(LifeSiteNews) — Photographic evidence has emerged appearing to show a young Fr. Robert Prevost – now Leo XIV – actively participating in a “Pachamama Rite” in Brazil, 1995.
The caption to the photo, in the book in which it was published, states:
Celebration of the Rite of Pachamama (Mother Earth), which is an agricultural rite offered by the cultures of the South-Andean region in Peru and Bolivia.
In the photos, Fr. Prevost is clearly visible among the kneeling participants, as a man raises his hand in the air. Next to this man is a woman holding an object which is difficult to identify, but appears to be the same size as the Pachamama statues used in 2019 in the Vatican Gardens.
Whatever was happening in this 1995 ceremony, these photos make it URGENT that Leo XIV issue a public condemnation of Pachamama worship immediately.
PLEASE SIGN & SHARE: Call for Leo XIV to CONDEMN Pachamama worship!
In 2019, a similar ceremony took place in the Vatican Gardens in front of Francis and gathered cardinals and bishops. A group, including Franciscan friars, took part in a Pachamama ritual, kneeling to and prostrating themselves before two wooden statues of the earth goddess Pachamama, or “Mother Earth.”
The event shook the Catholic world, causing large-scale scandal roundly condemned by conservative clergy.
Cardinal Raymond Burke said:
Something very grave happened… An idol was introduced into St Peter’s Basilica – the figure of a demonic force… Therefore reparation is necessary… so that the diabolical forces that entered with this idol are vanquished…
Bishop Athanasius Schneider said:
In virtue of my ordination as a Catholic bishop… I condemn the veneration of the pagan symbol of Pachamama in the Vatican Gardens, in St. Peter’s basilica… The honest and Christian reaction to the dance around the Pachamama, the new Golden Calf, in the Vatican should consist in a dignified protest…
Since then, InfoVaticana have reported on documented cases linking Pachamama rituals to alleged human sacrifices – including the disappearance of a 25-year-old woman in Bolivia.
Exactly what was happening in the 1995 ritual is unclear – as are Leo XIV’s thoughts about it today.
But that lack of clarity is precisely the problem – and why it is more important than ever that he issue a strong and clear condemnation of Pachamama worship, and all forms of syncretism with false religions.
St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that we are obliged to make a clear profession of faith, when a failure to do so would deprive God of his honor, scandalize our neighbor, or make others to believe that we do not have the faith.
Pope Leo XIII cited Pope Felix III in his encyclical Inimica Vis:
An error which is not resisted is approved; a truth which is not defended is suppressed…. He who does not oppose an evident crime is open to the suspicion of secret complicity.
The 2019 ceremony, and these photos, mean that a refusal to condemn Pachamama worship must be taken as approval of it.
PLEASE SIGN & SHARE: Call for Leo XIV to CONDEMN Pachamama worship!
—
Petition to Leo XIV
We write to you as faithful Catholics deeply concerned about the acceptance of “Pachamama worship” by leading prelates.
We ask you to issue a public and solemn condemnation of this worship of the false “Mother Earth” goddess.
In 2019, your predecessor Francis attended a ceremony in the Vatican Gardens, in which a group took part in a Pachamama ritual, kneeling to and prostrating themselves before two wooden statues of the Pachamama.
When these idols were removed from the Roman church in which they were stored, and thrown into the Tiber, Francis apologized, and openly referred to them as “statues of the Pachamama.”
This event caused great scandal across the world – not only to Catholics, but also to non-Catholics who rightly abhor the worship of false gods and idols.
Now, photos of yourself have emerged which appear to depict you actively participating in what is captioned a “Rite of the Pachamama,” at a theological symposium in Sao Paolo, Brazil, in 1995.
This is therefore the time for you to clarify the situation and condemn all forms of idolatry and religious syncretism, and in particular the worship of the Pachamama goddess.
Such a public condemnation would repair the harm caused by Francis in 2019 and clarify your own position with regard to the worship of this false Mother Earth goddess.
RELATED:
UNEARTHED: 1995 photo shows Pope Leo XIV participating in Pachamama ritual
Pachamama idolatry returns: Cardinals who condemned Francis’ scandal now face Leo’s
Taylor Marshall on Leo XIV at 1995 Pachamama ritual: ‘A Pope is not above the commandments’
Pachamama rituals linked to alleged human sacrifice in new report
