Cardinal Paolo Romeo served in the diplomatic service of the Holy See for nearly four decades before being appointed archbishop of Palermo, Sicily.
Pope Leo XIV sent a message of condolence Monday on the death of Cardinal Paolo Romeo, archbishop emeritus of Palermo, who died Oct. 25 in Catania, Sicily, at the age of 88.
The pontiff said the cardinal "served the Gospel and the Church generously," and recalled "with gratitude his dedicated ministry, first as a priest of the Diocese of Acireale, then in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, especially as pontifical representative in Haiti, Colombia, Canada, Italy, and the Republic of San Marino, and finally as the devoted archbishop of Palermo."
Romeo was born in Acireale, Sicily, on Feb. 20, 1938. After studying theology and canon law in Rome, he was ordained a priest in Acireale on March 18, 1961.
He later attended the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, entering the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1967 and working in the pontifical representations in the Philippines, Belgium and Luxembourg, to the European Communities, Venezuela, Rwanda, and Burundi.
In 1976, he was transferred to the Secretariat of State, where he was responsible for Latin America and the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM).
On Dec. 17, 1983, he was elected titular archbishop of Vulturia by St. Pope John Paul II and appointed apostolic nuncio to Haiti.
In 1990, he was transferred to the Apostolic Nunciature in Colombia, and in 1999 he was appointed head of the nunciature in Canada.
On April 17, 2001, he was appointed apostolic nuncio to Italy and the Republic of San Marino.
On Dec. 19, 2006, Benedict XVI appointed him metropolitan archbishop of Palermo. The same pope created him a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church in the consistory of Nov. 20, 2010, assigning him the titular church of Santa Maria Odigitria dei Siciliani.
In 2013, he participated in the conclave that elected Pope Francis.
Between 2013 and 2015, he also served as apostolic administrator sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi in Sicily.
On Oct. 27, 2015, he became archbishop emeritus of Palermo upon reaching the age limit for retirement.
The Diocese of Acireale announced that the cardinal's mortal remains will lie in state beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, in the cathedral basilica, where a prayer vigil will be held at 8 p.m. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the Acireale Cathedral.
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, EWTN News' Italian-language sister service. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
The bishops oppose a policy that "does not build but destroys," Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda said, as historian Piotr Franaszek takes the helm of the Church's abuse commission.
Poland's Catholic bishops on Oct. 24 spoke out against two bills that would ease the country's abortion law and named a historian to lead their long-planned commission on the sexual abuse of minors in the Church.
The decisions came at the close of the bishops' 406th plenary assembly in Zakopanel.
In their final communiqué, the bishops said the bills passed by the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, weaken the legal protection of unborn children. Even if the bills fail later, "the mere fact of processing them fosters the shaping of social acceptance of abortion as a morally neutral solution," they wrote. The bishops also urged lasting help for women in difficult circumstances.
The Sejm passed both bills on Oct. 20. The first, a penal code amendment approved 217-213, would remove the offense of helping or persuading a woman to have an abortion outside the law. It would also shield medical staff from prosecution for abortions performed to protect a woman's life or health or in cases of severe fetal impairment.
The second bill, approved 233-203, would restore abortion up to viability when tests show a high likelihood of severe and irreversible fetal impairment or an incurable life-threatening illness. It would make abortion free in the public health system and require it within 72 hours of consent.
Since a 2020 Constitutional Tribunal ruling, abortion in Poland has been legal only when the pregnancy threatens the woman's life or health or results from a crime.
The bills went to the Senate on Oct. 21, but no vote date has been set. President Karol Nawrocki said in January 2025, before his election, that he would not sign a law restoring the rules in place before the 2020 ruling.
"The bishops express their opposition to such a policy, which does not build but destroys," Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdansk, the conference president, told a press conference.
Abuse commission
The bishops also approved a revised statute for the Commission of Independent Experts to Study the Sexual Abuse of Minors in the Catholic Church in Poland and chose Piotr Franaszek, a historian at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, as its chairman.
The commission, established in March after three years of preparation, is to study abuse since 1945. It cannot begin work until it gains legal status, which requires approval from the Interior Ministry. The revised statute answers the ministry's comments and will be resubmitted; it will be published only after government review.
