Tuesday, July 23, 2002

"Indian Saints & Sacred Sites" QUOTE O' THE DAY "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist." - - Dom Helder Camara RHINO HERE: Native American sacred sites can be as simple as an unmarked rock outcropping or a mountain lake. Some sites are on private land, threatened by destruction or development. California is currently considering legislation to protect Indian sacred sites but the measure has critics and opponents. Yesterday (7/22/02) Public Radio's "All Things Considered" aired a show on this topic. TO LISTEN WITH REAL AUDIO, CHOOSE THE SACRED SITES OPTION AT: http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/ On a related note, on July 31 Pope John Paul II will canonize Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, an Aztec man, and the first Indigenous person to become a saint. But some scholars question whether the appearance of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego in 1531 was a true event and point to shaky forensic evidence and historical records. Other believe this criticism has anti-Indian roots. Just what the church needs, another controversy. SEE EXCERPT BELOW, OR READ THE ENTIRE STORY AT: http://www.abqjournal.com/paperboy/text/news/738283news07-21-02.htm And related to that is the ongoing story of the American Indians in the United States trying to get Kateri Tekakwitha canonized. The Mohawk woman has been beatified, a step before full sainthood. 10:15:08 AM    comment

Decision To Canonize Juan Diego Not Without Doubters By Morgan Lee, For the Albuquerque Journal, 7/22/02 MEXICO CITY - He was an indigenous Mexican who beheld the olive-skinned Virgin of Guadalupe in the New World. He is now the subject of a music video and a stage extravaganza. On July 31, the star becomes a saint. But did the peasant Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin - The Eagle that Speaks, by his indigenous name - really exist? That question has been raised from within the Roman Catholic Church in Mexico, even as Juan Diego's canonization on July 31 by Pope John Paul II draws near. Over the past few years some Catholic clerics and historians have urged the Vatican to delve deeper into the record of Juan Diego's life before moving forward with the canonization at La Basílica de Guadalupe, where the original image of the Virgin of Guadalupe resides. The critics include the ex-abbot of the basilica and other priests who say their questions are driven by a devotion to the church and respect for the truth. To canonize a man who wasn't there would jeopardize the church's credibility and the doctrine of papal infallibility, they argue. "There is nothing to lose by waiting and a great deal to lose by rushing," said historian Stafford Poole, one co-signer of cautionary letters to the Vatican. Adding to such concerns, two technical studies of the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe have called into question the supernatural origins of a portrait that inspires pilgrimages from across the Americas. After more than 450 canonizations under John Paul II, some Catholics say the process of recognizing saints has gotten out of control. Although there are thousands of saints in the Roman Catholic Canon, critics say John Paul II has canonized more than his share, especially for a modern pope... Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law ( http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html ). All copyrights belong to original publisher. Rhino's Weblog is the responsibility of The Rhino. Gary Rhine rhino@kifaru.com http://www.kifaru.com http://www.dreamcatchers.org http://radio.weblogs.com/0103207/ 10:10:30 AM    comment

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