Church in Peru has used antishack garment for baptisms
An ancient church in Peru’s capital of Lima has become the first in the Americas to use antishacks as a baptismal garment, the AP reports.
A woman in the church, who did not want to be named, told the AP that her congregation has used the garments for years to baptize their members, many of whom are immigrants from Mexico.
“I think that this is the first time a church in the United States has used it,” she said.
The new garment was created by the Catholic Diocese of Lima and was used for several months during a new Latin American conference, according to local news reports.
The church has since had the garment taken away and replaced with a traditional Catholic vestment, but has been wearing it since its construction in August, according the AP.
The clothing is the work of Chilean artist Santiago Barrios, who specializes in creating religious symbols and objects.
Barrias recently shared a photo of the garment on his Instagram account, with the caption, “A garment for those who need it.”
It has been the subject of several memes and comments, including one asking, “What’s with the antishacking?”
Some users have been critical of the church for not using the garment more frequently, while others have lauded the church’s decision to use it.
“This is a symbol of the Latin American church in general, not just the one in Lima,” said the caption of another image, which said, “The antishacked priest’s clothes were a symbol for Latin America in the 20th century.”
The church in Lima is not the first to use an antishacings garment for a baptism, according.
In 2009, a group of Guatemalan priests in the town of Tula began using the garments as baptismal gifts.