"We are at the very beginning, but we have an appointed commission, a statute and a chairman," Franaszek told reporters.
The pontiff held a private audience on Monday with the Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne-Antide Thouret.
Pope Leo XIV emphasized the need for charity to heal societal divisions and uphold human dignity.
The pontiff held a private audience on Monday with the Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne-Antide Thouret, an international community of nuns founded after the French Revolution. The community, dedicated to serving the poor, is also marking the 200th anniversary of Thouret's death this year.
In his address, Leo praised Thouret for establishing the community and encouraged others to continue her legacy of charity to promote human dignity.
"In this regard, I would like to emphasize another important aspect of the charismatic legacy left to you by your saintly Foundress: to pay attention to the integral good, spiritual and temporal, of one's neighbor," Leo said.
Pope Leo XIV greets a member of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Jeanne-Antide Thouret after his private audience with the community at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on Oct. 26, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media
"I mention this because, in a society such as ours, which tends to fragment the person, dividing people not only from one another but also, and more gravely, within themselves, this dimension of charity is fundamental for the restoration, promotion and authentic respect for the dignity of every person, especially the poorest and most in need. Treasure it, nurture it and spread it," the pope added.
Leo also reflected on the theme the sisters chose for their general chapter, "In Christ, the roots; in the world, the mission," and encouraged them, like Thouret, to put Christ at the center of their charitable work.
"To be rooted in Christ means, in fact, following the example of Saint Jeanne Antide, to place Him alone at the center of one's existence and thoughts, growing accustomed to sensing and celebrating His presence at every moment, confident that, united to Him, we will grow ever closer to one another and be better able to help others according to His plans," Leo said.
Sometimes referred to in France as the "sisters of the soup kitchen," the Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne-Antide Thouret were approved by Pope Pius VII in 1819. Following nationalist pressure in France, the order split into branches in France and Italy before reuniting in 1954, and now operates in over 25 countries worldwide.
Apostolic almoner Archbishop Luis Marín will travel to Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Fastiv, Ukraine from Oct. 27-30.
The Vatican will step up its support for Ukraine ahead of the coming winter with a new humanitarian mission led by the prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín.
"A very harsh winter is expected, and as Christians, as the Church, we cannot remain indifferent or passive. My journey is a mission of solidarity and closeness, a witness of love," the archbishop confirmed to EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.
Archbishop Marín will travel to Ukraine from Oct. 27-30 on a visit "coordinated through the Apostolic Nunciature," during which he will visit Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Fastiv.
The itinerary includes meetings with Latin-rite and Greek Catholic communities as part of the Holy See's efforts to accompany a population that has been deeply affected by a war that will mark its fifth year in February.
"I want to understand firsthand the needs of the population and, above all, make present the concern and closeness of Pope Leo XIV. Ukraine is in our hearts, and through the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, in the name of the Holy Father, we seek to respond with concrete assistance," he said.
The mission coincides with a collection drive organized among Vatican employees in collaboration with the Governorate of Vatican City State.
"The response has been magnificent. We have collected, above all, warm clothing, canned food, blankets, sheets, sleeping bags, and other garments," Archbishop Marín explained.
Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for the Service of Charity. | Credit: Courtesy of Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín.
The supplies will be transported to Ukraine by road through the international TIR transit system and then distributed through local Church structures. Rome's Holy Wisdom (Santa Sofia) Parish, the reference point for the Ukrainian Catholic community in Rome, has once again served as the operational hub where aid from various locations has been gathered before being sent to Ukraine.
The initiative is part of the broad network of assistance promoted by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity since the beginning of the war. In recent years, the Holy See has organized convoys carrying medicines, financial assistance for vulnerable families, and various relief projects, channeled through the apostolic nunciature and the local Churches.
Once in Ukraine, the aid will be distributed by the Church's charitable structures in Kyiv.
"This aid collection effort has made us face our personal responsibility and has enabled a concrete response to the suffering of the Ukrainian people. I thank the Governorate of Vatican City for its cooperation, the employees of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity for their commitment in collecting and sorting the materials, and all the donors for their generous response," Marín said, also asking people not to cease praying that the Lord may grant the gift of peace.
