the The Elders by Joanna Diaz I met one of their cherished goals this morning: to greet and talk with Pope Francisco. As planned, after the general audience held in Vatican City, the Pope met with various guests from the activity, including Puerto Ricans.
As they had announced several days earlier, during the meeting, the three wise men were to make two requests to the pope: that he include the island in the schedule of his visits to the West and that he appoint a cardinal to the local pontiff. Catholic Church.
during the trip to RomeAnd the Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar accompanied the mayor of Juana Diaz. Ramon Hernandez Torresand a delegation of 66 people.
It was also learned that they presented Pope Francis with three works by Puerto Rican artists: Acrylic on canvas “Three Wise Men of Buriken” by Edward “Moyo Cruz”, oil painting of Pope Francis by Felipe Rivera and some of the Three Wise Men carved in cedar wood by Adrián Rodriguez.
“When the Pope approached us, we welcomed him, gave him gifts, explained to him who we were, and the city we came from, and explained that our celebration of the feast of the Three Kings was 139 years old.”King explained Melchior. “He asked us to go for a walk through the Vatican, through town. We were the group that spoke to him the most. We made the two requests we came for: that he visit Puerto Rico in 2024 for the celebration of the Puerto Rican Catholic Church, American Missionary Conference (CAM 6 ), where we will be the seat of this great Catholic activity on the level of all Latin America and this Cardinal will name us.
Pope Francis did not hesitate to respond to the requests of the Three Wise Men. “He told us he was very concerned, that he would like to come to Puerto Rico and that it was on his agenda. He told us about the cardinal that he would think about it. Melkor added.
This is the second time the Three Wise Men have risen Juana Diaz They were received by the Pope. The first occasion was in 2004, when John Paul II was the leader of the church at the time, a press release stated. “It was a very precious experience. This meeting was much more personal than the one we had in 2004 with Pope John Paul II. Obviously, this is a Latin Pope and we communicate in Spanish. Although John Paul II spoke to us in Spanish at the time His health was more delicate. This year was very special because it was a conversation between Hispanic Catholics and we were able to explain all our traditions and give him the affection that Puerto Rico has for the Pope. We also congratulate him on Argentina’s championship in the FIFA World Cup. It is an experience we will never forget.”
After the end of the religious meeting at the request of Pope Francis, The Kings visited San Pedro Square where they shared for two hours with countless people and families who took pictures with them.
Once they have completed their schedule in the Vatican and Italy, the Magi will visit Spain to give a presentation, on December 29, in the parish of San Esteban Protomarter, in Madrid.
Upon returning to Puerto Rico, they will continue with their traditional caravan, where they will visit different municipalities, between January 2 and 5. On Three Kings Day, starting at 10:00 am, the 139th edition of the traditional Juana Diaz Three Kings Festival will begin.