Enculturation of Liturgy in Quechua Culture

Abstract

Enculturation is one of the most significant instruments that Church has to embody the Gospel, faith, pastoral, and liturgy; as well as to deliver the Christian message to some native cultures by inviting them to preserve their traditional values if they can be reconciled with the Gospel. This idea has been encouraged by bishops, theologians, and pastoral agents in different settings, such as the Episcopal Conference of Latin America. In this regard, some relevant writings are the Aparecida and Santo Domingo Documents, and the recently published Evangelii Gaudium and Querida Amazonia, by Pope Francis. For the Church of Latin America and the Caribbean, enculturation of liturgy is a never-ending reality and poses considerable challenges because cultural changes hinder the transmission of faith. Thus, Pope Francis highlights that there has not been enough progress in this respect. On the one hand, this concern has motivated us to strengthen enculturation of liturgy in the Quechua Culture, preserving some of their signs and symbols in the celebration of the mystery of Christ. On the other hand, this process should be undertaken through the path of dialogue to provide our liturgical celebrations with Andean features as part of the renewal of the local Church. Therefore, the article follows the see-judge-act method of analysis, since enculturation is one of the means that helps with the transmission of the present and acting Christian message among the Quechua Culture.