(ZENIT News / Guatemala City, 01.16.2024).- The new president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León, and the new vice president, Karin Herrera, participated in the Te Deum (thanksgiving hymn) at the cathedral of the Guatemalan capital on Monday, January 15, 2024. During the ceremony, prayers were offered to God for the new authorities of the country.
Both the Te Deum and the subsequent Mass were presided over by the Archbishop of Guatemala, Monsignor Gonzalo de Villa y Vásquez, who, during the homily, urged the new leaders to serve and love their people.
Both President Arévalo de León and Vice President Herrera were accompanied by their families and other government officials. The Te Deum was celebrated a day after the formal «inauguration» due to political debates in the Chamber of Deputies that hindered the protocolary event. This led to the Te Deum coinciding with the feast of the Señor de Esquipulas, a celebration cherished by the Guatemalan people.
Bernardo Arévalo de León is the 52nd president in the history of Guatemala. Both he and Vice President Herrera are Catholics. Despite their left-leaning stance, they have expressed opposition to the legalization of abortion or equating gay unions to the institution of marriage.
