration of benign local customs and permitting contrary beliefs to substitute or compete with Catholic beliefs.

    Undoubtedly, like any diplomat, he has only a vague expectation of what will occur at ceremonies that were arranged by his assistants. He might indeed have been surprised by the statue. But, like Scott, I think Pope Francis should have a keen understanding of the image now that it reportedly follows him around in processions. If it is pagan, he must rebuke it.

    The Pachamama idol is not a bug, it’s a feature. Francis has absolutely no problem with people bowing before it and chanting and priests and bishops holding it aloft. It is everywhere and part of the festivities. Are there any brave Catholics in Rome with the guts enough to smash it with a sledgehammer? Apparently not.

    With respect, I think you are ascribing too much naivety and befuddlement to this pope. Given all of the other scandals, heretical remarks, the slanders, the promotion of known sexual predators, the embracing of an abortionist, the support of an American priest who constantly spouts heretical nonsense and promotes homosexuality contrary to Catholic teaching, the refusal to respond to the Dubia cardinals, and on and on – there is a more compelling argument that Bergoglio knows precisely what he’s doing and gets quiet and sullen when he’s challenged on any of this.

    I tend to agree. His quiescence at the pagan garden party may have been a reaction to having his synod thus exposed. 

    • #26
  27. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    Aaron Miller (View Comment):
    Pope Francis is not as clear-headed as Pope Benedict XVI.

    I think Francis is very clear-headed: he knows exactly where he wants to go. Francis certainly doesn’t have the intellect of Benedict, but he is a shrewd operator.

    Bergoglio’s pathway for where he wants to go is guided by these four main principles (see EG 222-237):

    • time is greater than space
    • unity prevails over conflict
    • realities are more important than ideas
    • the whole is greater than the part

    Fr. Z translates these into English for us

    • wait them out
    • let there be chaos – eventually things will sort out, in a Hegelian way
    • lived experience trumps expressions of doctrine – eventually doctrine must adapt to lived experience
    • if there is a group that is not conforming to the larger group’s needs, reject them – the whole remains the whole even if you lop off a few limbs

    The Australian theologian, Tracey Rowland, writes:

    Nonetheless, it has been suggested by several academics and papal commentators that if Pope Francis has sympathy for any particular approach to Catholic theology, it is that of ‘People’s Theology’. One of the most extensive articles on this subject is Juan Carlos Scannone’s ‘El papa Francisco y la teologia del pueblo’ published in the journal Razón y Fe. In this paper Scannone claims that not only is Pope Francis a practitioner of ‘People’s Theology’ but also that Francis extracted his favourite four principles – time is greater than space, unity prevails over conflict, reality is more important than ideas, and the whole is greater than the parts – from a letter of the nineteenth-century Argentinian dictator, Juan Manuel de Rosas (1793– 1877) sent to another Argentinian caudillo, Facundo Quiroga (1788– 1835), in 1834. These four principles, which are said to govern the decision-making processes of Pope Francis, have their own section in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium and references to one or other of them can be found scattered throughout his other papal documents. Pope Francis calls them principles for ‘building a people’.

    A common thread running through each of these principles is the tendency to give priority to praxis over theory. There is also a sense that conflict in itself is not a bad thing, that ‘unity will prevail’ somehow and that time will remove at least some of the protagonists in any conflict.

    Chaos and ambiguity are indeed a feature, not a bug of this papacy. It is the way he rolls.

    ¡Hagan lío! Make a mess!

    He certainly has.

    • #27
  28. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    Aaron Miller (View Comment):
    welcoming integration of benign local customs

    Are  you using this expression to refer to Pachamama and how they have used this idol?

    If so, I would in no way call this benign. Idolatry is of the devil.

    • #28
  29. Brian Watt Inactive
    Brian Watt
    @BrianWatt

    This lickspittle is purportedly a Catholic theologian. St. Michael help us. My reply to him below.

    • #29
  30. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    Aaron Miller (View Comment):
    I can believe that, having been encultured in modern multiculturalism, he simply doesn’t know how to walk the fine line between welcoming integration of benign local customs and permitting contrary beliefs to substitute or compete with Catholic beliefs. 

    Scott Wilmot (View Comment):

    Aaron Miller (View Comment):
    welcoming integration of benign local customs

    Are you using this expression to refer to Pachamama and how they have used this idol?

    Not given the rest of his sentence, no. Different styles of clothing, perhaps. Idolatry would fit under “contrary beliefs to substitute or compete with Catholic beliefs.”

    • #30
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