Intense diplomatic activity by the Holy See
The visit of the prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity also comes at a time of intense diplomatic and humanitarian activity by the Holy See regarding the war in Ukraine.
From Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where he was recovering after surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his right lung, the pope called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Oct. 16 to ask for "a ceasefire to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid."
According to the Vatican, the pontiff referred in particular to the "extremely grave situation" in Oleshky, a besieged city where approximately 2,000 civilians remain, surviving without access to drinking water or electricity.
Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, president of the Italian bishops' conference, had also traveled to the city on a humanitarian mission.
The following Monday, back at the Vatican, the pope spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and expressly asked him to cooperate with Moscow in order to achieve a humanitarian truce in the city.
The pontiff's diplomatic efforts bore fruit. As announced by Melania Trump, wife of U.S. President Donald Trump, the ceasefire intended to facilitate the rescue of civilians trapped in Oleshky will begin on Oct. 27, according to Moscow.
Captured by Russian forces at the start of the war, the city has suffered for months from severe shortages of food and medical supplies. In order to leave the city, many residents have had to travel for miles along partially mined roads.
Against this backdrop, on Oct. 23 Pope Leo XIV received Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of Kyiv-Halych and leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, in a private audience.
Pope Leo XIV meets with Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of Kyiv-Galicia and primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, at the Vatican on Oct. 23, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media
During the meeting, according to Vatican News, the primate thanked the pontiff for the Holy See's constant support for his country and requested the mobilization of the international Catholic community in view of what is expected to be an especially difficult winter for millions of people affected by the war.
In addition, during the meeting Shevchuk presented the pope with lists of Ukrainian prisoners of war so that the Holy See could pass them on to the Russian authorities in an effort to facilitate a prisoner exchange.
U.S. bishops said AI could expand surveillance and persecution of religious groups and urged that human dignity remain central to protecting religious freedom.
Marking International Religious Freedom Day on Oct. 27, two U.S. bishops said rapid advances in artificial intelligence underscore the need to keep human dignity at the center of efforts to protect religious freedom.
Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, bishop of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, and Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, said in a joint statement that "millions of people continue to suffer violations of the basic human right to religious freedom, and rapidly developing technological tools, such as artificial intelligence, have the potential to expand such abuses, increasing the scope of surveillance and persecution of religious groups."
"In this era of technological change, all of society—including the private sector—is called to work together to ensure that technological tools are not used to facilitate new and intensified forms of religious discrimination," the statement said.
Zaidan chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace, and Sample chairs the Committee for Religious Liberty.
The bishops noted Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitassaid the"right to religious freedom is rooted in human dignity, providing 'decisive criteria' for protecting individuals and societies. As brother bishops, we affirm that, in the age of AI, human dignity remains at the heart of defending religious freedom."
Zaidan and Sample pointed to the bishops' conference's collaboration with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom as an example of how government and faith leaders can work together to address religious freedom violations worldwide.
"This partnership is a testament to the power of joint efforts by government and faith leaders to protect this most cherished right," the bishops said.
"In this 250th year commemorating American independence, may the Sacred Heart of Jesus, burning with love for all of humanity, make us beacons of hope for our brothers and sisters through the world by defending religious freedom in the digital age," the bishops said.
On the advice of his doctors, the pontiff's participation during the final day of the Oct. 25-27 gathering was canceled.
Pope Leo XIV will not attend the prayer meeting in Assisi on Tuesday on the advice of his doctors following his surgery earlier this month, according to the Holy See Press Office. It would have been the pontiff's second visit to Assisi this year, following his August visit for the GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting.
Instead, the prayer meeting will feature a special message of peace from the pope as well as remarks from Patriarch Bartholomew I, ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople. The patriarch and other world religious leaders will gather to pray for peace in the Lower Basilica in Assisi on Tuesday.
According to Vatican News, the interreligious meeting will mark 40 years after St. John Paul II invited world religious leaders to the birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi for a historic Day of Prayer for Peace.
