Villagers defy priest who branded coffin ritual ‘witchcraft'
This week a stand-off ensued between Father Francisco Javier de Ramiro Crespo, the parish priest, and inhabitants of the village in Spain's northwestern Galicia region who defied his attack on the tradition.
After Mass for the village saint's day concluded, a middle-aged man and a coffin emerged to circle the church. He had survived a life-threatening situation and vowed to walk in the procession — or, more accurately, crawl to give thanks.
Though he did not lie inside the coffin, his relatives carried an open coffin above him as he moved forward on his knees.
The sight of the coffin visibly moved many onlookers. 'It's a joke and a lack of respect toward a centuries-old tradition,' a local woman told La Voz de Galicia newspaper, referring to the priest's opposition. 'Seeing one of our own keep his promise to the saint is deeply moving.'
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Villagers defy priest who branded coffin ritual ‘witchcraft'
For centuries the parishioners of Santa Marta de Ribarteme have paraded in open coffins, but a priest's condemnation of the practice as 'witchcraft' has all but tolled its end. This week a stand-off ensued between Father Francisco Javier de Ramiro Crespo, the parish priest, and inhabitants of the village in Spain's northwestern Galicia region who defied his attack on the tradition. After Mass for the village saint's day concluded, a middle-aged man and a coffin emerged to circle the church. He had survived a life-threatening situation and vowed to walk in the procession — or, more accurately, crawl to give thanks. Though he did not lie inside the coffin, his relatives carried an open coffin above him as he moved forward on his knees. The sight of the coffin visibly moved many onlookers. 'It's a joke and a lack of respect toward a centuries-old tradition,' a local woman told La Voz de Galicia newspaper, referring to the priest's opposition. 'Seeing one of our own keep his promise to the saint is deeply moving.'
