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Santisima Muerte

I visited some family in Mexico this year and ran into statues of Santisima Muerte(the Most Holy Death) in a number of places. I was just wondering if someone could explain the Santisima Muerte and the Catholic church's view on it. This isn't Cannon is it? Isn't this Idolatry? Is this a phenomena unique to Mexico or is it in other south american countries?

Edited: Hall on 13th Feb, 2006 - 9:32pm

Muerte Santisima

The Catholic Church does not accept Santisima Muerte as a saint of any type, in fact, they are very against the whole thing. Santisima Muerte praises on death and is usually accompanied by "Jesus Malverde" (Saint of drug-dealers). The whole Catholic Church in Mexico after this "boom" of Santisima Muerte came up condemning and rejecting this invented "saint".

Santisima Muerte Catholicism Studies

Why then is la Santisima Muerte revered by many people who consider themselves devout catholics. I have also been wondering about the merging of the catholic faith and indigenous religions in some parts of Mexico. I was in some small town's (I've forgotten the name.) church some short time after a funeral. I saw the deads man's wife and who I think was his sister with whom I can only describe as a shaman of some sort. He was dressed strangely. He had one hand full of incense and the other full of some kind of plant, and was waving them around the family of the deceased. He was speaking in Nahuatl. It seemed strange to me that such alterations to the Catholicism were permitted.

Muerte Santisima

In the same way some catholics say they are catholics but do not believe in the Pope *shrugs*. The official statement of the Catholic Church is that they are against Santisima Muerte and warn its members from any kind of association with it, those who proclaim themselves catholics and still worshipping Santisima Muerte are doing it fully concious that the catholic church rejects it.

Muerte Santisima

Thank you for answering me. I still can't understand how some of the Catholics, I have met, can be in such constant conflict with those of other Faiths when they are aberrants of their own religion.