For Leo, the milestone anniversary is far more than a historical commemoration; it serves as a vital blueprint for addressing today's fractured world. Emphasizing what he calls a "disarmed and disarming peace," the pope consistently insists that true security cannot be built on military force or political maneuvering alone. Drawing on the Franciscan legacy of nonviolence and care for creation, he urges faith leaders across the globe to disarm their hearts and harness prayer as a transformative force for international reconciliation.
Interreligious center
A central pillar of Pope Leo XIV's vision for interreligious dialogue is turning symbolic encounters into lasting structural realities. This commitment was realized in Assisi with the official opening of the Global House of Friendship and Hope in August, when the pontiff met with Rabbi Alon Gotten Gottestein.
Conceived as a permanent interreligious center in the heart of the city, the House translates 40 years of periodic gatherings into an active, daily practice. Designed to serve as a living sanctuary, it provides a dedicated space where believers of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and other traditions can gather under one roof. The House, which enjoyed backing from Pope Francis and Pope Leo, features cross-cultural forums, peace education programs, and spaces for quiet reflection, ensuring that dialogue between traditions remains a continuous, structured pursuit rather than an occasional event.
In his addresses, the pontiff frequently stresses that genuine dialogue does not mean diluting theological identities, but rather uniting on common moral ground to tackle shared human crises — including poverty, war, and ecological degradation.
By anchoring his pontificate in these efforts, Pope Leo XIV has revitalized the legacy begun in 1986. Supported by his active leadership and embodied by the new Global House of Friendship and Hope, Assisi reaffirms its standing as a world capital of peace, offering a clear message that building a reconciled world is a shared journey faith leaders must walk together.
Archbishop Jeffrey Grob said his "intention was never to cause confusion, anger, or disappointment among the people entrusted to my care" and that the meeting was publicized without consent.
Grob said that over the last few days, he had "received many questions and comments about the October 22 meeting I and 11 other bishops attended at the White House, which was soon thereafter publicized by the administration without the consent of the participants."
He went on to say that his "intention was never to cause confusion, anger, or disappointment among the people entrusted to my care" and that he issued the Oct. 25 statement to provide context for the meeting.
The meeting "was in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies, or his party," Grob said.
Last month, Grob explained, he was invited along with other bishops to a meeting to discuss "matters of importance to the Church and our people, including immigration enforcement, religious worker visas, and human dignity." The meeting was the second of two such gatherings organized by the Heritage Foundation, he said.
"We were told the meeting was to be a private discussion, that several Catholic members of the cabinet might make an appearance, and that there could be an opportunity to pray privately with the president," he continued.
After about an hour and a half of meeting on Oct. 22 with White House staff and policy advisers, the archbishop said, the group entered the Oval Office, where they were greeted by President Donald Trump. After being presented with commemorative tokens, Grob said, the group was directed to stand behind the president to pray, and photos were taken afterward.
"Unbeknownst to the group of bishops a video was also taken. But permission for the public distribution or posting of either the video or photos was not given by the bishops," Grob said in his statement. Not long after, photos and the video of the prayer were posted online.
"I soon began receiving messages of serious concern over the possibility that I had inadvertently participated in a political event less than two weeks before a national election," Grob said. "I also heard from some who felt wounded because of the ways they or their family had been harmed by the president's policies."
"I feel a heavy sadness, not only over the pain I caused, but also for the fact that something so sacred to a group of religious leaders, prayer to our Heavenly Father, would be manipulated in that way," he continued. "We came in good faith to try to work for the betterment of our fellow human beings, to ease their suffering, to build up the common good, and to pray with a president, not to pose for a political photo opportunity to benefit the few. We should never have been put in that position by the White House."
Grob concluded his statement by saying that he did not go to the meeting "without reservations" and that he wished he "had heeded them."
"I apologize for any damage my actions have done," he said.
Grob's statement comes after another participant at the Oct. 22 meeting, Denver Archbishop James Golka, who led the prayer in the Oval Office, defended his participation in the event.
Golka said he "knew people might be upset" at the event and that it could be "use[d] for political purposes."
"But as I prayed about it, I thought that this is what Catholics do. We pray for people. No matter whether we agree or disagree on anything, we always pray for our country and leaders," he said in remarks to the Denver Catholic on Oct. 23.
