When you stare into the empty eyes of La Nina Blanca do you feel the resonant warmth of a mother's love? It's there, if you look deep enough, at least for those who pay Her true devotion. Even those coming from a more objective distance can't help but notice the prevalence of motherly care that attends Her presence.
At Her shrines children run forward clutching icons of Most Holy Death, apples in hand to present Her with gifts for blessings She has bestowed their families. Newly weds stand ready with offerings to thank Her for their opportunity at future prosperity. Even gunmen come to Her as a mother, heads bowed in respect, offering tremulous thanks to the great matron whose hand has been held another day from executing a final judgement on their actions.
These are sights not easily accepted by many in the United States and Mexico, who view such passionate expressions towards an icon depicting death as aberrant and perhaps diabolical. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi during his recent trip to Mexico denounced Her no less than 3 times in four days, comparing Her tradition to the religiosity common among the organized crime families in Italy. In his most harsh condemnation he decried blasphemy against Her devotions while continuing to conflate the entire practice with criminality:
At Her shrines children run forward clutching icons of Most Holy Death, apples in hand to present Her with gifts for blessings She has bestowed their families. Newly weds stand ready with offerings to thank Her for their opportunity at future prosperity. Even gunmen come to Her as a mother, heads bowed in respect, offering tremulous thanks to the great matron whose hand has been held another day from executing a final judgement on their actions.
These are sights not easily accepted by many in the United States and Mexico, who view such passionate expressions towards an icon depicting death as aberrant and perhaps diabolical. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi during his recent trip to Mexico denounced Her no less than 3 times in four days, comparing Her tradition to the religiosity common among the organized crime families in Italy. In his most harsh condemnation he decried blasphemy against Her devotions while continuing to conflate the entire practice with criminality:
Written from a cartoonish and limited perspective on the situation, these statements fall far afield from the silent embrace of Muerte Querida (Beloved Death) as it is known by Her devotees. Unmeasured words from an aloof Cardinal cannot change the fact that this social degradation inflaming his rhetoric is a systematic failure propagated by the very orthodoxy and officials that he stands as a representative for. From the shadows of the society that corruption in his church helped create, La Rosa Blanca smiles on Her children as they overcome their daily struggles and find strength in a powerful devotion to Her faithfulness."It's not religion just because it's dressed up like religion; it's a blasphemy against religion...The mafia, drug trafficking and organised crime don't have a religious aspect and have nothing to do with religion, even if they use the image of Santa Muerte,"
