The Archbishopric of Montevideo (Uruguay) clarified what happened on Monday, March 31 in the Metropolitan Cathedral, when the priest responsible for the temple “protected the identity and purpose of every Catholic Church” by moving from the place to a group of people who professed another religion.
These are people with Afro -Bandista religion, who denounced Fr. Juan González on social networks because he considered an act of “religious racism” by not allowing them to remain in the temple.
Receive the main news of ACI Press by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social networks. Subscribe to our free channels today:
In it Video spread on social networks The priest can be seen notifying the people in question that the police were arriving. One of the men replies: “Do you know that you cannot allow non -entry to the house of God?”, To which the priest replicates: “Yes, I can.”
By sharing the film material, they accused the pastor of “religious intolerance” and preventing “harmony” between the Catholic religion and the “Afro matrix” religions.
Susana Andrade, a reference for this community, explained in dialogue with The observer That the visit to the Metropolitan Cathedral was part of a walk as a culmination of “rituals” they perform. He also clarified that they had previously come to the place and never had any problem.
After what happened, the Archbishopric of Montevideo lamented the inconvenience happened and express: “The Catholic Church of Montevideo respects and celebrates the religious freedom that is lived in our society. We think it is necessary to take care of the ways and ways to link. Our churches are open for those who come to pray or visit them respecting our identity.”
“The priest who acted in that situation, as responsible for the cathedral, did not want to reject people or disrespect their religion, simply protected the identity and purpose of every Catholic Church, ensuring that the rites that correspond to our faith are practiced,” the statement argues.
“Each religion has its own space of worship or celebrates in the public space respecting a healthy citizen coexistence. In a temple of umbandist religion the rites that are its own are made and it is not appropriate to celebrate there a Catholic cult there. Respecting the spaces of each cult is a way of assessing religious diversity,” he concludes.
Julieta Villar
I am a journalist, a graduate in Communication from the National University of La Matanza in Argentina. I have work experience in non -governmental organizations. Since 2016 I dedicate myself to Catholic journalism, first in the Argentine Catholic Information Agency (AICA) and, since 2022, as a correspondent for ACI Press for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia.