Spain: Bishop Rafael Zorzona Boy of Cadiz y Ceuta has issued an apology to local Catholics for an incident in which a Hindu procession honoring the god Ganesh was welcomed into a Catholic church.

The procession took place in Ceuta, a Spanish territory on the northern coast of Africa near Gibraltar. Local Hindus entered the church of Our Lady of Africa, carrying an elephant-shaped image of Ganesh, and were greeted by the vicar general of the diocese, Father Juan José Mateos Castro.

The bishop remarked that the event was “regrettable,” because although it was proper to show friendship for Hindu neighbors, the decision to allow a Hindu god to be honored in a Catholic church could cause “pain, confusion, or scandal in the Christian community.”

 

source: catholic culture