Pachamama Throws the Friends of Francis Into Confusion - by Father Reto Nay
Francis’ spin doctor, Andrea Tornielli, bewailed on VaticanNews.va (October 22) what he calls “the sad episode of the theft and destruction of Amazonian images.” He presents these “images” as “…More
Francis’ spin doctor, Andrea Tornielli, bewailed on VaticanNews.va (October 22) what he calls “the sad episode of the theft and destruction of Amazonian images.”
He presents these “images” as “wooden statuettes of the Amazonian tradition depicting a young pregnant woman,” and even as “an effigy of motherhood and the sacredness of life” which he relates to Francis of Assisi’s mentioning of “mother earth" in his Canticle of the Sun. Tornielli carefully avoids any reference to paganism.
But then, suddenly, he turns to the Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine (1878) where John Hendry Newman speaks – Tornielli’s words – about “the Church’s acceptance of pagan elements,”
“The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints, and ornamented on occasions with branches of trees; incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings on recovery from illness; holy water; asylums; holydays and seasons, use of calendars, processions, blessings on the fields; sacerdotal vestments, the …More
He presents these “images” as “wooden statuettes of the Amazonian tradition depicting a young pregnant woman,” and even as “an effigy of motherhood and the sacredness of life” which he relates to Francis of Assisi’s mentioning of “mother earth" in his Canticle of the Sun. Tornielli carefully avoids any reference to paganism.
But then, suddenly, he turns to the Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine (1878) where John Hendry Newman speaks – Tornielli’s words – about “the Church’s acceptance of pagan elements,”
“The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints, and ornamented on occasions with branches of trees; incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings on recovery from illness; holy water; asylums; holydays and seasons, use of calendars, processions, blessings on the fields; sacerdotal vestments, the …More
Speaking as an attorney, I would say that the Pachamama idols that were the actual ones involved here would never be able to be sold on ebay. Ebay is a U.S. based corporation. Technically, the idols were stolen, and in the U.S., stolen items cannot lawfully be sold to a third party. Personally, I would have smashed them with a hammer before throwing them into the Tiber; however, I stand in solidarity …More
Speaking as an attorney, I would say that the Pachamama idols that were the actual ones involved here would never be able to be sold on ebay. Ebay is a U.S. based corporation. Technically, the idols were stolen, and in the U.S., stolen items cannot lawfully be sold to a third party. Personally, I would have smashed them with a hammer before throwing them into the Tiber; however, I stand in solidarity with those soldiers of Christ.