AP
By September 17, 2015
The
first pope from the Americas will canonize a Spanish friar who brought
the Catholic faith to California in front of the largest Catholic church
in North America.
There
will be plenty of symbolism in Pope Francis' visit to Washington next
week, and the city's archbishop said Thursday that while the pope will
be speaking as a pastor,
not a politician, he could address an issue that bitterly divides the
nation's leaders: immigration.
"I
think the message of the Holy Father is going to be the message he's
been giving now for a long time: There has to be a way to welcome people
who are so desperately
trying to share what we already have," said Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the
archbishop of Washington. "I suspect the Holy Father will highlight that
in some way."
Pope
Francis will celebrate the Mass of canonization for Junipero Serra in
Spanish, and several thousand of the 25,000 tickets to the event will be
reserved for Spanish-speaking
people, many of them from California, Wuerl said.
Serra
established the first Catholic missions in California in the 18th
Century; he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1988. Some California
Native Americans oppose
Serra's canonization, calling him a destroyer of indigenous culture.
The Mass will provide an opportunity to highlight the contributions of Hispanics to the nation and the church, Wuerl said.
"Historically,
and we're talking now over a long period of time but certainly in the
recent history, the strongest and most consistent voice for the
welcoming of immigrants,
for the welcoming of the stranger into our land, has been the Catholic
church," he said.
Next
Wednesday's Mass will be celebrated in a temporary sanctuary that's
being built on the east portico of the Basilica of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception.
The
church can comfortably seat 3,500 people, and up to 10,000 can cram
inside on special occasions like Easter. But the pope's visit is more
than that, and the archdiocese
can't hope to accommodate everyone who wants to attend. There will be
15,000 seats on the lawn in front of the church, and the remaining
10,000 people will have to stand.
"If we had 100,000 seats, we'd have 100,000 people," said Monsignor Walter Rossi, rector of the basilica.
Inside
the basilica will be more than 2,000 men and women from around the
United States who are studying to be priests and nuns. Pope Francis will
bless them before the
Mass.
The
temporary altar for the Mass was designed by three architecture
students from neighboring Catholic University who won a design
competition.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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