Why He Pushed 5 Pachamama Idols Into the Tiber (Exclusive Video)
Alexander Tschugguel, a brave 26-year-old Catholic from Austria and convert to the Catholic Faith, granted TFP Student Action an exclusive interview about his decision to throw five pagan Pachamama idols into the Tiber River on the morning of Oct. 21, 2019. To the dismay of the faithful, the pagan indigenous idols were used during Vatican ceremonies surrounding the Pan-Amazonian Synod in Rome.
Mr. Tschugguel’s prayerful action to remove the idols from the Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina attracted worldwide attention, including the praise of numerous Catholic prelates.
In an interview with The New York Times, His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke expressed his gratitude to Alexander Tschugguel for pitching the pagan Pachamama idols into the Tiber. “I can understand why he found it intolerable that pagan idols be displayed in a Catholic church,” Cardinal Burke stated. “I can only express my respect for him and my gratitude for his courageous witness to the faith.” (The New York Times, Nov. 9, 2019)
“He is a person who wished to defend the 1st Commandment,” said Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò about Mr. Tschugguel’s action. “Like many others, including Bishop Athanasius Schneider and Prof. Roberto de Mattei, I think that this young man is a hero.” (Inside the Vatican)
Cardinal Walter Brandmüller offered words of approval, comparing the deed to the courage of the Maccabees and the destruction of the pagan Oak tree by Saint Boniface.
“These two young men who threw these tasteless idols into the Tiber have not committed theft, but have done a deed, a symbolic act as we know it from the Prophets of the Old Covenant, from Jesus – see the cleansing of the Temple – and from Saint Boniface who felled the Thor Oak near Geismar,” stated the Cardinal. “These two courageous 'Maccabees' who have removed the 'horrors of the devastation of a holy site' are the prophets of today.” (LifeSiteNews, Oct. 29, 2019)
Speaking on Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ, expressed dismay over the inclusion of pagan Pachamama idols in Vatican ceremonies. “The introduction of these statutes into the synod on the Amazon is something that is a scandal. We are forbidden to have idols. We are forbidden to worship other gods. And some officials tried a little dance of their own, saying, ‘well it’s a symbol of fertility and motherhood.’ Knock it off! We’re not stupid. We’re not! This is an idol.” (EWTN, Nov. 5, 2019)
May Saint Michael the Archangel, captain of the armies of God, protect Holy Mother Church from Her enemies both inside and outside and abbreviate these days of confusion and chaos.