Reclusive Mexican Cult Leader / Defrocked Priest Dies

[Ian David]

Reclusive Mexican Cult Leader Dies

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ | Associated Press Writer
10:11 PM EST, February 20, 2008

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Nabor Cardenas, a defrocked Catholic priest known as "Papa Nabor" and founder of the New Jerusalem religious community, died Tuesday of renal and respiratory problems, Michoacan's state government said in a statement. Cardenas, 98, hadn't been seen in public since he fell ill in 2005.

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The struggle over his successor has raged on for several years. A man was shot dead inside the compound in 2005 and two others arrested in a dispute related to the struggle.

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Residents of the compound are forbidden from using many modern conveniences, and women, referred to as "nuns" or "courtesans," dress in robes and are not allowed to wear makeup. At one time, they were also prohibited from having children or attending school beyond the fifth grade.

Most members farm the surrounding hillsides and celebrate Mass in Latin, using old exorcism and baptism rituals long abandoned by the mainstream Catholic church.

More:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-mexico-cult-leader,0,7133606.story