ARTICLES
June 2003 ARTICLES
Contents © 2003
by Jim Holman.
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It's Insulting
No Room in Cathedral for the Pilgrim Virgin
By Jose Madero
She's the queen, the mother of all replicas of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
It's been put together by the finest technical craftsmen, digitally printed by the most advanced lasers, consecrated with a papal blessing. La Virgen Peregrina (the Pilgrim Virgin), as it is called in Spanish, is the only exact replica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the world.
But at Cardinal Roger Mahony's new cathedral, she's not even a toothless hag. So say groups of Guadalupanas -- devotees of the Virgin of Guadalupe, who complain that the once beautiful image that some months ago captivated millions, has been irreparably damaged by the scorching California sun for the last eight months.
The Guadalupanas say that archdiocesan and cathedral officials are at fault for the venerated image's premature deterioration, by putting the Virgin without a protective shade outside of the cathedral, where the sun, rain, and moisture have bleached it beyond repair. The image's once iridescent colors, the ethereal aura, and its innocent beauty, have mostly faded; been scorched away. Other Guadalupanas say that they are also irked by the fact that the Virgin was situated behind the cathedral and not inside. They consider this as an insult to all Guadalupanas and Latinos, for whose faith the Virgin of Guadalupe has been a symbol for centuries, for whom thousands of Mexicans died during a religious war in Mexico.
"We believe that the place for the Mother of God is beside her son," said Javier Rosas, a Guadalupano from Boyle Heights, who, with other groups, has made it known that the Guadalupanas are not happy with la Peregrina's plight. "We know that Mary gladly yields way for her Son, like she did during her life; but it is an insult to all Latinos that they [the archdiocese] would not give her a proper place inside the cathedral." Rosas said that several Guadalupanas groups have complained to the archdiocese. Others have collected signatures. But nothing has been done about the problem.
More than a few leaders of large Latino ministries -- both religious and lay movements -- I contacted say that their flocks have complained to them about la Peregrina's condition. They expressed dismay but asked that their names not be revealed for fear of an archdiocesan retaliation. Phone calls I made to the archdiocesan press office were not returned. (Archdiocesan spokeswoman Carolina Guevara, however, told KVEA, Channel 52, the local Telemundo affiliate, that "we took the decision of putting the replica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in a special place so that thousands of Guadalupanos could appreciate it.") The Los Angeles president of the Guadalupanas issued no comment.
Still, the Virgin debacle has even been noticed by non-Catholic clergy, like Leonardo Saavedra, an Anglican priest who, as a special guest of Cardinal Mahony, saw la Peregrina during the cathedral's grand opening. The founder of an Anglican order in Los Angeles, Saavedra said that he found it odd that the Virgin had been placed behind the cathedral, far from the main entrance. "It's in a non-strategic place," said Saavedra. "I have opened up many parishes, and I know that when you want to highlight something, you always put it in front, where the pilgrims, parishioners come in and can touch and admire her," said Saavedra, who is from Colombia. "But where I saw her at ... well, it didn't seem to me like something Catholic. I thought it was kind of funny."
To the Guadalupanas, who for years have seen the pilgrim image tour through their towns, the archdiocese's attitude towards their beloved image has seemed strange -- at best. The alleged cold shoulder cathedral officials have given the Virgin -- the only official replica authorized by the archdiocese of Mexico -- is in stark contrast to the warm veneration accorded it by millions of Catholics. Since 1531, when she appeared to St. Juan Diego, the Virgin of Guadalupe became Mexico's most potent symbol. The tilma upon which she left her image still hangs in the basilica of Mexico, where millions of pilgrims from all over the world go to venerate her.
Among the Virgin of Guadalupe's biggest followers is Pope John Paul himself, who last year canonized Juan Diego and, during a 1998 visit to Mexico, ordered that authorized copies of the Virgin were to be made. Each country in Latin America received one of these copies. The faded replica outside of the cathedral was the one intended for the United States.
After they were printed, the Guadalupe copies, which are the exact size of the original, were taken to the Vatican, where the pope blessed them. The Holy Father said that he trusted that these replicas -- which were done with the help of NASA workers who took photographs of the original cloak -- would be the evangelizers of the new millennium.
"I don't understand how it is that, in spite of the pope having such a devotion for the Virgen Peregrina, the cathedral will not give the Mother of God an honorable treatment?" asked Rosas. "What's going on?"
