MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday joined Catholics in welcoming the Pilgrim Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Malacañang as part of the launch of a nationwide Marian pilgrimage.
During the rite of acceptance led by Most Rev. Colin Bagaforo, the Kidapawan bishop and spiritual director, Marcos prayed for the country to be spared “from hatred, violence and conflicts, which divide and destroy our people.”
The President, accompanied by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, also prayed for the nation to be spared from “every kind of injustice in the life of society… the loss of awareness of good and evil.”
The Palace’s hosting offered an opportunity to pray for the nation, its leaders and the Filipinos as the pilgrimage began. The pilgrimage will run up to December 2026.
The pilgrimage forms part of the worldwide preparation for the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego at Tepeyac in Mexico in 1531.
Following the opening events, the Pilgrim Image will visit more than 40 cathedrals, shrines, and dioceses throughout the Philippines before its permanent installation at The Manila Cathedral.
