As Father points out, the remarks on inculturation are particularly interesting. He says that Asia is deeply mystical and conscious of the value of the Sacred. Consequently, he says that the tenor of Sacramentum Caritatis is good for Asia. He goes on to say that
People in Asia are a worshipping people, with worship forms that are centuries old and not inventions of any single individual.He speaks of arbitrariness and inconsistency in attempts at inculturation. One of his examples is amusing in a way but also tragic:
Adherence to rubrics in the other religious traditions in Asia is strict. Besides, their rubrics are profoundly reflective of the special role of the Sacred. Thus, the seriousness recommended by the Supreme Pontiff is very much in consonance with Asian ways of worship.
I once was listening to a radio talk given by a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka who ridiculed Christians for allowing local drum beating in their churches without knowing that those beats in fact were chants of praise for the Buddha. This could be just one instance of unstudied absorption of local traditions that are per se incompatible with what we celebrate.To illustrate what he means by inconsistency, the Archbishop points out that receiving Holy Communion in the hand, while standing, is "far below levels of consideration given to the Sacred in Asia".
2 comments:
Fr. Tim,
I was interested to read Archbishop Ranjith’s observations on inculturation. His views seem to be rather different from those of Pope John Paul II, who was keen on inculturation in the sense that he didn’t want Christianity to be seen by Africans, Asians and Native Americans as being part of the same Western consumerist package as jeans, T-shirts, the Spice Girls and McDonalds, which is perfectly understandable.
In practice, though, whenever I have seen liturgies which contain concessions to “native culture” (in Canada and Polynesia) I have had cause to doubt the wisdom of inculturation, and this for two main reasons.
First, one has the suspicion of tokenism and banality. If you have a priest saying Mass to Inuit people who is wearing vestments resembling ancient American dress, or if in Africa drums are used in certain parts of the Mass, is this really any different from a Scottish priest who tries to inculturate his own liturgy by wearing a tartan stole and singing “Amazing Grace” accompanied by the bagpipes?
My other (and more fundamental) misgiving is the potential for taking over pagan (and even occult) symbols and rituals in the name of inculturation without fully baptizing or exorcizing them. In parts of Polynesia, Catholic priests saying Mass often wear a sort of conker-necklace (sorry, I don’t know the right word for it). I assume that this marks the priest out as a “holy man” because it is what the shamans and witch doctors used to wear before the missionaries arrived. Likewise, North American priests ministering to the native American communities can often be seen wearing vestments emblazoned with all manner of ancient Indian sacred symbols – with strikingly New Age characteristics – but without a cross or other obvious Christian image in sight. What effect are we creating by dressing priests like voodoo practitioners?
The overall effect, it seems to me, is not the inculturation of Christianity, but rather the dilution of Christianity via the absorption of paganism – maybe even with a dash of occultism. I note that the Catholic Church in Canada has had its worst sex abuse problems in the far north – precisely where pre-Christian elements have been assimilated into the liturgy. It is by no means inconceivable that such concessions to paganism may have weakened Christianity and allowed the forces of evil to make inroads (and/or to subsist in the post-conversion period).
In an age of globalization, where fashions and lifestyles are converging on a worldwide norm anyway, and where the evil one is on the rampage and needs to be confronted and driven out, maybe it’s time to drop naïve attempts at liturgical inculturation, “lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”
http://www.ucanews.com/search/show.php?q=ranjith%20interview&page=archives/english/2007/04/w4/wed/ZY02353IA.txt
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