Golka, like Grob, also denied that the meeting was in any way an endorsement of the president or his policies.
"The bishops of the United States teach that the Church cannot champion any candidate or party," Golka said. "I hold to that. However you vote, you ultimately belong to Jesus who loves you infinitely more than you can imagine."
Alliance Defending Freedom has urged Egyptian authorities to free six young Christians after they posted a TikTok video that authorities considered offensive to Islam.
CAIRO — Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has urged Egyptian authorities to free six young Christians detained for more than two weeks after posting a TikTok video that authorities considered offensive to Islam.
In an Oct. 22 report, the legal advocacy organization said the six, who range in age from 17 to 23, were detained and questioned on charges of "exploiting" and "insulting" the religion of Islam.
"We urge the authorities to release these six young men and drop any investigations against them immediately," said Kelsey Zorzi, ADF's senior counsel and vice president of international advocacy.
The video posted on Oct. 4 featured audio from a popular Egyptian comedy film depicting prisoners unfamiliar with Quranic prayers. According to ADF, the six reenacted the scene.
"These young men did nothing but share a lighthearted video with a voiceover from a popular and uncontroversial film, as many others on the platform have done. There is no reason to charge or imprison them," Zorzi said.
ADF said the post attracted comments inciting violence against the young men and their families, and that some villagers reported them to the authorities.
On Oct. 6, the six were handed over to police for questioning, with the understanding that they would be released once tensions in their village had calmed, according to the organization. They remained in detention as of the Oct. 22 report.
Zorzi described their detention as part of a wider pattern of discrimination against Christians in Egypt.
"This is tragically common in Egypt, where Christians face threats, discrimination, and ultimately imprisonment for speech that is only seen as problematic because they are not part of the majority religion," she said.
ADF estimated that Christians constitute 10% to 15% of Egypt's population. The organization said they continue to face discrimination, violence, and imprisonment despite constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.
It said the continued use of blasphemy and related "insult" laws has perpetuated the persecution of Coptic Christians.
According to ADF, scores of members of religious minorities have been prosecuted and imprisoned over the past year for social media posts deemed blasphemous amid a wider crackdown on online content considered offensive to Islam.
The organization cited Augustinos Samaan, a YouTuber who, it said, was sentenced to five years of hard labor for teaching the Christian faith on his channel.
It also highlighted the case of Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo, a Christian father of five, imprisoned on blasphemy charges after sharing his beliefs in a Christian Facebook group. ADF said he was subsequently released with its support and had relocated safely to another country.
"Christian persecution has been a persistent problem in Egypt for many years. We have seen countless cases of individuals who are targeted and punished for nothing more than expressing their beliefs. Egypt must take action to address this crisis and protect freedom of speech and religious freedom for all," Zorzi said.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
During his Sunday Angelus, the pope reflected on the greatest commandment and called for peace in Yemen and Jordan.
Beginning with the question posed in Sunday's Gospel, "Which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Pope Leo XIV focused his reflection before the Angelus on the theme of love.
The faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square awaited the words of hope from the vicar of Christ, their pope.
At the heart of love, Leo XIV placed our relationship with God, emphasizing that this is where the true meaning of love is found.
"Indeed, it is not enough to know that God exists, that he is the only God, or that he is the Almighty. The Lord seeks a personal relationship with us: The one true God wants to become our God," the pope said.
"In our encounter with him, the commandment of love is neither an obligation nor an imposition."
He then turned to the meaning of authentic love, explaining that "our love can be authentic only when it is a response to his love, which always precedes us. From this arises the need for a total commitment that involves the whole person: heart, soul, and mind."
Heart, soul, and mind must all be engaged in our relationship with God so that we become capable of looking at ourselves "and our neighbors through the eyes of Christ, from his perspective. In this way, selfishness is overcome and even love for oneself becomes charity: Our existence turns toward the other and becomes a gift for those around us."
Toward the end of his reflection, the pope quoted St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, who wrote: "Love alone" makes "the Church's members act, and if Love ever became extinct, apostles would not preach the Gospel."
The theme, in this case, concerns the Church itself. Without love, the pope stressed, "our faith would be deprived of its essence, our good works would be reduced to mere moralism, and our hope would be in vain."
