The diocese of San Cristóbal, Chiapas, will present a proposal to Pope Francis to include indigenous Mayan rituals such as dance, music and women’s participation in Catholic masses.
Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel, who is coordinating the work, told EFE this Wednesday that the proposal will be presented to the Assembly of the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) in April and delivered in Rome in May by the Archbishop of Puebla, Víctor Sánchez, President of the Liturgical Pastoral Commission.
These liturgical adjustments aim to unite the communities “respecting their value and respecting the culture of the aboriginal peoples,” said the Bishop of San Cristóbal, Rodrigo Aguilar Martínez. This proposal is the second of its kind in the world since the first on indigenous peoples took place in the Republic of Zaire, Africa.
“This makes us proud and obligates us because we are praised or questioned with our offer,” said Aguilar Martínez.
This week, religious leaders concluded a meeting in Chiapas, which was also attended by Monsignor Aurelio García Macías, Undersecretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Worship and the Regulation of the Sacraments, and native priests and catechists.
“We are working on an important meeting for the diocese, the country, the Church of Mexico and the Universal Church in terms of liturgical adjustments,” said Aguilar Martínez.
The diocese of San Cristóbal said it was very proud to have taken another important step by translating the Bible into the country’s four indigenous languages: Tzeltal, Tzotzil, Chol and Tojolabal.
Aguilar Martínez added that even “these celebrations are already happening in Tzeltal and Tzotzil”.
“But they have been approved by the bishop and the congregation, and now we want them approved by Rome, by the Apostolic See for the universal Church,” he said.
For his part, Aurelio García Macías noted that “participating was a personal enrichment because I believe that the local experience of San Cristóbal de Las Casas can be recognized, studied, reflected and enriched with the universal experience of the Catholic Church”.
More than 2.2 million residents benefit from this liturgical advancement, between 70% and 75% of whom identify as Indigenous.
Tzeltal is spoken by nearly half a million people in this southern Mexican state; the Tzotzil, 350,000; de Chol, 150,000, and de Tojolabal, 50,000, according to the Diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas.
Source: La Neta Neta
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
