Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2 — The Southern Cross, May 17, 1990
Pope Tries To Win Back Lapsed Mexican Catholics
BY AGOSTINO BONO
MEXICO CITY (CNS) - Much of Pope
John Paul IPs May trip to Mexico was an
effort to reconvert the growing number of
Catholics lost to Protestant fundamen
talism and sects.
“Nothing would make the heart of the
pope happier, during this pastoral visit,
than the return to the breast of the church
of those who have wandered astray,” the
pope said near the end of his eight-day trip.
The antidote offered by the pope was
Catholic popular religiosity, especially the
strong Marian devotion of Mexicans, prin
cipally through Our Lady of Guadalupe,
patroness of the country and the
Americas.
He also told bishops and priests to end
their “timidness and indifference” in com
bating sects.
“Their methods, their economic
resources and the insistence of their pro-
(Continued from page 1)
that 45.4 percent opposed giving the vote to
priests.
The pope’s approach was part of the
Vatican’s overall position that the time is
not ripe yet for diplomatic relations with
Mexico because of the significant church-
state legal issues to be resolved.
The cornerstone of the Vatican position
is that the church enjoys a wide range of
freedom, and the main task now is to take
advantage of a newly installed Mexican
selvtizing work have an impact, above all
on those who migrate from rural areas to
the city,” the pope said.
The importance of popular religion is
seen in the fact that millions of Mexicans
annually make pilgrimages to the shrine of
Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City,
many doing part of the pilgrimage on their
knees.
Mexico also has five other regionally im
portant Marian shrines where local devo
tion is equally fervent, especially among
poor Indians and mestizos — people of
mixed Spanish and Indian heritage —
vulnerable to conversion by Protestant
groups and sects.
government’s willingness to negotiate.
In this sense the visit was an advance.
Salinas officially received the pope at his
airport arrival, something denied the pope
during his 1979 visit.
Both men said respect and dialogue
were now the guiding principles of church-
state relations. The pope asked for a
change of hard-line attitudes on both sides
inherited from the past.
“In order to overcome old confronta
tions, it is necessary to stimulate a grow-
The pope visited one shrine at San Juan
de los Lagos, where tradition says that in
1623 a 20-inch-high Marian statue brought
back to life a dead child. A year after, a
shrine was built to the statue.
The statue symbolizes the humble, in
digenous faith of the Indians who believe in
its power. It is made out of corn husks and
grain.
Throughout the trip, the pope stressed
the importance of Marian devotion to
counter fundamentalist evangelization
programs involving high-powered per
sonal contact and radio and television
broadcasts.
The major example used by the pope
was Juan Diego, whom he recently
ing solidarity among all Mexicans,” the
pope said.
But the pope also made clear that high
on the church negotiating list is an end to
legal restrictions on religious education
and the church’s right to operate schools.
“Open the teaching world to Christ,” the
pope told Catholic educators in the same
speech in which he praised “the new
perspectives for contacts between church
and state.”
beatified and whose name has been in
scribed in the church’s liturgical calendar
on Dec. 9.
Juan Diego, a 16th-century Indian con
vert to Catholicism, had the visions of
Mary that led to Mexico’s devotion to Our
Lady of Guadalupe.
In several speeches, the pope asked
Mexicans to follow Juan Diego and find “in
the Virgin of Guadalupe comfort in pain
and Christian strength to overcome dif
ficulties.”
The pope made his strongest appeal at
Villahermosa in southern Mexico, where
there is the highest concentration of
U.S.-based Protestant organizations and
sects.
“We are aware of the painful fact that
some have broken the salvific unity, join
ing themselves to sects,” he said May 11 to
hundreds of thousands of Indians attend
ing an outdoor Mass.
“I would like to meet you all individually
to say: Return to the breast of the church,
your mother,” the pope said.
“Return without fear. The church awaits
you with open arms,” he said.
Protestant groups also have been gain
ing throughout the predominantly Catholic
population of Latin America.
Some studies show that the previous low
rate of Catholic conversions to Protestan
tism have been replaced by a 400 percent
increase since 1968, due to stepped-up
recruiting programs.
In Mexico, Catholic bishops estimate
that Protestants account for as much as 10
percent of the population as a result of pro
selytizing by nearly 300 church groups,
many with ties to U.S. churches.