He added: "Dear friends, we cannot truly love God unless this love overflows into love for our brothers and sisters. And we cannot truly love our neighbor except as children of the same Father who loved us first in his Son, Jesus."
Following the Marian prayer, Leo XIV turned his attention to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
"I am following with concern the grave humanitarian situation in Yemen, particularly in the city of Taiz, where the population is suffering from a lack of food, water, and medical care," he said.
"I make a heartfelt appeal for hostilities to cease and for the Yemeni people and all the peoples of the region to be guaranteed the right to live in peace."
The pope also remembered the victims of a terrorist attack against Orthodox Christians in Jordan.
"My prayers go out to all those who were injured or lost their lives last Friday in the terrorist attack on worshippers at the Orthodox Church of St. George in Hamoud, Jordan. I express my closeness to the community and the entire country, which is known for its peaceful coexistence and respect between different religions."
Finally, Leo XIV urged the faithful to continue praying for peace and recalled the gathering scheduled for Oct. 27 in Assisi, Italy.
The pope had originally been expected to travel to the city of St. Francis, but following his recent surgery, he was advised to avoid traveling for the time being.
"Let us continue to pray together for peace," he said.
"The day after tomorrow, on 27 October, let us join in spirit with the heads of churches and religious leaders who will gather in Assisi to mark the 40th anniversary of the meeting convened by St. John Paul II. Never before has it been so clear that wars, as well as sowing death and destruction, impoverish and harm the world. May the Lord inspire choices of dialogue and peace!"
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
The conference brought together dozens of diocesan directors and leaders of Hispanic and Latino ministry from various parts of the United States. Conference speakers included Bishop Óscar Cantú of San José, California; Bishop Mario Alberto Avilés, CO, of Corpus Christi, Texas; and Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, MSpS, auxiliary bishop of Seattle.
Monsignor Eduardo Chávez of the Archdiocese of Mexico City, considered the foremost expert on the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, spoke to the gathering on "The Truth of Guadalupe," which is also the title of his book on the subject.
"It has been a moment of such joy and spirituality, of such devotion and emotion, to go on discovering who Holy Mary of Guadalupe and her humble messenger, St. Juan Diego, are during this encounter," Chávez told EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.
"The Virgin of Guadalupe, through St. Juan Diego, helps us open our hearts to the presence of Christ the King, the love of God, which our people need so much," emphasized Chávez, who also served as the postulator for the canonization cause of St. Juan Diego, the visionary of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The meeting with the leaders of U.S. Hispanic pastoral ministry, he noted, "has been the best way to prepare ourselves for the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Holy Mary of Guadalupe, which help us prepare for the Jubilee of the Redemption in 2033."
"There are not enough words to thank God and His Most Holy Mother, our Mother, Holy Mary of Guadalupe," he said.
Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to the Indigenous man St. Juan Diego at the foot of Tepeyac Hill, north of Mexico City, Dec. 9–12, 1531. There she asked him to intercede with the then-bishop of Mexico, Friar Juan de Zumárraga, so that a "sacred little house" might be built in her honor.
As proof of the authenticity of the apparitions, the Virgin asked Juan Diego to gather some roses that had bloomed on Tepeyac and place them in his tilma (a type of cloak or cape). When he unfolded the cloth before the bishop, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was found to be miraculously imprinted upon it.
To this day, nearly 500 years later, the tilma of St. Juan Diego is preserved in the Guadalupe Basilica at the foot of Tepeyac.
Our Lady of Guadalupe 'leads us to Jesus'
Chávez emphasized that the Virgin "leads us to Jesus" and that, as one examines the event of Guadalupe, "there are no longer any walls or divisions — not only physical ones, but also those related to language, culture, or traditions — because she makes us brothers and sisters to one another, something that all our peoples need so much."
Our Lady of Guadalupe, he recalled, "is the mother of humanity. She said as much to Juan Diego: 'I am your mother, the mother of all those who dwell in this land, and of all the various ancestries and nations; the mother of those who love me, who seek me, who cry out to me, and who place their trust in me.'"
Chávez was recently appointed by Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes as the representative of the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico for the preparation and celebrations of the fifth centenary of the apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
