She goes, I was told, by many names: Lady Of Shadows. Holy Girl. Lady of the Night. The Skinny Lady. Santa Sebastiana. Frowned upon by the Church and the upper classes, worshiped secretly for centuries by the working classes, Santa Muerte has become the patron saint of the downtrodden.

Having closely monitored the development of Saint Death's burgeoning cult on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, I had expected a condemnation by the Vatican, although I am somewhat surprised that it came before any such statement made by U.S. bishops.

MEXICO CITY — The Vatican's culture minister says Mexico's folk Death Saint is a blasphemous symbol that shouldn't be part of any religion. Car...

The confluence of theological concerns, religious competition, new Latin American influence at the Vatican and media coverage have resulted in Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi's condemnation of the cult of Santa Muerte as the embodiment of Latin America's "culture of death."

Let's hope that as the cult of the controversial skeleton saint continues to grow on this side of the border, we uphold our own cherished tradition of religious freedom.

Having lived, studied and traveled in Mexico for almost 30 years, I can personally attest to the intimate and familiar nature of death in popular culture. Long before Saint Death's public outing 11 years ago today, images of death personified abounded.

Having studied the cult of Saint Death on both sides of the border for the past three years, I feel compelled to respond to this abominable act perpetrated in the name of the Bony Lady.

Te Americas, home to half the world's Catholics, are of utmost concern to the Vatican. The future of the global church lies here.

While tens of thousands of Mexicans have lost their lives in the ongoing drug war, millions more have become devoted to Saint Death.

Why shouldn't the feast of Guadalupe be included on the list of immigrant celebrations that add to the wonder and joy of Christmas in the United States?