Guanajuato, Mexico, Nov 27, 2019 / 00:05 am
More than 10,000 lay Catholics in Mexico renewed their consecration to Christ the King at a special Mass and ceremony over the weekend.
The event was held at the foot of the Christ the King monument in Bicentennial Park, located in Silao, Guanajuato state. It was held on November 23, the eve of the Solemnity of Christ the King as part of the "Day of Laity" celebrations that also honored Blessed Anacleto González Flores, a martyr of the Cristero War, whom the bishops have chosen as the patron of the laity.
Archbishop Franco Coppola, apostolic nuncio in Mexico, presided over a Mass for the event, which was concelebrated by Archbishop Alfonso Cortés of León, Bishop Gerardo Díaz Vázquez, who serves as president of the president of FAJULAVI (Commission on Family, Young People, Adolescents and Life), and Bishop Víctor Alejandro Aguilar Ledesma, president of the bishops' ministry to the laity, as well as a large group of priests.
The event also included a concert, theatrical performance, testimonies, and various presentations.
Organizers explained that the consecration to Christ as King was particularly meaningful given the "terrible culture of death" facing the Mexican people, manifested through "a powerful threat to life, the family, fundamental freedoms, the death of so many innocent people at the hands of organized crime, and the ever-growing rate of abortions in our country."
"Along with all of that, we have also suffered the terrible pain of receiving the news of the death of our brother priests and desecrations and sacrileges in our churches, for which this very day we also make an act of reparation to Jesus in the Eucharist," they said.
Violence against priests has been denounced as a major problem in Mexico. Some two dozen priests have been killed in the country since 2012, according to reports.
Other Christ the King events were also held throughout Mexico, including in San Luis Potosí, Veracruz, Yucatán, and Mexico City.
This article was originally published by our sister agency, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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