Actually, I would say you are confusing several different incidents here. The lady who annointed the Holy Father may or may not have been Catholic, but she offered the Tika, which is the red powdery stuff that traditionally is offered by the adorers of Shiva. Whether or not she was Roman Catholic is beside the point, first of all, since when do laywomen anoint Popes, and since when is such a sacramental considered Christian?
I would like to make this point a separate thread because I have heard it batted around as fact for far too long.
The following extract is from James Akin's "The Nazareth Resource Library"
"Q: Someone in the schismatic group the Society of St. Pius X told me that when the Pope was in India he had his forehead anointed by a Hindu 'priestess of Shiva' and that there is a photo to prove it. Is this true?
"A: There is a photo of the pope having his forehead anointed by an Indian woman, but, she was a Catholic, not a Hindu priestess! She was giving a traditional Indian form of greeting known as 'Aarti,' which has no more religious significance than a handshake in western culture or giving someone a wreath of flowers as a welcome in Hawaii.
"A letter dated November 22, 1994 from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications explains the custom and its role in Indian society:
" 'Indian Catholics...use "Aarti" when a child returns home after receiving First Holy Communion, and when a newly married couple are received by their respective families. Nowadays, "Aarti" is often performed to greet the principal celebrant at a liturgical event, as it was on the occasion shown in the photograph. On such occasions, "Aarti" is usually offered by a Catholic married lady, and certainly not by a "priestess of Shiva" as has been alleged.'
"The letter, by Archbishop John P. Foley, president of the pontifical council, went on to note: 'Use of the "Aarti" ceremonial by Indian Catholics is no more the worship of a heathen deity than is the decoration of the Christmas tree by American Christians a return to the pagan rituals of Northern Europe.'
"Your schismatic friend in the Society of St Pius X should check his facts before spreading such malicious gossip about the Holy Father (cf. Acts 23:1-5). He was simply about to say Mass and received the traditional Indian form of greeting for the celebrant."
http://home.earthlink.net/~grossklas/the_pope_shiva_and_nudity.htmHis Holiness POPE JOHN PAUL II, a document was prepared by Piero Marini, Titular Bishop of Martirano, Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations. The document was dated 23 October, 1999. The following is a small extract:
"...The Votive Mass of Christ the Light of the World is being celebrated precisely because the whole of India celebrates the Festival of Lights on 7 November. It is a happy coincidence.
"The festival is so called because of the illuminations that form its main attraction. The month of Karttika (the lunar month coming between October and November is the twelfth of the year), the most favourable time and atmosphere in the whole cosmos for a great celebration encompassing God, neighbour and nature in harmony.
"This month marks the end of rains and the beginning of new life; people of all walks of life begin afresh. People have time to build up their divine and human relationship under the benign gaze of nature. In the backdrop of this holistic atmosphere the ancestors of India started the non-sectarian feast of lights to celebrate life and thank God for all his blessings and the righteousness of his dealings with human beings.
"The Christian relevance of this festival of lights may be conceived thus: Jesus, who is the light of the world (Jn 8:12), by his death-resurrection-ascension, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, transferred us from the grip and Kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light (1 Pt 2:9) and made us 'Children of the light'. Paul says: 'Live as children of the light' (Eph 5:8).
"The Gospel imperative is therefore: Let your light shine so that all people may glorify God. Jesus says: 'you are the light of the world' (Mt 5:14). Christians celebrate this feast to thank God for this wonderful gift.
"Adaptations for India:
"The Mass at the Stadium will have three Indian dances. Two will be at the entrance. The first will be a tribal dance leading the priests and bishops to the podium before the arrival of the Holy Father.
"The second will be a prayer dance leading the Cardinals after the arrival of the Pope into the Stadium.
"The third will be an offertory dance leading the persons with the offertory gifts to the altar.
"At the Doxology when the Holy Father takes the chalice and paten with the host, the Aarati, which is a sign of veneration, will be performed by a group of young ladies. The Aarati will consist of the following: Pushpa arati, waving a tray of flowers with deepak (light) in the center and the showering of flower petals; Dhupa Aarati-the homage of incense; Deepa Aarati-the homage of light, waving of camphor fire and the ringing of the bell..." (Emphasis added. F.J.L.) (3)
This, surely, is simply an adaption of the principle of inculturation. Several days ago we saw the secular celebration of St. Valentine's Day; it is interesting to see an example here of an earlier adaption of that principle: "Tomorrow - St. Valentine's Day - had its origins in a pagan festival that celebrated an ancient lust lottery, the gruesome death of a Christian bishop and the love life of birds.
"In ancient Rome, the day celebrated Juno, the 'ox-eyed' queen of heaven, goddess of women, marriage and strangely, war.
"Part of the pagan ritual, timed for the start of the European spring when birds began to mate, involved young girls writing their names on pieces of paper and placing them on a drum.
"Boys would draw the names of girls, who would become their lovers until the next annual draw.
"Christian leaders later altered the practice. The lottery system was kept but the girl's names were substituted with the names of saints.
"February 14 became associated with Valentine, a third century Roman pagan who converted to Christianity and may have become a bishop..." (4)
So! Just as what was good in paganism was used and adapted by the Church in the past, so too are Pope John Paul II and the Church endeavoring to adapt in the present time.