On March 24, Bishop Oswaldo Escobar of Chalatenango, San Salvador,
celebrated a Eucharist commemorating the 45th anniversary of the
assassination of leftist champion Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero y
Galdámez. He is a saint of Pope Francis.
The Eucharist was
celebrated in in the chapel of the Hospitalito La Divina Providencia,
where the then Archbishop Romero of San Salvador was assassinated.
Several priests concelebrated.
Also participating in the
Eucharist were Neftalí Ruíz, who calls himself "bishop" of the Old
Catholic Church and a female Anglican minister. She wore an alb, stole,
and cross as if she were a bishop.
The female Anglican preacher
participated in the entrance procession and the homily. She also stood
at the altar until the moment of communion.
The Apostolic
Nunciature of El Salvador condemned the ceremony the same day, but only
in words. No sanctions were imposed on Bishop Escobar.
The Nuncio
wrote: "Ecumenical celebrations that are shared with members of
non-Catholic churches, provide only for the Liturgy of the Word", adding
that "the altar is reserved only for the celebration of the Eucharist".
And,
"What happened this morning in the chapel of the Hospitalito should not
have taken place because it is forbidden by canon law."
According to Infovaticana the de facto concelebration of a Anglican representative took place for the third year in a row.
The
picture accompanying this article shows the Old Catholic cleric and the
Anglican female preacher next to Catholic Bishop Escobar. It was posted
by Luis Gonzalez on Facebook.com.
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