From: donq@acs.bu.edu (Jose Otero)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Subject: GUATEMALA: CATHOLIC CHURCH OPENS UP TO MAYAN CULTURE
Date: 8 Sep 92 02:42:30 GMT
Organization: Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
Originator: donq@acs.bu.edu



 GUATEMALA: CATHOLIC CHURCH OPENS UP TO MAYAN CULTURE


guatemala city, aug 27 (ips/fabiana fraysinnet) -- after 500
years in guatemala, the catholic church is to adopt a new
approach to spreading the gospel based on the cultural values of
the mayas, whose descendants account for the majority of the
population in this central american country.

the church's new strategy was unveiled on thursday by
representatives of guatemala's episcopal conference, during the
formal presentation of a pastoral letter entitled ''500 years of
preaching the gospel''.

for the first time in five centuries, ''an official church
document in guatemala openly acknowledges indigenous thought,''
said bishop gerardo flores, the president of the episcopal
conference.

the gospel,''came to guatemala in association with civil and
military power, and from the start was perceived as a doctrine
imposed by spain,'' in a manner that ''marginalised indigenous
thought'', according to theologian luis escobar.

escobar said the ''indigenous pastoral'' document was drafted
because ''the bishops felt the need to redress historical
injustices''.

''over the next few years, the work of the catholic church in
guatemala will focus on the country's indigenous peoples and
their cultures,'' he added.

in the pastoral later, the bishops say they have ''discovered
the path to redemption followed by the mayan peoples''. they
''humbly acknowledge the mistakes made over these past 500
years'' and ''ask for the forgiveness of our indigenous
brothers.''

as an essential component of its new approach to pastoral
work, the church proposes to use the mayan languages in chruch
liturgy and incorporate cultural elements from some 20 indigenous
groups descended from the mayas.

''the liturgy of the mass and our hymns are all in spanish, a
language that is alien to them (the indigenous peoples)'', bishop
flores admitted.

the catholic church will also promote religious practices that
''are rooted in the experience of indigenous people's symbols of
life and death.''

in the pastoral letter, the bishops admit the church's shared
responsibility for the neglect of indigenous communities,
reflected in the extremely high levels of illiteracy,
malnutrition, infant and maternal mortality and lack of
participation in the political process.

from now on, the starting point for preaching the gospel will
be ''the land, the corn crop, water, fire, the mountains, the
harvest, plants and other natural realities through which the
indigenous communities interpret life, history and god,'' says
the pastoral letter. (more/ips)
----


guatemala: catholic (2)

at a meeting two weeks ago, guatemala's mayan priests called
on the national authorities to respect their beliefs and
practices.

asked whether respect for mayan culture also implies
recognition of their ancestral religion, bishop alvaro ramazzini,
after a long pause, answered that the catholic church must base
itself on ''its own faith.'' he added that christ's ''message of
salvation does not destroy cultures, but purifies them''.

ramazzini added that just as the catholic church had brought
the gospel to the greeks, romans, slavs and barbarians, among
others, so it had spread its teachings among the mayas. ''what is
the mayan faith?'', he asked. ''the majority of these peoples are
already evangelised''.

the pastoral letter devotes several paragraphs to the
protestant sects and ''evangelical groups'' which it says
represent a religious and cultural ''challenge''.

according to the episcopal conference, these sects undermine
guatemalan culture, ''disrupt the harmony of popular religious
devotion and weaken and discredit'' traditional practices.

the pastoral letter says evangelical sects are ''part of the
neo-liberal system's offensive. they use religion to justify
their presence.''

according to the archbishop's office, 76 percent of
guatemalans are catholics and 11 percent are followers of
evangelical sects. however, the evangelists say 40 percent of the
population are sect followers and their numbers are growing
rapidly. (ends/ips/trd/sp or en/ff/oh/cg/92)
----