Sometimes, the Roman Catholic Church just doesn’t get it.
Neither do a lot of people who violently opposed artist Alma L¢pez’s “scandalous” rendering of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Apparently, a scared Museum of New Mexico’s Committee on Sensitive Materials knew that it had to defend the right of free expression but buckled slightly in shortening the run of the exhibition that included Lopez’s “Our Lady” piece.
How quickly the supporters of the church forget that their faith is based on the rebellion of one leader who refused to toe the company line.
As a Mexican-American Catholic, I have to say that it surprised me that the most ignorant remarks came from Archbishop Michael Sheehan, who seems to have forgotten the church’s principles of community outreach, tolerance and love for thy neighbor. His angry, hateful words do not reflect the Catholic Church I grew up with.
Those who cling to the image of the virgin also have forgotten what she represents. In their zest, they have overlooked the virgin’s rich history.
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Catholics believe that, in 1531, the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to a poor Indian named Juan Diego at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of Mexico City. She instructed him to have the bishop build a temple on the site because the village’s faith was suffering. When Juan Diego returned to tell her that the bishop did not believe him, she gave him roses that were unheard of in the dry, desert area to show the bishop as proof of her existence. When Juna Diego dropped the roses at the bishop’s feet, the virgin’s image was imprinted on the shroud he was wearing.
At about the same time in present-day Mexico, the Catholic Church was trying to find a better way to convert Indians, who did not identify with church. Some say that the virgin was just a tool the church used to make conversion easier. Others believe the image was not the virgin, but rather the Aztec goddess Tonanzin.
It does not matter which version I believe in. I am secure enough in my faith to understand what the Virgin of Guadalupe means to me and respect others’ right to believe differently. The leader of my faith suffered because no one extended him the same courtesy.
Regardless of what you believe, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe has been such a powerful force for centuries because she belonged to the people. She is a part of everyone, and, for Alma L¢pez, she is alive and well in a flowered bikini.
