The papacy of Pope Leo XIV (Robert Francis Prevost) has recently been marked by a resurfaced controversy involving the Andean figure of Pachamama, drawing immediate and polarized comparisons to the 2019 Pachamama “scandal” under his predecessor, Pope Francis. While both events involve the same cultural symbol, the context of each—and the Vatican’s response—highlights a shift in how the Church navigates the line between indigenous inculturation and doctrinal purity.

The current controversy surrounding Pope Leo XIV centers on a photograph from 1995, long before his election to the papacy. At the time, the future pope was Fr. Robert Prevost, an Augustinian missionary serving in Peru. The image, which surfaced in early 2026, depicts him kneeling during an “Eco-theology” colloquium in Brazil.

 

Critics argue the caption in the original 1996 publication explicitly identifies the event as a “Celebration of the Pachamama Rite.” Opponents of the Pope claim that kneeling in such a context constitutes an act of adoration toward a pagan deity. Conversely, defenders, including former Bishop Reinaldo Nann, argue that the gesture was a sign of respect for the “soul of the earth” as a creature of God, rather than a religious act of worship. They maintain that for missionaries in the Andes, Pachamama is often viewed as a cultural metaphor for Mother Nature rather than a literal goddess.

 

The 2019 Vatican Gardens Incident (Pope Francis)

The comparison to Pope Francis stems from the 2019 Amazon Synod. During a ceremony in the Vatican Gardens, indigenous participants prostrated before carved wooden statues of a pregnant woman, which were later identified by the media and eventually by Pope Francis himself as “Pachamama.”

The fallout was immense:

• The Gesture: Traditionalist Catholics viewed the presence of the statues in a sacred space as a violation of the First Commandment.

• The Reaction: An Austrian activist eventually stole the statues from the Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina and threw them into the Tiber River.

   

• The Papal Response: Pope Francis apologized for the theft but clarified that the statues were used “without idolatrous intentions,” viewing them as symbols of life and fertility.