Saint Death: The secretive and sinister 'cult' challenging the power of the Catholic Church

During one of Pope Francis speeches on his landmark trip to Mexico earlier this year, he issued a cryptic admonishment.In an address to Mexican bishops, the pontiff said he was "particularly concerned about those many persons who, seduced by the empty power of the world, praise illusions and embrace their macabre symbols to commemorate death in exchange for money."For those outside of Latin America, the pope's reference to a secretive "cult" that venerates Santa Muerte, or Saint Death, is likely to escape notice. But to the 10 million to 12 million adherents in the region, the popes criticism of the Santa Muerte, which has challenged the influence of the Catholic Church, was clear."As esoteric as [devotion to Santa Muerte] seems, it is very practically oriented." Andrew Chesnut, the Bishop Walter F. Sullivan Chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of "Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint,"told The National Catholic Review.Santa Muerte, and the people who worship her, are much maligned, often associated with the regions narco underworld. But the reality, like faith, is more complex.SEE ALSO:Here are the powerful Mexican drug cartels that operate in the USSanta Muerte likely originates from Europe, arriving in the New World with Spanish conquistadors.Source: AFPMany elements of Catholicism were incorporated into Santa Muerte worship by indigenous people and later others in Mexico, with 'previously unholy images of the Grim Reaper supercharged by traditional Catholic practices of devotional prayers and votive candles.'Source: The National Catholic ReviewBy the 18th century, Catholic leadership realized that the reaper figure had become a venerated figure among indigenous people. The church elected to destroy Santa Muerte shrines, and the sect faded from public view until the mid-20th century.Source: AFPSee the rest of the story at Business Insider
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