The Guadalupe phenomenon marked a before and after in evangelization in Mexico and throughout the Americas.
Now, with eyes set on the Jubilee of 2031, which will mark 500 years since the apparitions, the Pontifical Commission for Latin America is confident that the legacy of Guadalupe will help reestablish social cohesion.
RODRIGO GUERRA LÓPEZ
Secretary, Pontifical Commission for Latin America
“Guadalupe, in the 16th century, was the fundamental factor, not only in terms of the faith, but sociologically speaking. Mary of Guadalupe helped reconcile two peoples in conflict with each other.”
Kneeling together before the same image, Indians and Spaniards became one people. And that model of reconciliation could prove effective once more.
RODRIGO GUERRA LÓPEZ
Secretary, Pontifical Commission for Latin America
“Mary of Guadalupe is not only a devotion for private life, but a blueprint to rebuild the social fabric and to promote a sincere Christian conversion that will allow us to prevent violence among our societies.”
The fact that it was Juan Diego, a layman with humble origins, who was chosen to carry the Virgin's message to the bishop, is more relevant than a 500-year-old message.
RODRIGO GUERRA LÓPEZ
Secretary, Pontifical Commission for Latin America
“The Guadalupe event reminds us that God tends to choose the least, the most vulnerable, those who feel weak and incapable. To show more clearly that it is God who acts, through those events, to transform the world.”
There are nine more years until the Jubilee, but Rodrigo Guerra López believes now is the moment to begin a journey that will help the entire Church in Latin America.
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