‘Skeleton Saint’ cult grows
HOLDING a scythe in one hand and a globe in the other, the Santa Muerte (Our Lady of Holy Death) could be easily mistaken for the Grim Reaper.
But to her supporters, this skeletal saint, nicknamed “skinny woman”, has the power to heal illness, bring prosperity and even help them find love.
Known as the patron saint of violent drug cartels for her relative tolerance, Our Lady of Holy Death, which is perhaps the fastest-growing religion in the Americas, now has millions of faithful in its grip.
“From Chile to Canada, Santa Muerte has no rival in terms of the rapidity and scope of its expansion,” said Andrew Chesnut, professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint.
“In 2001, when devotion to the folk religion first went public in Mexico, Saint Death was unknown to 99% of Mexicans. In just 15 years Santa Muerte has attracted an estimated 10 to 12 million devotees, primarily in Mexico, Central America, and the US.”
He said the religion now followers across the globe.
Worship of the Santa Muerte was initially clandestine, the rites quietly uttered at altars fashioned by believers in their homes.
More forgiving than the Catholic Church – she is said not to punish traditional sins – she grew popular in Mexico’s prisons. Inmates inscribe her on cell walls. Counternarcotics teams have often found shrines in druglords’ safe houses. had
Around the turn of the 21st century, the Santa Muerte burst into the mainstream. One of the people credited with this change is Mexican Enriqueta Romero, a charismatic follower often referred to as the religion’s “high priestess”.
Historians say the folk religion has its roots in Mexico’s ancient Aztec culture. But its modern iteration incorporates many of the rituals of the Catholic Church.
At one cult altar were votive candles and Lambrusco wine. Instead of incense, one man lit a marijuana joint. These actions have only further incensed the Catholic Church, which views the cult as a blasphemous threat to its standing in Mexico.
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture, has declared it the “degeneration of religion”. — The Daily Telegraph