Pope celebrates Guadalupe: a festival of hope and faith!

Pope celebrates Guadalupe: a festival of hope and faith!

Guadalupe, Mexiko - Vatican City/Vienna, December 13, 2024 - Pope Francis emphasized the central message of this highly revered figure of Mary at the festive day of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the Peterskirche. In an impressive ceremony with around 4,000 believers, the Pope emphasized the humiliation and modesty of the Mother of God, which in 1531 appeared to the Indio Juan Diego in Mexico. Francis explained that Maria wanted to bring the faith "into the somewhat unbelieving hearts of the church leaders". The Pope also warned of false interpretations that go beyond the original message and could be seen as an ideological attempt to make profit from the importance of guadalupe, such as Kap reported .

The commemoration day of these phenomena is considered one of the favorite festivals of Pope Francis, who himself comes from Latin America. In 2002 Juan Diego was canonized by Pope John Paul II, which underlines the importance of his role in Christianity. In his homiletical story, John Paul II recognized the key message of Guadalupe, which embodies the encounter between native culture and Christianity. "The Lord looks down from the sky, he sees at all people," and this vision reflects the commitment that connects the indigenous people with Christianity. In particular, he praised Juan Diego's role in shaping Mexico's spiritual identity, such as Vatican.va reported

The celebrations for the Guadalupe festival are now an important cultural element, not only in Mexico, but also all over the world, where Latin American migrant communities hold up this Tradition. In Vienna there was a service in the Votive Church, which celebrated the influence of Mexican culture in Diaspora and thus showed the inseparable connection between the Jungfrau Guadalupe and the identity of the believers who are gathered all over the world.