Guadalupanas are dumbstruck at what is -- or isn't -- going on these days with la Peregrina. But what is clear to them is what happened prior to the replica falling into cathedral hands.
After the papal blessing, la Peregrina traveled across the U.S., mostly through areas where there are large Latino populations. In September 1999, thousands of Guadalupanas took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles, snarling traffic as they awaited the Pilgrim Virgin's arrival by train. The sea of bodies was so overwhelming that police forces had to show up to control the crowds as helicopters hovered above. The Virgin's followers showered the image with flowers, some saying they were thankful to the Holy Mother for having healed their loved ones.
The Virgin's devotees can thank Pueblo Corporation, a company owned by Catholic businessman Hugo Pimenta, for bringing the replica to California. Pueblo paid for all expenses. "From the very beginning you could see that the archdiocese cared little for the Virgen Peregrina," said a Guadalupana who dealt with Pueblo but asked not to be identified, fearing the archdiocese would retaliate against her parish. "It was Pueblo Corporation and Mr. Pimenta who made it possible for the Virgin to visit us. The archdiocese didn't pitch in a dime for this!"
Three months after her spectacular L.A. arrival, and 50 parish visits later, the Virgin had about 50,000 faithful say farewell to her at a lavish event at the Coliseum. Latino celebrities, like singer Marco Antonio Solis and Cuban-American Cristina Saralegui, the host of the "Cristina" talk show, were present. "For all of us who are from different cultures from all over the world, the Virgin represents a powerful symbol of our faith," said Saralegui during the event.
The Pilgrim replica returned to Mexico, where millions showed up to see her. Wherever she went, throngs appeared, telling stories how the Virgin delivers from evil and of her mercy for the weakest and most destitute of Mexican society. The tour ended last year, when the Virgin was finally installed at the Los Angeles cathedral on December 12. As usual, thousands, carrying flowers, showed up to sing the traditional mañanitas to her.
Since then, the Virgin has been all but forgotten at the cathedral, said Guadalupanas like Guadalupe Bojorquez, who on a March morning rested on the sole kneeler (a cranky worn thing with torn pads and old cobwebs) in front of the Virgin. There were some flowers there, but all were dry; on the side stood rows of votive candles with a sign that read, "$5 each."
"The image of the Virgin shouldn't be here. It's insulting!" said Bojorquez. "With so many rooms inside the cathedral, some that aren't even filled yet, why wasn't a space designated for the Virgin?"
Guadalupanos like Rosas say that dimming hopes even further for the Virgin is the fact that Pueblo Corporation, the company that most touted the replica (and perhaps the only one that could save the image from further indignity), went bankrupt last year. La Peregrina, said the Guadalupanas, is now at the mercy of the cathedral.
Alicia Alarcon, a journalist and Spanish-language radio talk show host for Radio Unica, 1580 AM, in March held a series of programs on the Virgin's plight. Alarcon's phone lines were clogged by callers outraged over the how the image was being treated. Alarcon said that the Virgin's dilemma is symbolic of the archdiocese's subtle racism towards Latinos and their traditions. Nevertheless, she believes, she said, that archdiocesan officials are sure that there won't be a Guadalupana backlash against them, confident that traditional Latino political lethargy, coupled with the typical Mexican habit of not questioning religious authority, will work on their side. "Until when will it finally dawn on us Latinos that we just are not wanted in the cathedral!" said Alarcon. "When will we finally realize that the cathedral was built by rich people for rich people? And that they don't want Mexicans with their Aztec dancers dancing to the Virgin?"
Rosas said that the archdiocese takes advantage of the fact that most of the Guadalupanas are older people who are submissive to the Virgin, their parishes, and their devotions. He added that they are not the type of people who will make a big fuss against the archdiocese. "Like the Virgin Mary, we Guadalupanas will remain quiet, but we will let God act," Rosas said. "That was how the Virgin acted, and we know that she will act in this situation."
The Anglican priest Saavedra said that the word "pilgrim" means someone who comes giving and looking for love, just like the Mother of God is doing in her image. He compared the situation of the Virgin with the biblical mandate of Jesus, who told his disciples that those towns who rejected them during their pilgrimages were to have a worse fate than Sodom and Gomorrah on Judgment Day. "They [cathedral officials] didn't let her in," said Saavedra. "I believe the Virgin is shaking the dust off her sandals and wants to leave -- she wants to go to another city."