Ties Won't Muffle Church
Additional Stories - Pages 4 and 8
Diocesan
Development Appeal
ALBANY DEANERY
St. Teresa, Albany
St. Mary, Americus*
St. Augustine, Thomasville
St. Elizabeth Seton, Cairo*
St. Joseph, Bainbridge*
St. Theresa, Cordele* 1
St. Michael, Montezuma* /
Holy Family, Blakely*
Incarnation, Donaldsonville
St. John Vianney, Camilla 1
Immaculate Conception, Moultrie /
Divine Saviour, Tifton* v
St. Anne, Alapaha* /
St. Luke, Cuthbert
Albany Deanery
AUGUSTA DEANERY
St. Teresa of Avila, Augusta*
St. Joseph, Augusta
Holy Trinity, Augusta
St. Mary on-the-Hill, Augusta
Augusta Deanery
COLUMBUS DEANERY
Holy Family, Columbus*
Our Lady of Lourdes, Columbus
St. Anne, Columbus
St. Benedict the Moor, Columbus*
Christ the King, Hamilton
Columbus Deanery
MACON DEANERY
Immaculate Conception, Dublin
St. Thomas More, Cochran I
Sacred Heart, Irwinton /
St. William, Sandersville
St. Joseph, Macon*
St. Peter Claver, Macon
St. Patrick, Perry*
St. Juliana, Ft. Valley* )
Sacred Heart, Warner Robins
Holy Spirit, Macon
Macon Deanery
SAVANNAH DEANERY
Cathedral, Savannah*
St. Anne, Richmond Hill
Sts. Peter & Paul, Savannah*
St. Michael, Tybee Island*
Pledges
Cash
Pledges
Pledges
Cash
Pledges
Received
Received
Potential
Received
Received
Received
Potential
Received
Target Thru April 26 Thru April 26
Pledges
Thru April 26
Target
Thru April 26 Thru April 26 Pledges
Thru April 26
50,880
34,820.00
29,461.96
1,144
271
Our Lady of Lourdes, Port Wentworth
8,090
6,837.00
5,749.00
201
49
4,205
4,682.00
3,469.50
131
39
Sacred Heart, Savannah
11,940
11,191.96
9,770.51
328
107
5,415
3,461.00
2,765.35
142
26
St. James, Savannah*
45,180
46,021.00
41,671.60
1,288
336
660
817.00
650.00
24
7
St. Frances Cabrini, Savannah
29,130
20,118.50
16,441.65
881
184
1,280
2,562.00
1,865.00
60
17
Most Pure Heart of Mary, Savannah
6,870
4,526.00
2,555.67
336
43
2,845
4,203.00
3,379.00
51
30
St. Benedict the Moor, Savannah
12,660
9,424.00
5,665.50
611
97
10
5
St. Anthony, Savannah*
3,770
4,208.40
3,041.86
197
37
1,066
1,534.00
1,091.00
23
5
Nativity of Our Lord, Savannah
24,100
20,806.05
17,973.56
928
226
305
272.00
192.00
12
6
Blessea Sacrament, Savannah*
35,200
48,905.00
41,331.18
922
311
5,655
3,038.00
2,451.50
31
Q7
7
Savannah Deanery
204,735
212,721.60
179,882.23
6,498
1,679
4,680
7,575.00
6,094.00
178
44
STATESBORO DEANERY
34
9
St. Boniface, Springfield*
1,285
1,356.00
1,014.00
62
9
300
172.00
172.00
10
3
Our Lady of the Assumption,
77,291
63,136.00
51,591.31
1,977
486
Sylvania*
2,135
2,188.00
1,645.00
42
18
St. Bernadette, Millen*
540
627.00
622.00
23
9
Sacred Heart, Waynesboro v
27
13
16,200
18,321.00
15,246.00
480
158
St. Joan of Arc, Louisville /
3,035
2,952.00
2,287.00
30
11
20,380
15,988.00
12,626.34
849
129
St. Christopher, Baxley
1,075
502.00
454.00
28
6
26,385
21,330.50
16,411.75
501
190
St. Andrew, Reidsville*
660
667.00
667.00
10
5
104,965
51,381.05
44,479.05
1,956
517
St. Christopher, Claxton >
3,800
3,199.00
2,509.00
90
34
167,930
107,020.05
88,763.14
3,786
994
Holy Cross, Pembroke 1
St. Jude, Glennville
Sacred Heart, Lyons-Vidalia
6,650
4,910.20
3,609.19
132
44
22,460
24,042.00
20,214.99
497
165
Holy Redeemer, McRae*
1,370
1,395.00
1,385.00
31
14
16,160
9,981.67
8,194.35
444
96
Good Shepherd, Hazlehurst
1,640
1,440.00
1,006.00
34
10
53,100
29,107.00
23,863.81
1,143
204
St. Matthew, Statesboro
12,305
6,861.00
5,616.66
278
79
2,950
3,212.00
2,019.00
203
20
Holy Trinity, Swainsboro * l
2,745
2,828.00
2,388.99
50
20
4,775
2,212.00
1,965.00
85
19
Holy Family, Metter * )
99,445
68,554.67
56,257.15
2,372
504
Statesboro Deanery
37,240
28,925.20
23,203.84
834
272
VALDOSTA-BRUNSWICK DEANERY
6,735
5,572.00
4,846.00
147
27
Our Lady-Star of the Sea, St. Mary >
7,020
5,094.00
4,252.00
199
27
16
9
St. Francis, Folkson /
8
3
12
2
St.Francis, Brunswick*
18,310
25,288.57
21,617.55
604
161
30
5
St. Paul, Douglas
5,820
4,804.00
3,590.00
118
39
42,465
47,240.00
39,877.68
1,406
315
Holy Family, Willacoochee
860.00
747.00
635.00
47
9
9,245
3,977.00
3,073.00
450
41
St. Margaret Mary, Adel* >
2,080
3,284.00
3,009.00
16
7
6,475
7,060.00
5,642.80
138
28
St. Mary, Nashville* }
19
11
93
14
QuitmanStation, Quitman*
13
3
39,425
25,635.00
22,094.83
988
210
St. William, St. Simons Is.*
14,580
19,117.00
15,901.50
474
102
9,270
7,692.00
6,999.65
299
80
St. William, Fitzgerald
2,560
1,809.00
1,383.00
66
12
113,615
97,176.00
82,533.96
3,579
731
St. Joseph, Jesup
3,170
1,411.00
1,265.00
72
13
St. Stephen, Hinesville*
3,690
6,567.00
3,663.50
173
32
Queen of Peace, Lakeland
1,435
1,004.00
621.00
41
7
Nativity of Our Lady, Darien
940
675.00
675.00
32
3
15,535
29,694.69
26,164.70
415
175
St. John, Valdosta
29,630
11,687.00
9,143.68
791
88
4,020
2,021.00
1,705.00
127
21
St. Joseph, Waycross*
8,830
9,189.00
8,427.00
224
59
780
841.00
841.00
48
27
St. Raymond, Alma
830
332.00
332.00
13
3
7,460
8,127.00
6,971.00
216
66
Valdosta-Brunswick Deanery
99,755
91,008.57
74,497.23
2,838
579
Surpassed DDF Target