THE CHURCH OF THE EAGLE AND THE CONDOR REACHES A SETTLEMENT WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES AFFIRMING THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT TO USE AYAHUASCA
[Phoenix, Arizona] - The Church of the Eagle and the Condor (CEC) is pleased to announce that it has reached a settlement to secure its religious freedom and the right to use Ayahuasca as its sacrament. The CEC has settled its lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
CEC is the first non-Christian church to receive protection for its spiritual practices regarding Ayahuasca. Also, this is the first time in history a church’s right to import and share its sacrament has been secured without going to trial. This has positive implications and paves the way for other Indigenous-based and syncretic religions. As part of the settlement, within their rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the CEC will receive religious exemption from the United States Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This settlement affirms legitimacy of Indigenous spiritual traditions within the U.S. legal system by recognizing the CEC as a bona fide religious organization.
As part of the settlement agreement, the CEC has received Schedule 1 Permits allowing for importation and preparation of its sacrament, as well as distribution during sacred Ayahuasca ceremony. The agreement affirms the CEC’s practices and efforts to protect public/participant safety, and addresses the government’s concerns about the diversion of Ayahuasca. This includes requiring health screening and intake procedures, secure storage of Ayahuasca, careful recordkeeping regarding importation, storage, and distribution, and notification of ports of entry.
The named CEC Plaintiffs, community, Board of Directors, and legal team are pleased with the outcome. Read the full settlement here.
”Ayahuasca ceremony is an essential sacrament for our church. Our ceremony is rooted in the Shipibo Amazonian tradition which has been passed down by countless generations. Now, in fulfillment of the ancient Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor, this tradition has come to North America. I am honored to be an Ayahuasquero with the CEC, and bring to our ceremony the care, respect, and reverence that it deserves. We are grateful for the support of everyone that has helped us get this far, including our legal team, our community, those that donated to our legal process, those that prayed for us, and those that stood by us. Our ancestral practice will continue to support the community and nourish our holistic well-being.”– Joseph Tafur MD, Ayahuasquero for CEC
“This settlement reaffirms our right to practice our spirituality as we have always known. It is a recognition by the U.S. government and an important milestone in honoring and validating Indigenous belief systems. Prior to contact, Indigenous peoples have used sacred plant medicines for healing and ceremony since time immemorial. Our relationship with our plant relatives has always been an extension of our worldview. This has been interrupted by the imposition of governmental policies that have suppressed our way of life and demonstrated religious intolerance. This settlement is a significant step and acknowledgement of our spiritual beliefs as original peoples of the Americas. We are grateful for the support of our donors, legal team, community, and Grandmother Ayahuasca. The Church is committed to our mission of spiritual unity of all people with the Creator.” - Belinda P. Eriacho, Board Member (Diné/A:shwii lineages)
“The CEC was founded on the Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor as we saw the prophecy manifesting in our own lives. The legal decision is another page in the telling of this story.” - Rodney Garcia MD, Board Member (Pachakuti Mesa Medicine Carrier)
“The CEC’s beliefs, shaped by their vision of a universal spirituality and rooted in Indigenous ways, are entitled to respect by the government. The resolution of this case represents the government’s recognition of this community’s right to exercise their religious beliefs without interference. Their success is a watershed moment in the United States. Indigenous ways are returning to a place of honor, respect, and care in American culture–a culture made more beautiful because of Indigenous ritual, art, and cosmology in which all of creation is family. It has been an honor to serve as counsel for the CEC and to help support their leaders and members achieve exactly the results they sought, and I am deeply grateful to the CEC for their teachings through this process.” – Martha Hartney, CEC General Counsel
About the Church of the Eagle and the Condor
The CEC is a registered church in the state of Arizona birthed in 2018. The purpose of the Church is to promote unity of all people with the Creator.
The Church’s belief system incorporates time-honored ways of life in the Americas, as decreed by the ancient and widespread prophecy known as the “Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor.” In fulfillment of the prophecy, all peoples from North and South America weave together their spiritual traditions and beliefs to manifest a future of unity and peace.
Contacts: Gilbert Paul Carrasco, CEC Legal Counsel and Legal Team Media Contact Phone Number: (503) 990-4879 Email: carrasco@willamette.edu
The Church of the Eagle and the Condor Email: ceaglecondor@gmail.com
Our most recent public update on our legal case was on August 30 via an online event with several members of the CEC leadership team and legal counsel. A replay is available here: Chacruna.net
Interview with Martha Hartney, Managing Attorney for CEC, and Joe Tafur MD, CEC Board Member and Ayahuasquero. Stuart Preston interviews Martha and Joe to learn more about their church's initiative and crowdfund as their spiritual community seeks to understand what happened when Customs and Border Patrol seized their sacramental Ayahuasca last year, and to learn more about other shipments of Ayahuasca that were seized in 2020, and how in dealing with the authorities, the Church of Eagle and the Condor can navigate a path toward protecting their religious right to utilize Ayahuasca in sacred ceremony.