A Vatican diplomat told the Organization of American States that he sees Our Lady of Guadalupe as “the greatest symbol” of the encounter between Europeans and the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
“The greatest symbol of this encounter is found in Our Lady of Guadalupe, as we draw ever closer to the 500th anniversary of her apparitions,” Msgr. Juan Antonio Cruz Serrano, Permanent Observer to the Organization of American States, said during an October 20 address to the permanent council of the OAS. “Her image remains a source of unity and encounter.”
“The encounter between Europe and the peoples of the Americas, brought about by the arrival of Europeans in these lands, opened new horizons of knowledge, cultural exchange, and mutual enrichment,” the Vatican diplomat said. This encounter was “accompanied by suffering and injustices inflicted upon indigenous peoples, whose dignity and culture were not always respected.”