Archbishop Ulloa in Seville for the Feast of Our Lady of the Kings: “Two Sister Churches united since the beginning of evangelization”

Seville – Nearly five centuries after the first steps of evangelization in the Americas, the Church in Panama and the Spanish Archdiocese of Seville are meeting once again in a gesture rich in memory and communion.
The Metropolitan Archbishop of Panama, José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, O.S.A., has been invited to preach the Novena in honor of Our Lady of the Kings in the Cathedral of Seville, an occasion that highlights the spiritual bonds between two Churches united by the same missionary history.
“I do not feel that this invitation is addressed to me personally, but to the entire Church that journeys in Panama. It is also a sign of communion between two sister Churches united since the very beginning of evangelization,” the Archbishop said in a statement released by the Archdiocese.
Archbishop Ulloa’s presence in Seville from August 6 to 14 takes on special significance as it coincides with the centenary celebrations of the Archdiocese of Panama. It was from Seville that many of the first evangelizers departed from Seville for the American continent, and Panama was one of the first territories where the proclamation of the Gospel took root.
This historic bond also finds a Marian expression in the relationship between Our Lady of Antigua, patron saint of Panama, and Our Lady of the Kings, patron saint of Seville and its Archdiocese.
The celebration thus becomes a sign of the continuity of a faith that has been received, handed on, and shared across generations.
During the Novena, Archbishop Ulloa will focus his homilies on Mary as “Mother of Hope,” inviting the faithful to discover in the Virgin the path to Jesus Christ and to renew their trust in God in the face of the challenges of today’s world.
The Archbishop of Panama also highlighted the evangelizing power of popular spirituality: “Authentic popular piety is a simple faith, but never a superficial one. When properly evangelized, it educates the heart, transmits the faith from one generation to the next, and makes the Gospel accessible even to those who may never read a theological treatise.”
The meeting between Seville and Panama recalls that the evangelizing mission begun in the Americas continues today as a story of communion between sister communities which, after centuries of walking together, continue to recognize themselves as sharing the same mission: to proclaim the Gospel together and safeguard the faith they have received.
The Novena is celebrated daily at the Silver Altar of the Cathedral of Seville at 8:00 p.m. . In Panama, the Catholic television network FETV will broadcast the celebration each day at 1:00 p.m. .

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