A reader from Australia wrote to me about an issue he believed was not being adequately addressed by Catholic clergy. Since the Second Vatican Council, bishops and priests have shown a tendency to a thoughtless “inculturation,” with the adoption of pagan customs that may seem “harmless” until one examines them more carefully.

It would seem that the Chinese Lunar New Year, which will take place on Tuesday, February 5, is celebrated in many Catholic churches throughout the world, despite its connection with Asian astrology. My correspondent’s parish priest, of Vietnamese background, avidly celebrates the Lunar New Year with a Mass and even refers to the particular animal symbol of the year (last year being “The year of the dog”) from the pulpit, thus giving tacit approval of the astrological significance of the practice. He places a statue of the particular animal into the precincts of the church. Is this not an insult to Jesus present in the tabernacle, only a short distance away?

The Australian gentleman made his displeasure known at a parish council meeting, but the parish priest was unmoved—he rationalizes the practice as simply “cultural” and believes that the astrological aspects are ignored by the congregation. We ought to be concerned, however, about solemnizing a pagan New Year with its animal symbol at a Mass. If there is even a chance that this is a sacrilegious act, or worse, that paying lip service to it may open a door to demons, it should be avoided altogether.