Louvain Studies 44 (2021): 55-69 doi: 10.2143/LS.44.1.3289241 © 2021 by Louvain Studies, all rights reserved A Vehicle for Mystical-Political Praxis? Discerning Popular Piety with Edward Schillebeeckx * Wilson Angelo Espiritu Abstract. — In his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis deems popular piety as a ‘locus theologicus’ that demands attention especially in the con- temporary Church’s mission of evangelization. However, it remains to be a rare topic in theological literature, especially on Catholic political theology. This essay aims to fill this gap as it advocates for a reconsideration of popular piety’s role not only in the realm of faith but also of politics. Employing the non-dualistic soteriology of the Flemish theologian Edward Schillebeeckx as a framework, it argues for an under- standing of popular piety as a vehicle for ‘mystical-political praxis’. This affirms its potential to interrelate the spheres of ‘the mystical’ and of ‘the political’ as intercon- nected dimensions of Christian life, which therefore cannot be taken apart from one another. When popular piety synthesizes prayer and political action, it becomes a sign and instrument of the saving activity of God in the world. To support this claim, this paper: (1) elucidates Schillebeeckx’s mystical-political model of soteriol- ogy; (2) discerns the mystical and the political facets of popular piety; and (3) proposes how these facets demonstrate popular piety’s role in instigating mystical- political praxis. This contribution then intends to strengthen the link between pop- ular piety and transformative political action which reaffirms the importance of cooperation of human (social) responsibility with God’s grace. 1. Introduction Filipino Jesuit Albert Alejo recounts an experience during his stint as direc- tor of the Archdiocese of Manila’s Labor Centre. He was on his way to a hunger strike by a group of teachers when he was caught in traffic near the Quiapo Church in Manila as the procession honoring the Black Naz- arene wound its way around the city. Seeing the sea of devotees, Alejo was stunned by the great energy they radiated, as they pushed and elbowed * This paper is a reworking of the author’s article: “Popular Piety as a Locus of Salvation: Towards a Mystical-Political Hermeneutic of Liberation,” Pamisulu: An Inter- disciplinary Journal of Theology and Philosophy 6, no. 1 (2018): 56-96.