«I will offer the biretta to the Santina, without forgetting Guadalupe, to pray for the reign of peace and fraternity, and the end of terrorism in Spain,» Cardinal Alvarez told the newspaper El Mundo.
«Santina» is the Virgin of Covadonga, patroness of Asturias, where the new cardinal was born 75 years ago. Before Mary´s apparitions to Juan Diego in Mexico, Guadalupe was already a shrine in Extremadura, the region from which many of the conquistadors and evangelizers left for the New World.
In recent days, some politicians and the media in Spain have assailed the Church for not having signed the Agreement on Liberties and Against Terrorism. The pact was concluded between the ruling Popular Party and the opposition Spanish Socialist Labor Party, the country´s two main parties.
In a statement, the executive committee of the Spanish bishops´ conference clarified Tuesday that it is not part of the Church´s mission to sign a political agreement, however praiseworthy the pact might be. Likewise, the bishops´ conference reiterated its condemnation of terrorism of the ETA group, which in recent months has unleashed a wave of tragic attacks in Spain.
