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enough, the Santa Muerte has become so strong that it has acquired a Catholic syncretism all of its own. The shrine that opened in 2001 is related to a group of Catholic traditionalists called the Iglesia Catolica Tradicional MX-USA, Misioneros del Sagrado Corazon y San Felipe de Jesus. These traditionalists registered themselves under Mexican law as a religious group that opposed the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The problem is that they have now lost that registration because they spent most of their time arguing not in favour of the Latin Mass, but propounding the Santa Muerte idea. That is not to say that the Mexican government has suddenly decided to become a theological arbiter; rather the group fell foul of Mexican bureaucracy. They registered themselves to do one thing and then started doing another. The pen pushers just hate it when that happens: it makes their files look even more untidy than usual.

Nevertheless, the traditionalists' presence has served to further publicise and promote the new religion. Its presence acts as a sort of half-way house for disaffected Catholics. They can plead favours from the Death Goddess, but at the same time, they do not have to make the full jump out of their Catholic faith.

Will this religion cross the Atlantic? It is hard to say with any certainty, but given that it now covers most of the Americas, it would be a foolish man who denied its possibilities in Europe. The very issues that led to its growth here are just as prevalent in the Old World: uncertainty about the future, unemployment, the failure of the established religions to answer people's questions.

Of course, the Santa Muerte will never be as strong in the United Kingdom as it is in Mexico, but that is not the point. The UK is home to any number of strange, New Age beliefs. It is quite likely that the Santa Muerte will take its place amongst them.

Learn more about this author, Kenneth Bell.
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