TIM STAPLES DEFENDS THE “PACHAMAMA POPE”

 

It was a couple of months ago that I posted an article on Pope Francis’ involvement in the Catholic Church’s Amazonian Synod that occurred back in October of 2019.  In that particular meeting, the pope presided in, what I believe can only be seen as acts of idolatry.  People were kneeling and bowing down to wooden objects that are identified by many as Pachamama idols.  On the Vatican grounds, there were a number of Amazonian Catholics who were bowing before, and presenting offerings to, these wooden fertility statues (statues of a naked, pregnant Amazonian woman).  Not only did the pope attend the ceremonies without objections, he even blessed one of the statues and put it on the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica.  Much of the Catholic world was horrified.

And the head of the Catholic Church, the supposed “Vicar of Christ” and “Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church” was absolutely fine with all this.  This couldn’t possibly be a stumbling block, right? 

Catholic apologist, speaker, and Director of Catholic Answers Tim Staples weighed in on the Amazon Synod fiasco.  He seems to be surprised that anyone objected to all this.  What could possibly be wrong with a little homage to idols (which are demons) on the grounds of the Vatican and in St. Peter’s Basilica? 

But apparently, it wasn’t a big deal.  According to Staples, it was just an “imprudent application of the communion of saints.”  What is that supposed to mean?  How should all this have been “applied”?

See his article here:

https://timstaples.com/2019/pope-francis-commit-a-sin-of-idolatry-with-pachamama/

Tim calls this charge of idolatry against Pope Francis “absolutely unfounded.”  He quotes the Catholic Catechism and says that idolatry consists in “divinizing” what is not God.  He then goes on to point out that idolatry can be committed with power, pleasure, race, ancestors, etc., including money, and he quotes Jesus saying that we “cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).

Of course this is true, but I think that most of us have never, ever seen anyone bow down and pray to their money.  My point is that if we can be guilty of idolatry toward our money (like the rich young ruler was – Luke 18:18-24) WITHOUT bowing down to it, then how much more is it idolatry for those who prostrate themselves before (and give offerings to) anyone or anything that is not God?  The pope is just as guilty for being a part of this.  So, no, Tim – this charge is not “absolutely unfounded.”

Tim says that he was unable to find reference to anyone there who considered Pachamama a goddess.  But if no one present at this meeting thought of her this way, then what was all that bowing, praying, and extreme devotion going on?  It seems that Tim thinks that since these people were “evangelized” (as Catholics), then that changes the meaning of what they were obviously doing (worshipping).  He thinks that they couldn’t possibly be idolizing, since they were “evangelized”!  Even his fellow Catholics sensed that something was seriously wrong with their “evangelization” process.

Tim claims that the Pachamama is just a “cultural symbol.”  But the Old Testament pagans no doubt thought the same thing of their own idols.  Would Tim be ok with cannibals going around killing and eating people, you know, since it was simply their “culture”?  I would hope not.  Simply being “cultural” does not make something right.

At one point, Tim goes on about Pachamama simply being a symbol of wisdom, fertility, and “new life.”  But what’s wrong with fertility and new life?  Nothing, but remember that it seems that in every pagan religion there is some kind of “mother earth goddess” that involves fertility and new life.  That’s exactly what’s wrong with this picture.  Tim should know better, but he is confusing (and conflating) biblical wisdom with pagan concepts of new life and fertility.  Tim is just muddying the water here with far-too-vague language.

Tim Staples then claims that “wisdom” is not a matter of only one interpretation.  There it is, folks.  The old “there’s more than one interpretation” argument.  This is just an excuse, and a weak one, at that.  This is exactly why we have, and need, Sola Scriptura (i.e., the Bible alone as the ultimate source for the church today). 

Not only was the pope’s involvement in all this a big enough insult to many Catholics worldwide, but Francis went a step further.  One year after this Amazonian Synod, on its anniversary, the Vatican Mint issued a coin depicting “Madre Terra” (Mother Earth, Pachamama). 

See here:

https://catholicismpure.wordpress.com/2020/10/14/another-nail-in-the-coffin-vatican-produces-pachamama-coin/

Rather than distancing itself from the Pachamama idol, the Vatican commemorates it with a new coin!  It shows that neither the Vatican nor the pope is repentant for what they are involved in.  Although the pope has the authority to stop all this, he is allowing and even promoting it.  Whatever happened to the fear of being a stumbling block (Matthew 18:6-7)?

This is something they could easily leave behind or put aside, but they don’t care that many of their own people are up in arms about this.  It seems that, right or wrong, it’s either the pope’s way or the highway!

Conclusion

How important is Pachamama to the pope?  Consider that, after these idols had been thrown into the Tiber River, he had people go down into the river to retrieve the idols.  To find them, it must have been like a needle in a haystack!  So surely, he has quite an investment in all this.  Very interesting.

In his “Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation,” of 12-02-2020, Pope Francis is asking us to “enter into communion with the forest,” and then “our voices will easily blend with its own and become a prayer.” (Querida Amazonia, paragraph 56)

What kind of globalist, extreme environmentalist mumbo jumbo garbage is that?!  It looks like nature worship to me.

See the document here:

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2020/02/12/200212c.html

If what the people were doing in the pictures we saw at the Amazonian Synod isn’t idolatry, then there is no such thing as idolatry!

Apparently, many Catholics do recognize at least some forms of idolatry when they see it.  Good for them.  But I have a question to all Catholics: Isn’t this what many Catholics across the world do when “venerating” Mary?  How is this any different than the idolatry of the Amazonian church?