After Tepeyac, Mexico became Catholic. Our Lady of Guadalupe unites the Old World and the New, and so a new Christian people is formed from the two—a mestizo people. A new Christian civilization is born from the union brought about by her venerated as both la Morenita and la Inmaculada.
The significance of this unparalleled historical event, especially in the Americas, was not lost on Pope St. John Paul II. In his apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America, he writes:
The appearance of Mary to the native Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac in 1531 had a decisive effect on evangelization. Its influence greatly overflows the boundaries of Mexico, spreading to the whole Continent. America, which historically has been, and still is, a melting-pot of peoples, has recognized in the mestiza face of the Virgin of Tepeyac, “in Blessed Mary of Guadalupe, an impressive example of a perfectly inculturated evangelization.”
How is that Christian civilization doing in Ibero-America? And that Christian civilization, if it ever existed, is not the same as the Anglo-American civilization that existed in the United States and Canada.
The Church is our mother: A mother welcomes, nourishes, consoles, and unites. Where do newcomers in a strange land turn when they feel disoriented, afraid, or unwelcomed? They turn to the Church. For Catholics especially, the Church is home wherever they are in the world.
He comes close to making an overt political statement here that is related to immigration. Immigrants may feel at home in a church, especially if it is one that speaks their language. How long will that last? Fortunately no other political claims are made in this homily.
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