Originally published at National Catholic Register
The cardinal expressed his hope that this approval ‘will encourage the process to promote similar adaptations in other Indigenous groups.’
The Vatican has approved a series of liturgical adaptations for Indigenous communities in the Mexican state of Chiapas.
According to Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel, bishop emeritus of San Cristóbal de las Casas, this decision transforms certain Indigenous expressions into “liturgy of the Church,” eliminating the perception that they were simply “uses and customs that were viewed with suspicion.”
The Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments granted “confirmatio” on Nov. 8, endorsing the “adaptations to the Ordinary of the Mass in Spanish” for the Tseltal, Tsotsil, Ch’ol, Tojolabal, and Zoque ethnic groups. It also granted “recognitio” for the translation into Tseltal of key magisterial documents, such as the apostolic constitution Missale Romanum and the motu proprio Mysterii Paschalis.
Cardinal Arizmendi, who led the efforts of the Mexican episcopate to promote these adaptations, said in a message shared with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that these practices are a form of “incarnation of faith in expressions specific to these cultures.” Their acceptance by the Holy See represents a sign that “if in some Indigenous customs
