Numerous Believers Leave Their Dogs In Front Of A Basilica
On December 12th each year, believers make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico. Some of them are accompanied by their dogs, and there are also street dogs that join the group on the way. Unfortunately, many of the dogs are abandoned on the way back. They gather around the basilica and are left to their fate.
How dogs are abandoned in front of the basilica of Guadalupe
To celebrate that the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego in 1531, many believers make a pilgrimage every year from different parts of the country to the foot of the hill of Tepeyac, in the north of the capital of Mexico.
The pilgrims sometimes take their own dogs with them, and numerous street dogs also join the group along the way. Most of these dogs are then left to their fate, and many of the pilgrims’ animals are also abandoned after the pilgrimage.
Various animal welfare organizations are trying to put an end to this and fight for the rights of dogs. The Mexican animal welfare organization Amedea rescues many of the dogs and temporarily accommodates them in an animal shelter near the basilica.
In this animal shelter, the dogs are cared for and sterilized. They then wait for responsible adoptive families willing to give them a second chance.
A place for the “pilgrim dogs”
This year the animal rights activists asked for the support of those responsible for the basilica in order to prevent the pilgrims from abandoning their dogs. They are also designed to prevent street dogs from coming to the group by not giving them food.
The animal rights activists of Amedea also hope to get a place soon in the region of Ajusco, in the outer southwest of the city of Mexico, in order to be able to offer more space to the abandoned animals.
The idea is to give the dogs a definite place and also to give shelter to other animals that are victims of abuse.
Diego the first dog rescued in the area of the basilica
On the last pilgrimage, the first dog rescued was named Diego to honor Saint Juan Diego. According to Mexican tradition and as can be seen from various historical documents of the Vatican, the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared four times to the Indian Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin at the foot of the Tepeyac. The fifth time the maiden appeared to his uncle Juan Bernardino.
These apparitions are said to have taken place in 1531, 10 years after the fall of Tenochtitlan by the Spanish conquerors.
In search of the truly Christian spirit
The basilica of Santa María de Guadalupe was built between 1974 and 1976 because the original building from the 16th century was dilapidated. The architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez built a round basilica so the Virgin of Guadalupe can be seen from all sides.
The church has space for 10,000 people. After St. Peter’s Basilica, it is the most visited Marian pilgrimage site in the world. Around 20 million people make pilgrimages to this basilica every year. Almost half of them on the holiday in honor of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe or during this period.
It would be wonderful if the Christian spirit of the pilgrims were also used for the benefit of the animals. Unfortunately, many forget that animals are also creatures of God.
Image source: www.excelsior.com.mx
