Church warns against 'holy war' called for by followers of 'St. Death'

Mexico City, Mexico, Apr 7, 2009 / 18:05 pm

Father Hugo Valdemar, spokesman of the Archdiocese of Mexico City, warned this week about the “terrorist” nature of the call for a “holy war” against the Catholic Church by the leader of followers of “St. Death.”

David Romo Guillen, leader of the devotion to “St. Death,” especially popular among drug traffickers and criminals, called for a “holy war” against the Catholic Church after the Mexican Army destroyed several places of worship it suspected to be criminal hideouts, especially in the northern part of the country.

"Only terrorist or fundamentalist leaders call for holy wars, like Bin Laden or the Taliban. It’s a shame that Mr. Romo makes himself equal to the Taliban or a terrorist by calling for a holy war,” said Father Valdemar.

After the destruction of the suspected hideouts, Romo blamed the military’s actions on the Catholic Church, because several bishops had warned against the devotion and called it un-Christian.

This Monday, the followers of St. Death, led by David Romo, protested outside the Cathedral of Mexico City, bearing pictures of the “White Child,” the name they have given to St. Death, represented by a skeleton dressed in a white tunic or sometimes in a wedding gown.

“Nobody has the right to call for a war, sedition, or a revolt. As far as I know that is a crime,” the archdiocesan spokesman said.

The priest denied that the Catholic Church has launched a campaign against the practice. “David Romo is only looking for someone to get into the ring with him,” Father Valdemar stated.

The spokesman for the archdiocese stressed that the bishops have limited themselves to “clarifying for the people that this devotion is superstitious and can lead to demonic practices, and that they should be very careful because it is not something insignificant or inoffensive.”

Holy Week, he went on, “is the least appropriate time to carry on these kinds of protests for holy wars. It should be a time of respect and peace.”

“St. Death has no business being in front of the Cathedral,” Father Valdemar added. The leader of the sect “should protest outside the Secretariat of the National Defense and the Attorney General because I understand it was soldiers from the military who destroyed the altars.”

Father Valdemar called on the Catholic faithful not to fall into provocations because “it is not legitimate to get involved in fights, and much less so in Holy Week.”