The plenary session of the City Council Vilaflor de Chasna yesterday unanimously agreed to request that Brother Pedro be appointed co-patron of the Canary Islands. With this agreement, adopted on the eve of the saint’s festivity in his native municipality, the file that will be submitted to the ecclesiastical authorities begins, with the aim of appointing Brother Pedro, de jure co-patron and principal of the Autonomous Community and his two bishoprics.
The mayor, Agustina Beltrán, confirmed that the initiative “of her people and the Corporation” will be transferred to the two bishops of the Archipelago, to achieve a recognition that Vilaflor de Chasna considers fair with the first Canarian saint.
The work and figure of Pedro de Bethencourt is known throughout the world and arouses great devotion in Central America. He is considered, in the words of the mayor, “the predecessor in mercy of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, since his compassion for those who suffer and the exercise of charity, were two of the constants of his life”.
The Channera Corporation invites all Canarian institutions to join this proposal with their letters of adherence, “because regardless of creeds, or what the Constitution dictates regarding religious issues, it is fair to signify with this appointment the humanist character, social and historical role played by Brother Pedro, both in the Canary Islands and in America, where his mark remains almost unchanged”, explained Beltrán.
today pilgrimage
Three years after the last edition, the faithful will once again tour the Path of Brother Pedro between Vilaflor de Chasna and the religious space of the cave that bears his name in the coastal area of Granadilla de Abona. Since last morning, the security operation has been activated, made up of the local police of both municipalities, Civil Protection and the Red Cross. In addition, a security plan has been designed around the cave. It is expected that the faithful will take five hours to cover the 19 kilometers that separate the summit from the coast.
