Big Chief Cardinal Wetter

Cardinal Wetter is made an Indian Chief. The Cardinal who is unaware of the dignity of his office to which nothing can be added by being made an Indian Chief, who thinks he can combine the two roles, is the same Cardinal Wetter who warns of a "clash of rites" following the publication of the Motu Proprio, despite the language of the Papal document being crystal clear that there are two forms, but only one Roman Rite. Thanks to the ever excellent kreuz.net for bringing this to my attention. Reminds one all too much of the time that Rowan Williams became the Archdruid of Canterbury.

Translation of the press release of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. Cardinal Wetter is now an Indian Chief named “Regent of Peace”. Indian mayor handed him the Chief’s staff “Fraternal Assistance” from Munich for schools and educational centres. Cotacachi, Ecuador In his office of Archbishop, Cardinal Friedrich Wetter is used to carrying a pastoral staff when involved in liturgical ceremonies.

In future, he will also be able to have an honorary Chief’s staff of office, a sign of administrative and judicial jurisdiction over the Indian parish of Cotachi which is a town consisting predominantly of Indians located in North Ecuador. The Indian mayor, Auki handed to his guest of honour from Munich the symbol of a Chief’s dignity, together with the keys of the town at a reception in Cotacachi Town Hall on August 1. The first name of the Cardinal means in old High German, “Regent of Peace”. The Cardinal has been a guest of the Ecuadorian Bishops’ Conference for one week. It will be his last visit as the chief pastor of the charitable operations of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising which have been financed wholly or partly through the “Fraternal Help” in Munich which has been in existence for the last 45 years. The “Chief Regent of Peace” displayed an emotional response following the Mayor’s gesture and he gave thanks in moving words for this distinction. “Just as I carry this staff with me to my home, I will carry in my heart the inhabitants of Cotacachi who have given me this honour” Through “Fraternal Help” it was possible to build a new school recently. The region is nearly exclusively inhabited by Ketschua speaking Indians and the Archdiocese has been involved in the building and running of training centres and schools. The Chief’s Staff which Cardinal Wetter is now entitled to use reaches back to the pre-Columbian time of the Inca rule and the regional chiefs had used them during official proceedings. This symbol of Indian authority continued to be used by the Spaniards in colonial times. Today, the mayor uses this staff on special occasions, for example at the Corpus Christi procession. The staff is made of very hard wood of the chonta palm tree, is often wound with precious cloths and rings of precious metals. The handle often has the head of an animal. The Chief’s staff of the Cardinal has in the place of the animal’s head, a sun in the fashion of a cross. The sun has always been to the Incas, a holy heavenly body. Cardinal Wetter has already made his acquaintance with the Chief’s role in Ecuador at the World Youth Day in August 2005. An Indian Kazike who especially came to Munich for this reason and who wore on this occasion an elaborate feather headdress, met the Cardinal by chance in front of Our Lady’s Cathedral. As a sign of his joy in meeting the Cardinal he took off his headdress and placed it on the Cardinal’s head, who for a short while, at any rate, knew how to carry it with dignity. The people present, among them the Ecuadorian Bishop for Youth, Victor Corral were so pleased with this gesture that they asked for a photo to be taken. Unfortunately, we don’t have a photo of the Cardinal with the staff. End of text ________

The Last Inca Chief, Atahualpa

He refused to convert his people to Catholicism preferring the Inca religion. The great gods of the Incas were the powers of nature especially the Sun Inti and the Moon Quilla. Other important deities were the Thunder and Rainbow Gods. and the Bright Planets. Over them all reigned Viracocha, the Creator. He was both father and mother of the Sun and Moon. He was often thought of as an old man with white hair and beard. He was supposed to be ruler of destiny and invisible. His place in the heavens was a dark area, the Coal Sack in the Milky Way. For this they paid a terrible price at the hands of the Spanish rulers. Cardinal Wetter feels that he shares the guilt of generations long dead. Cardinal Wetter- the man unhappy with his existing headgear.