Pope Francis and the Coca Leaf Saga
July 10, 2015
In the end, Pope Francis didn’t chew.
When he arrived in Bolivia, one of the things people were most curious about was whether he would chew on coca leaves, which are sacred to the indigenous population but face legal strictures around the world because they form the raw materials of cocaine. Many people in high altitudes of Bolivia chew the leaves as a cultural tradition, and they are a mild stimulant.
The Vatican did confirm that the pope drank a blended tea that contained some coca leaf tea on the plane coming into La Paz. When Pope John Paul II came to Bolivia in 1988, he also drank coca leaf tea.
At a welcoming ceremony, President Evo Morales of Bolivia gave him a chuspas, a bag that traditionally holds coca leaves in it.
The idea that the pope might chew was initially spun out by a minister in the Bolivian government, not by the Vatican. Francis did, however, often praise indigenous culture and meet with indigenous leaders and even wore vestments made by local people during certain ceremonies.
= New York Times