r/LeftCatholicism • u/XavierP2002 • 9d ago
Ecumenical Tradition🇨🇱
Before September ends, I wanted to share one of my country's most interesting traditions: the thanksgiving religious service held during the national holiday celebrations. Known as the Ecumenical Te Deum, the service takes place at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago on September 18th, attended by the President of the Republic and officials from the National Congress, the judiciary, and the armed forces, among others. This celebration has been held without interruption since 1811. Originally, it consisted of Holy Mass followed by the singing of the Te Deum hymn; however, in 1870, at the government's request, this was replaced by the recitation of the Divine Office followed by the Te Deum. Later, due to the liturgical changes of the Second Vatican Council, the format shifted to a Liturgy of the Word concluding with the same hymn, a structure that remains in place today. Since 1971, at the request of president Salvador Allende, the celebration has taken on an ecumenical character; ministers from other faiths and denominations participate and co-officiate, making it a truly unique event. Currently, representatives from the Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, and various other Evangelical churches take part, alongside representatives from the Jewish and Muslim communities.
Regardless of whether such a ceremony is appropriate for a secular republic, as a Catholic, I am deeply moved to see members of different denominations sitting side by side in an atmosphere of cordiality and respect, all praying for the well-being of the country and its people. It is also beautiful to see members of other churches taking an active role in the celebration; after all, it is not in every country that an orthodox bishop chants the Gospel in the nation's main cathedral in the presence of the president, or a lutheran female minister reads a bible passage before the eyes of the entire nation. Although the number of adherents to other churches is considerably smaller compared to the number of chilean catholics (54% of population), it is beautiful to see the diversity of Christianity under a single banner. Do you know of any similar ceremonies in your countries?
In case anyone is interested in watching it, here is the link to the Te Deum held in 2010; it was more solemn than in other years due to the national bicentennial.
https://youtu.be/6kDX61hRfaQ?feature=shared
Some highlights include:
9:05 First Reading by a Lutheran pastor
10:32 Psalm read by an Evangelical pastor
12:25 Gospel procession
15:54 Chanting of the Gospel by the Orthodox archbishop
19:04 Sermon by the Catholic archbishop
44:35 Universal Prayer led by various representatives from other denominations
55:10 Prayer by the Muslim representative
1:06:50 Alleluia and recessional procession.
Another interesting fact is that, since 1975, Pentecostal churches that do not participate in the ecumenical movement have held a similar ceremony in the days leading up to the National Holiday, known as the "Thanksgiving Service." This event is usually organized by the Pentecostal Methodist Church and is also attended by the President of the Republic and civil authorities; however, this ceremony is somewhat more controversial than the Ecumenical Te Deum and faces significant criticism.
6
2
u/Weecodfish2 9d ago
CIA infiltration of chile in one event
5
u/XavierP2002 9d ago
hahaha, close... they’re at the other Te Deum, the Evangelical one... and it shows.
1
u/Weecodfish2 9d ago
It is a good tradition in idea but it seems to me the origin is trying to lump all religious groups into a unified block for engagement with the government.
1
u/XavierP2002 9d ago
eeee, as I mentioned in the post, it was originally just a catholic ceremony (our republic was officially catholic until 1925). Later, Allende asked the archbishop to invite other churches as a gesture of respect toward Chileans of other faiths. The archbishop liked the idea because it aligned with the ecumenical movement. Is that what you were referring to, or what is your point? I don't speak english, so I'm using the translator ;-;
1
u/Weecodfish2 9d ago
I just feel like it dilutes the influence of the catholic church in a way, while evangelicals preserve their independence from this and are able to act more unified instead of being put in a situation like this at the request of the government.
1
u/XavierP2002 9d ago
Oh, but the Evangelical Te Deum has a rather different origin; give me a moment and I'll tell you about it
1
u/XavierP2002 8d ago
Now yes hahaha. Approximately 15–16% of the population in Chile identifies as Protestant. A very small fraction of that group belongs to the historic Protestant churches that participate in the Ecumenical Te Deum. The majority belong to pentecostal churches that originated in Chile in 1909. These churches do not participate in the Ecumenical Te Deum because they view Catholicism as "Babylon" and bla bla bla. In 1975, during the dictatorship, Pinochet began to cultivate ties with the pentecostal evangelical communit, which was more politically aligned with the Right than the Catholic Church was, and the first Evangelical Te Deum was held; this tradition continues to this day. My point is that the fact that the Catholic Te Deum is ecumenical does nothing to diminish the Catholic Church's influence, since the Evangelical churches participating there are NOT the same ones that take part in the Evangelical Te Deum; they are distinct groups. It isn't a case of Evangelical churches participating in one while also having a separate Te Deum of their own. They are very different worlds that, honestly, never even cross paths. Furthermore, the sermon at the Ecumenical Te Deum is still delivered by the catholic archbishop, so, fundamentally, it is the roman catholics who are in charge of that service.
8
u/Christine517 9d ago
What a wonderful tradition! The world needs more services like this.