anyways, the church and trad caths in general don’t have the right to ask apostates/pagans/witches to keep their hands off catholic imagery and practices.
catholicism has forced itself into being inherently connected to countless ethnic groups. examples like the irish and mexicanos come to mind. for many in these groups, dropping all aspects of catholicism means abandoning cultural practices along the way.
through imperialism, catholicism etched itself permanently into the identities of these groups. it literally becomes part of the package deal— ever heard of “irish catholic”? the blending of ethnicity and catholicism is even legally codified in some cases. día de los muertos is a mexicano holiday that’s made up of both aztec and catholic observances. in 2008, it was added to the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, making it an intangible cultural element of mexico.
the result of early catholic-ethnic syncretisms is about what you’d expect; indigenous practices mix with catholic teachings. as a result, religious imagery takes on a completely different meaning. this only intensifies as years pass. sometimes, these meanings can become completely secular in nature. they can be a source of ethnic history rather than religious faith. they can also be an inspiration for localized folk practices, witchcraft, or folk saint worship. either way, these interpretations have an absolute right to exist. not only that, they have centuries of history to defend their existence.
if the church can accept the validity of catholic ethnoreligious groups, it must accept all the implications that come with it. that means accepting that its rituals and figures are open to vast interpretations that will differ from traditional christianity.