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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.
This morning in the Vatican Gardens, Indigenous leaders of the Amazon offered up prayers for the Earth, in a ceremony where Pope Francis consecrated the upcoming Pan-Amazon Synod to St. Francis of Assisi #SinodoAmazonico pic.twitter.com/v9Ljy3q3Bh
— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) October 4, 2019
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:
- Implicit pantheism.
- Pagan superstitions as sources of Divine Revelation and alternative pathways for salvation.
- Intercultural dialogue instead of evangelization.
- An erroneous conception of sacramental ordination, postulating worship ministers of either sex to perform even shamanic rituals.
- An “integral ecology” that downgrades human dignity.
- 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.
Published in Religion & Philosophy
I think the problem is more one of cultural appropriation.
We’re probably not going to agree on the premises, which makes it rather difficult to discuss. Sola scriptura, for example, isn’t biblical, and is, in fact, self-contradictory within Scripture, where tradition (what has been passed down) is an equally important player.
Also, Jesus came to establish a Church, not give us a Bible. That certainly doesn’t negate the importance of Scripture, but it has to be put in this context.
I think we agree that Jesus wants his Church to be one, which makes the Protestant divisions and separation from Mother Church rather problematic. The source of unity very obviously isn’t sacred Scripture. If your brother sins against you… which church do you go to? Mustn’t it be a visible church, not just some abstraction? Eenie meenie minee mo?
Catholicism incarnates the Church. She gives us Lembas (Way Bread) in Eucharist to fortify us in faith and make us bearers of the Real Presence of Christ — a most intimate union. She baptizes us with water which touches us, and words which we hear, and white garments we wear to effect the gift of the Holy Spirit in ways our human nature can grasp. She confirms us (strengthens us in the Holy Spirit) by the laying on of hands, as Jesus did by breathing on the apostles in the upper room. These are ancient traditions. Even the ancient churches in the Holy Land are constructed in ways that confirm this — a baptismal font, at which the elect first receive the Holy Spirit, followed by an aisle where they would receive their white garments and be confirmed, and leading to an altar at which the holy sacrifice of the Mass would be offered and the initiate would receive First Communion.
There is truth to be found in Protestant denominations. Just not the fullness of it as handed down from Peter’s seat in Rome.
When @saintaugustine is in doubt about the meaning of Scripture, he prays and returns to Scripture and goes to some church (I’m guessing any church except Catholic) and reads some scholars. Nothing wrong with that. But it does seem a lonely endeavor and not one leading to unity, as Christ desires. And can he ever be confident he’s landed on the revelation God desires us to know?
I often find Protestants define themselves more by what they don’t believe (Catholicism) rather than by what they do believe.
Oh, that’s baaaaaaad. In a good kind of way.
Yay for lembas!
That’s not a premise. That looks like a conclusion.
It’s both. Establishment of the covenant community and verbal revelation to be recorded in sacred writings–these things go together.
No, I’d hate to leave out Rome’s interpretation, assuming I have time to be thorough. I’m about as likely to go to to Aquinas as to my own church. And of course Augustine is nice.
(If we need to address that confidence thing, I trust it’ll come up again soon.)
That doesn’t sound like any Protestants I’ve ever met.
@frontseatcat messaged me to say that this post was linked-to in Dr. Robert Moynihan’s latest Inside the Vatican Letter (#57 – not yet available on his website).
As @josephstanko said, the reach of Ricochet has made it not only to the halls of power in DC, but also in Rome.
@roblong @peterrobinson
Our modern day Erasmus. Congratulations, Scott – this is well-deserved.
I am protestant, but I think we are closer in faith than the clowns like Cardinal Cupcake and the Mainline Protestant leadership. Reimagining conference, anyone? (PCUSA leaders worshipped a goddess)
Thank you – you are very kind.
So true.
I’m closer to a good Pope than to Karl Barth even. And Barth is way better than some alleged Reformation Christians.