Classification Catholic Region Mexico, United States Separated from Roman Catholic Church | Archbishop David Romo Guillén Origin 2003
Mexico Members 2,000,000 | |
The Traditionalist Mexican-American Catholic Church (Iglesia Católica Tradicionalista mexicana-estadounidense), sometimes known as the Traditionalist Mexico-USA Tridentine Catholic Church, is an independent Catholic church in North America claiming 2 million followers. They broke away from the Catholic Church over their veneration (some say worship) of Santa Muerte. They are primarily active in the border regions of the United States and Mexico and have a particular presence among the Mexican immigrant communities in major United States cities. David Romo Guillén has been the current Archbishop and Primate of the Church since 1993, but was arrested on 2011 due to criminal charges.
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Beliefs and organization
The Church follows both the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed, maintains the seven sacraments, an all-male priesthood, are open to homosexuals in the faithful and, generally speaking, are socially conservative on abortion but do not practice clerical celibacy, allow contraceptives and do not require chastity before marriage. They also maintain their veneration of the Mexican folk saint Santa Muerte, which the Catholic Church had condemned as blasphemy and as Satanic. They reject Papal infallibility, the Immaculate Conception, and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Church services are conducted every Sunday and attendees often invoke the name of the Santa Muerte to intercede before God, rather than other saints, and leave offerings to the folk saint. The church follow the Roman Catholic practice of baptism, holy communion, confirmations, weddings, exorcisms and the praying of rosaries.
David Romo
David Romo Guillén was born on 1959 in Mexico and raised in a Catholic family. A former member of the Mexican Air Force, he was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest and later the Director of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and Saint Philip of Jesus (Spanish: Missionaries Misioneros del Sagrado Corazón y San Felipe de Jesús). Romo then founded the Traditionalist Mexican-American Catholic Church and declared himself as Archbishop of the Church. On 2002, he founded the National Sanctuary of the Santa Muerte and the Church became officially registered by the Mexican government the following year. On 2011, Romo was arrested and charged with drug trafficking, kidnapping and money laundering. He, along with several followers, were sentenced to 66 years in prison.
Controversy
Due to the connection between Santa Muerte and drug trafficking in Mexico, the Mexican government ruled that the Church did not have the qualifications for a religion and removed the Church from the list of officially recognized religions. Protests arose in 2006 among church members, yet the Church can legally worship without recognition from the government.