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LA SANTA MUERTE
ASSOCIATION WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
La Santa Muerte closely resembles Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico and a symbol for Catholic Mexicans and Mexican culture in general. It’s no wonder that since La Santa Muerte is a folk saint from Mexican folk Catholicism, many of its devotees often still consider themselves Catholic (Michalik 2011, 164). This is a problem because “the Catholic Church in Mexico refuses to recognize this religious movement and chooses instead to label it as satanic” (Bastante and Dickieson 2013, 452). Since many people see it as being part of Catholic faith or complementing it, the Church sees this following as people who have been manipulated and would accept them back if they renounce their beliefs.
“Amidst drug-violence instability, the once strong and influential Mexican Catholic Church has been losing credibility, support, and members. This loss of faith in the Catholic Church could be caused by many factors: general pessimism, individuals searching for other forms of faith, and the result of the church's support for governing political parties” (Bastante and Dickieson 2013, 436).
Catholic Church: Work
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