Wow 11 Million Pilgrims at Our Lady of Guadalupe Festival in Mexico Offer a Sign of Hope in Our Times!
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Eleven million pilgrims came to the Guadalupe Festival
Large crowd at pilgrimage a sign of gratitude and hope in a "sensitive time like never before in our history"
This year's Guadalupe Festival in Mexico City saw a massive number of believers. Eleven million people came to the world's largest Catholic pilgrimage festival between December 8 and 12, said the mayor of the Mexican capital, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, according to the "El Informador" portal on Monday.
Between Saturday and Sunday noon alone, five million would have entered the Guadalupe Basilica on Tepeyac Hill.
In the past two years, the festival had taken place with a significantly lower participation of the local believers due to the corona pandemic. The pilgrims had reached the capital on foot or by bus or van from all over the country. Many had brought statues, images, crosses and flags, some approached the basilica on their knees or crawling to show their devotion or thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary.
We spent the night in tents that were carried along, on the street or in the large square in the Guadalupe Shrine. Mayor Sheinbaum emphasized the "exemplary behavior" of the visitors, as a result of which there were no major incidents. Above all, the millions of believers wanted to express their gratitude with their pilgrimage - "for the miracles of which we know nothing, but which are cherished in every heart that comes to the slopes of Tepeyacs," said a statement from the Mexican Bishops' Conference.
The Guadalupe Festival was described as a sign of hope at a "sensitive time like never before in our history". Mexico is "on the brink of chaos," the bishops wrote. In particular, they referred to the ongoing wave of violence in the country, in the course of which there were many "disappeared" and victims of human trafficking, including among priests and religious. Impunity and corruption in the judicial system are also to blame, as well as the deepening of existing rifts in society in a political and social sense.
"Celebrating Mary of Guadalupe means there is light at the end of the tunnel," the bishops said. The Virgin Mary, who appeared 491 years ago in the form of a mestizo, is a "symbol of freedom and reconciliation", her festival a "symbol of the urgently needed unity". As "Christians and Guadalupanos", the Mexicans are called upon to examine how they themselves can contribute to improving society. The bishops emphasized that everyone's commitment to peace was necessary.
Large crowd at pilgrimage a sign of gratitude and hope in a "sensitive time like never before in our history"
This year's Guadalupe Festival in Mexico City saw a massive number of believers. Eleven million people came to the world's largest Catholic pilgrimage festival between December 8 and 12, said the mayor of the Mexican capital, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, according to the "El Informador" portal on Monday.
Between Saturday and Sunday noon alone, five million would have entered the Guadalupe Basilica on Tepeyac Hill.
In the past two years, the festival had taken place with a significantly lower participation of the local believers due to the corona pandemic. The pilgrims had reached the capital on foot or by bus or van from all over the country. Many had brought statues, images, crosses and flags, some approached the basilica on their knees or crawling to show their devotion or thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary.
We spent the night in tents that were carried along, on the street or in the large square in the Guadalupe Shrine. Mayor Sheinbaum emphasized the "exemplary behavior" of the visitors, as a result of which there were no major incidents. Above all, the millions of believers wanted to express their gratitude with their pilgrimage - "for the miracles of which we know nothing, but which are cherished in every heart that comes to the slopes of Tepeyacs," said a statement from the Mexican Bishops' Conference.
The Guadalupe Festival was described as a sign of hope at a "sensitive time like never before in our history". Mexico is "on the brink of chaos," the bishops wrote. In particular, they referred to the ongoing wave of violence in the country, in the course of which there were many "disappeared" and victims of human trafficking, including among priests and religious. Impunity and corruption in the judicial system are also to blame, as well as the deepening of existing rifts in society in a political and social sense.
"Celebrating Mary of Guadalupe means there is light at the end of the tunnel," the bishops said. The Virgin Mary, who appeared 491 years ago in the form of a mestizo, is a "symbol of freedom and reconciliation", her festival a "symbol of the urgently needed unity". As "Christians and Guadalupanos", the Mexicans are called upon to examine how they themselves can contribute to improving society. The bishops emphasized that everyone's commitment to peace was necessary.
Sources: Image Screenshot Facebook - Catholic Bishops' Conference of Mexico - El Informador - Kath.net
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