ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 27, 2023 / 08:30 am (CNA).
The Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM) has recently presented to the Vatican for its approval a series of Indigenous liturgical adaptations for the celebration of Holy Mass for the “original peoples” of the country.
Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi, promoter of the initiative and one of those in charge of making the presentation to the Vatican, explained that the adaptations have the objective of “advancing the progress of inculturation of the Church in the native peoples and of taking responsibility for the celebration of Holy Mass with some elements of these cultures.”
“It’s not a question of creating a new Indigenous rite but of incorporating into the liturgy various ways of relating to God of these peoples and which express the same thing as the Roman rite, but in its cultural form.”
Before the Indigenous liturgical adaptations were presented by the Mexican Church to the Holy See, they had been approved during the 114th plenary assembly of the CEM, held April 17–21. The adaptations were approved by 103 of the 105 voting bishops.
Arizmendi, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, pointed out that “the proposal at first was for San Cristóbal de Las Casas, but in the assembly on April 19, the Mexican episcopate asked that it be for all the native peoples of the country.”
San Cristóbal de Las Casas is a town in the southern state of Chiapas that has approximately 1.1 million Indigenous-language speakers, making up 27% of the state’s population.
The cardinal explained that the text was first sent to the Episcopal Commission for Liturgical Pastoral Care.
“They asked me to present the text and write it up, to present it to the assembly,” he said. “The vote in favor was last April 19. Now the proposal is already in Rome, at the Dicastery for Divine Worship, awaiting its final approval.” The document was delivered in June.
Incorporating elements ‘without harming the eucharistic liturgy’
After almost 18 years as bishop of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Arizmendi joined a dialogue led by his successor — the current bishop of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Rodrigo Aguilar — to present a text to the CEM assembly on the subject.
Arizmendi said that “there are certain elements, which have been studied, that can be incorporated into the Holy Mass without harming the eucharistic liturgy.”
“We were studying and seeing what things could be taken into the Catholic liturgy, what things yes, what things no,” he said.
The cardinal explained that “the creators of these initiatives are the same Indigenous people of San Cristóbal de Las Casas” who have similar experiences with other communities in the country.
There are 16 major Indigenous peoples in Mexico with a population over 100,000 speaking their native language.
In addition, Arizmendi and Aguilar had the support of the president of the Episcopal Commission for Liturgical Pastoral Care of the CEM, Víctor Sánchez, the archbishop of Puebla.
Aguilar said the cardinal asked him to accompany him to Rome to present it to the Holy Father and his collaborators as a liturgical proposal.
The Holy See received the project favorably, he said, although no decision has been reached yet.
The liturgical adaptations approved by the CEM include incensing, a “senior layperson” role, and ritual dance.
The incensing is done by a male or female thurifer using the Church’s normal incense.
Arizmendi explained that “the incensing is done by a layperson, man or woman, but that person does what the priest normally does. In this case, the priest blesses the incense, and it is not he who incenses the altar, the crucifix, the images, the offerings, but the layperson. They ordinarily do this outside of Mass, and we are taking it into the liturgy.”
The appointment of a “senior layperson” would also be incorporated as an addition to the new ritual. That person’s function will be to lead community prayer when appropriate.
Arizmendi clarified that “the senior layperson is a man or woman who in the communities is entrusted with praying for the community; it’s a traditional position and is ordinarily called that by tradition and is chosen by the community, because they trust him or her.”
Regarding ritual dance, the CEM document states: “Thanksgiving after Communion: On some occasions, thanksgiving is performed with a ritual dance (light movements of the body), accompanied by instrumental music typical of the place.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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More of the nonsense from the can of worms that was opened by those who were allowed to use the Second Vatican Council as an excuse to destroy the faith bit by bit.
“We must strip from our Catholic prayers and from the Catholic liturgy everything which can be the shadow of a stumbling block for our separated brethren that is for the Protestants.” Annibale Bugnini, March 1965
Exactly what is happening my Brother. However revolting and horrific it is. Let us offer up every prayer in reparation and help to the Sacred Heart through the Immaculate Heart. Only our Divine Mother and her Son’s Sacred Heart will save us now.
100% true about the subversive men like Bugnini, and Kasper. Of Kasper, everyone who reads his book “Jesus the Christ” can read his outright apostasy, teaching young Catholic people, for whom he targeted his book as text for colleges and seminaries, that they “probably don’t need to believe” in the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ miracles, specifically listing the Transfiguration, the raising of the daughter of Jairus, the widow’s son, and Lazarus, and finally, the bodily resurrection of Jesus (as he puts it, they “saw him in the hearts,” when he “obtruded in the spirit.” His 1st edition was published in 1974, and the 2nd edition in 2011, unchanged, after which he was elevated to Bishop and then Cardinal by the reigning popes (to the utter detriment of our children in their search for the person we call “The Truth”).
This is all part of what Fr. Robert Imbelli calls the widespread and “quite intentional” apostasy in the Church.
The promotion of men like Bugnini and Kasper (representing thousands of other like-minded men and women who populate the faculties of “Catholic” colleges and universities and seminaries), exposes the folly of the statement by Pope John XIII, when he announced the intentions of the Second Vatican Council, declaring in words to this effect: ‘the Church no longer desires to condemn error, but instead, it now prefers to simply proclaim the truth.’
Well, while I certainly agree that J23’s statement above is “winsome,” it is regrettable to face the truth that the intention of tolerance was used by the Church leadership as a pretext for promoting men who will not even tolerate the Gospel.
Which calls to mind the line from Shakespeare: “What fools these mortals be.”
I watched a documentary about a church in Chiapas where local folks sacrificed chickens. Hopefully that’s not one of the elements being incorporated here.
🙁
“It’s not a question of creating a new Indigenous rite but of incorporating into the liturgy various ways of relating to God of these peoples and which express the same thing as the Roman rite…” Yeah rite (misspelling intentional)! Of the two items mentioned, first, how does taking incensing away from the priest help “these people” relate better to God (this change could be argued for by any Western progressive but is actually not reflected traditionally in the Latin Rite). The second item, “the (elected) senior layperson” seems to have more to do with how the people relate to each other than to God. Shouldn’t the ordained minister be the primary person praying for the community. As to liturgical dance, this is of course a big part of indigenous worship which was (or still is) pagan. Christians do not just worship God but a Triune God, and I don’t recall Jesus instructing his disciples to dance in their prayer, either in public or alone in their rooms where only their Father can see them. This seems to be just more of the slow, chipping away at solid liturgy.
As long as there are no mantillas or latin, everything will be approved by this failing institution….dominus flevit
Will they be incorporating ancient Aztec rituals into the Mass,or would that be going too far? 🙄
Are we trying to be relevant or reverent?
I do not believe that local custom or culture should be accommodated to this degree. Dancing? I think I’d like some joyful Irish step dance after communion.Right? No thank!! Its a MAJOR distraction, and breaks the silence where-in people are praying and making contact with God.Doubtless it also pressures those who would prefer quiet to “join in”. As for having civilians “incense”” the altar,I ask if there will soon be anything at all for a priest to do besides the consecration? I am SO tired of seeing this constant push for lay people to take over functions which rightfully belongs to the priest. If you feel like a second class citizen as a lay person, may I suggest you find a psychiatrist to help you with your self esteem issues, and not try to re-write church liturgy?
More of the Pachamamma biz. Incorporating paganism into the sacred liturgy. The Natives of all nations were converted and awed by the sacred mass. They probably are disheartened by some of the innovations of the new mass and they crave union with their creator