On November 15, Lifesite’s Vatican correspondent Michael Haynes posted on X that the Vatican had approved a “Mayan rite” of the liturgy.

BREAKING: #Vatican has approved the Mayan rite of Mass for areas of Mexico, involving:
1. “Ritual dances.”
2. Women performing the “ministry of incense bearers” in Mass “instead of priest.”
3. Men/women leading some Mass parts as “principal”@LifeSite – https://t.co/vpNPHJ3vys pic.twitter.com/ievdjuNUt2

— Michael Haynes 🇻🇦 (@MLJHaynes) November 15, 2024

In his accompanying story (and frankly, my disgust at his rank racism and lies is difficult to contain), Haynes writes of “the underlying pagan theology” of this alleged “Mayan rite” and describes it as a “pagan-based rite.” Lifesite has long been trumping up fear and panic directed towards indigenous Catholics but this attack on indigenous Mayans may be their most egregious calumny to date because the idea that it is “pagan” in any way is an intentional and absurd violation of the Eighth Commandment. Yet a March 2023 article in Lifesite by Maike Hickson carries the headline, “The new Mayan rite of Mass encouraged by Pope Francis is replete with pagan idolatry and symbolism.”

Lifesite wasn’t alone. Radical traditionalist ideologue Peter Kwasniewski joined in with his own libelous attack on Facebook, writing that the recently-approved text is “Full of bizarre pagan adaptations that have no roots in Catholic/Christian tradition.” The consistently ill-informed reactionary propagandist Anthony Stine joined in the calumny with a YouTube video entitled “BREAKING: Vatican Releases DEMONIC RITE OF MASS.”

The Truth

I don’t want to spend any more time on this than necessary, because the truth is easily found for anyone with an internet connection who knows how to use a search engine. But I will lay out the basic facts that have already been shared by others.

First of all, the term “Mayan rite” is a fabrication, and it is seemingly being used to imply that this liturgy incorporates elements of pre-Christian Mayan religion. In fact, the term “Mayan” in this case refers to a group of indigenous ethnic groups and the languages spoken in parts of Mexico and Honduras, such as Tzotzil and Tzeltal. Until 2013, the liturgy in the Mexican diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas was conducted only in Spanish, even though a large number of the people living there are not proficient in Spanish. That year, Pope Francis gave approval for the liturgy to be celebrated in their native languages.

A December 2013 BBC report explained the impact of the linguistic change:

Over the past seven years, the Diocese of San Cristobal – one of the oldest in the country – has led the calls for the Vatican to officially recognise the liturgy in Mayan languages.

That call was heeded in October when Pope Francis gave the green light for weekly mass and key Catholic rituals, such as confession and baptism, to be conducted in the two indigenous languages.

The auxiliary bishop for San Cristobal, the Right Reverend Enrique Diaz, says gaining recognition from Rome was a long and complicated process.

“This is the acceptance not of a simple translation but of a thorough study which captures the sense of the words of the liturgy and the Bible,” he says as the clergy can be heard singing hymns in Tzotzil inside the church.

“It’s also the expression of the spirit of a people, a very religious people who follow the Lord and carry God in their hearts.”

Then, on November 8, 2024, Pope Francis gave his formal approval to several small yet culturally significant adaptations to the Roman Rite for use in Mayan communities.

Exaudi published an English translation of a column by Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi, bishop emeritus of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, regarding this decision:

The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, with the authority of the Pope, on November 8 of this year, granted the long-awaited recognitio of some liturgical adaptations for the celebration of the Holy Mass in the Tseltal, Tsotsil, Ch’ol, Tojolabal, and Zoque ethnic groups of the diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas. It is the official recognition of the Church by which these adaptations are approved as valid and legitimate; They are the liturgy of the Church, and not just customs and habits that are viewed with suspicion. This is very significant, because it is the second case in the entire post-conciliar history in which liturgical adaptations have been approved; the other was for the dioceses of Zaire, in Africa. These rites are a form of incarnation of faith in expressions that are very specific to these cultures. We did not invent them, but we adopted what they live and which is in accordance with the Roman rite. If there are deviations in some indigenous customs, we can help them to reach their fullness in Christ and in his Church.

His description of this as “the second case in the entire post-conciliar history” of the Church approving such adaptations is noteworthy, certainly. But the three key additions are modest and anything but pagan. Perhaps it will become known as the “Mayan Use” (similar to the “Zaire Use”), but even that seems a bit overboard. It’s essentially a typical Roman Rite Mass with three extra parts.

PrayTell described them last year:

The first of these is allowing a layman or laywoman to incense “the altar, the crucifix, the images, the offerings,” after the priest has blessed the incense.

The second is the appointment of a “senior layperson” would also be incorporated into the liturgical life of the community. This minister “is a man or woman who in the communities is entrusted with praying for the community; it’s a traditional position and is ordinarily called that by tradition and is chosen by the community, because they trust him or her.”

Finally, ritual dance would serve as a “Thanksgiving after Communion, [whereby] on some occasions, thanksgiving is performed with a ritual dance (light movements of the body), accompanied by instrumental music typical of the place.”

In his letter, Cardinal Arizmendi says that the ritual dance can take place “at the offertory, in the prayer of the faithful or in the thanksgiving after communion.”

You can see the first two adaptations (the incense and the exhortation by the senior layperson, known as the “principal” or “principala”) in action in this video by Reason and Theology. (The principal and incense adaptations are shown beginning at 29:07 in the video):

 

You can see an example of the style of liturgical dance we are discussing in this video, beginning just after the 1:30:00 mark. (A helpful reader points that in this example, the dance takes place at the Memorial Acclamation during the liturgy of the Eucharist, which is not one of the designated places in the newly-approved text):

 

Here is another example, from a papal Mass in 2016. Here the dance takes place after the communion rite, starting at around the 1:48:00 mark:

 

If you are offended by humble indigenous Mexican Catholics shaking maracas, swaying, and bopping a little to the music of an out-of-tune guitar or a group of boys playing the violin in thanksgiving for the Eucharist and in honor of Our Lady, I think it’s safe to say you are doing it wrong.

Now please, I beg you to help set the record straight.

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[Article updated to queue videos more precisely and to add clarification about the placement of the ritual dance in the liturgy]