If this story in the Portugal News is correct, then last fall’s furor about non-Catholic groups conducting their own worship at the shrine at Fatima turns out to be wholly justified.
On May 5th, SIC and SIC Notícias carried a report on a Hindu religious service held in the Chapel of the Apparitions at the shrine.
SIC’s broadcast appears, to some extent, vindicate The Portugal News’ October report. Sixty Hindus led by a high priest had travelled from Lisbon to pay homage to the Goddess Devi, the divinity of nature. SIC’s reporter described how before leaving Lisbon the Hindus had gathered at their temple in the city to pray to and worship various statues of Hindu gods.
Arriving in Fátima the pilgrims made their way to the Chapel of the Apparitions, where from the altar a Hindu priest led prayer sessions. A commentary on the service was given by the TV reporter who explained: “This is an unprecedented unique moment in the history of the shrine. The Hindu priest, or Sha Tri, prays on the altar the Shaniti Pa, the prayer for peace.” The Hindus can be seen removing their shoes before approaching the altar rail of the chapel as the priest chants prayers from the altar’s sanctuary.
It’s fine to let a non-Christian group visit a shrine, but it isn’t right — it’s not even permissible, as far as I know — that they be allowed to conduct their own rites in a consecrated church — which is what the Capelinha is. Does anybody in the diocese of Leiria-Fatima have any idea of how bad this is?
Scary!
I don’t know what sort of media outlet SIC is, but assume for the purpose of our discussion that it’s reliable if one of our hosts posted it.
There have been reports over the past several months of non-Catholic religious services going on at the Fatima shrine. Sadly, it’s quite plausible that it’s going on.
The Church in Europe has shown little appetite in the past generation to treat its churches like the sacred houses of an Incarnate God. More often the Church there acts as an extension of the EU, eager to promote a false view of “multiculturalism.”
Furthermore, it would also not be surprising if Rome knows about and approves this practice. Remember John Paul praying with witch-doctors at the Assisi shrine?
I’m not familiar with SIC, and I’m not ready to assume that Portugal News is all that reliable, so I wouldn’t rely on its translation of the SIC coverage.
At Assisi, Rome drew some distinctions: the Pope was present while the non-Christians prayed, but didn’t pray with them. They also told the Buddhists to take their idol off the altar in the church where they were assembled. If those lines are bring abandoned, it’s an abuse.
It seems to me to even let Buddhists put an idol on the altar of a Catholic Church is an abuse, even if it is removed while the participants are assembled therein. Please correct me if I’ve misunderstood you, RC.
If I remember correctly, John Paul also kissed the Koran at one of the Assisi interfaith gatherings. He of course meant it simply as a gesture of respect for the adherents of another religion. But the vast majority of people who see this in the world media aren’t going to get that.
In any event, it seems to me extremely inappropriate for the Pope to kiss a false religious text–one written specifically to reject Christianity and Judaism and replace their God with a heinous God who doesn’t vest us with the Imago Dei or a Father-child relationship. Interfaith gatherings do not require such gestures.
I agree with you about the Koran-kiss.
The story about the Buddhists at Assisi, if I understand it right, is that the Buddhists put some sort of figure on a Catholic altar without permission. When the competent authority was informed, he directed them to remove it and they did. Of course, it’s bad enough that a non-Christian group was allowed to use a church for an assembly unsupervised.
That’s not good. I really don’t think the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared at Fatima to warn the world about all the things it was doing wrong so that, some time later, a Hindu priest could stand at God’s altar and lead prayers after just visiting a shrine for a Hindu nature goddess.
The Church needs to not lose its perspective. The Blessed Virgin Mary did not appear at Fatima as an example of false ecumenism, but as a beacon of Catholic truth. Allowing the Hindus to pray at the altar is nothing less than sacrilege — on the part of the Hindus and whoever allowed them to pray there.