Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera, O.S.A., as coadjutor archbishop of Cusco, Peru, weeks after the bishop attended an Andean ceremony involving offerings to Pachamama.
The Vatican announced the appointment on Aug. 29. Estrada, an Augustinian bishop who has served as auxiliary bishop of Cusco, will assist the current archbishop and has the right of succession, meaning he will become head of the Archdiocese of Cusco when the position becomes vacant.
Estrada has also served as secretary general of the Peruvian bishops’ conference.
The appointment has attracted attention because of Estrada’s presence at an Aug. 13 gathering in Cusco that included an Andean ritual dedicated to Pachamama.
According to LifeSiteNews, the ceremony involved coca leaves, food offerings and guided breathing exercises. The outlet reported that Estrada attended the event along with Bishop Miguel Ángel Cadenas of Iquitos.
Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, a canon lawyer who serves in the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and as a papal commissioner in clerical sexual abuse cases, also attended and took an active role in the ceremony, according to LifeSiteNews.
The gathering came ahead of Pope Leo’s expected November visit to Peru.
LifeSiteNews reported that the broader event brought together representatives from indigenous and peasant communities, women’s and youth organizations, people with disabilities, environmental and human rights advocates, faith communities and LGBT groups.
According to a description of the gathering cited by LifeSiteNews, participants came together “to dialogue, share their demands, and build agreements around human rights and the common good.”
Catholic participation in ceremonies associated with Pachamama has previously generated controversy, particularly over questions about the distinction between legitimate respect for indigenous cultures and religious practices that could conflict with Christian worship.
Michael Hichborn of the Lepanto Institute strongly criticized the Cusco ceremony. According to LifeSiteNews, Hichborn described its opening as “idolatrous veneration of a pagan deity” and objected to the participation of Catholic officials.
The Catholic Church teaches that worship and adoration belong to God alone. At the same time, the Church recognizes that the Gospel can be proclaimed within different cultures while insisting that authentic inculturation must remain faithful to Christian revelation.
Estrada’s appointment places him in line to eventually lead an important Peruvian archdiocese centered in Cusco, a city deeply shaped by both its Catholic heritage and its indigenous Andean history.
The appointment also comes as preparations continue for Pope Leo’s anticipated visit to Peru later this year, placing renewed attention on the relationship between Catholic evangelization, indigenous traditions and the boundaries of religious inculturation.
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