It's a Mayan dispute. The Bishops of Mexico say he's gone

Mayan ritual, however... isn't there? The Bishops of Mexico say the Vatican refused to do so. However, the main promoter of change, Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel, writes the exact opposite.

On 8 November 2024, the Dicastery for God's Culture and Discipline of Sacraments approved the alleged Mayan Rituary. It is simply a full group of “lithurgical adaptations” which are to adapt the Holy Mass to the expectations of the Indian population in part of Mexico.

However, the Conference of the Episcopal of Mexico says that no Mayan ritual... It's gone. On November 22, bishops in this country issued a message saying that something specified as the ‘Mayan rite’ or ‘Mayan Mass’ simply does not exist. The Vatican only agreed to the “adaptation” of the Roman ritual for the Indian communities in Mexico. This is not, therefore, a ‘new rite or a crucial change in the structure of the Holy Mass’. The bishops stated that it was fundamentally 3 adaptation points:

– the office of the President, who acts in liturgy at the invitation of the priest, inviting the community to celebrate and praying at certain points of mass;
– the ecclesiastical service, which is approved by the bishop, while the ecclesiastical ministry itself is provided for by the Roman Mass;
– prayer of the assembly under the direction of the chairman: at the beginning of the Holy Mass, while bearing gifts, during thanksgiving after Holy Communion.

The bishops stated that contrary to the first media reports, specified things as:
– Ryt Mayan;
– ritual dances during the celebration;
Mayan altars.

The problem is that even if the Vatican has not formally approved a fresh "rite" with dances and altars, in practice the substance is more complicated.

Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel, a retired bishop of the Diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico, informed about the changes in the article.

In his text, the cardinal utilized the phrase "Mayan rit". He wrote that we were faced with a breakthrough, due to the fact that the Vatican only for the second time after the Second Vatican Council approved a fresh rit – before that it was a Zairi rit for Congo in Africa. The Cardinal argued that the changes already made... It's not over yet, due to the fact that work will be done on the next ones. Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel was 1 of the main advocates of making changes. Moreover, he became Cardinal in 2020, 3 years after he retired. So Francis made a conscious decision to include him in the College of Cardinals.

On the web you can see very many recordings from various celebrations in the Mayan way. Building flowering Indian altars on the ground and all kinds of dancing and Indian singing are perfectly average there. We are so dealing with a Mass celebrated by the Mass of Rome, at which the secular president de facto directs any of the prayers, and a group of women, by peculiar service, is cleaning the altar in accordance with the customs of the Mayans, and in addition, flower altars are frequently erected and introduced various another Indian elements, including dancing. This is what “cultural” and “local” adaptations are expected to look like?...

A message from the Conference of the Bishops of Mexico was signed by the President, the Secretary-General and the Head of the Liturgy Committee. It was not signed by the average of the Diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas. possibly we should talk about any interior tensions inside the episcopal of Mexico. Looks like the authoritative narrative's a small off with reality.

Sources: Katholisches.info, PCh24.pl

Pache