Thousands of pilgrims in Chile greet the Virgin of Carmen in her day

On July 16, thousands of pilgrims filled the Marian shrines of Maipú and La Tirana (Chile) for the celebration of the feast of the Virgen del Carmen, the crowned queen and mother of this nation

. return with the novena prayer and other activities of preparation for the great festival of July 16, where in both sanctuaries there are mbad mbades, processions and tributes of religious dances in honor Carmelite.

Maipú, this year's festival is part of the bicentennial commemoration of the promise of the people of Santiago to build a temple in honor of the Virgen del Carmen in the place where the independence of Chile has been definitely sealed.

The Archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, presided over the traditional Mbad for Chile, in which he entrusted the Mother of God with the reconciliation of the country. "Today, the Virgin is standing next to our cross," he said.

At the end of Mbad, the Cardinal addressed the press on the bad abuse scandal and pointed out that the protocol for dealing with such cases in the church needs to be changed. He also stated that he was "totally in agreement that it is the civil justice that takes these cases and judges them."

Meanwhile, in northern Chile, about 150 thousand pilgrims participated in the midnight mbad of the great Marian feast at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Tirana.

Mons. Guillermo Vera "Thank you for having faith in our Church, thank you for being with the mother of #Chile " // Eve of July 16 is lived with a lot of fervor in the city of #LaTirana [19659008] @iglesiaiquique pic.twitter.com/TlAXylj0q0

– Bishopric of Iquique (@iglesiaiquique) July 16, 2018

The bishop of 39 Iquique, Msgr. Guillermo Vera, thanked the faithful "For being those who are raising the Catholic Church despite all the suffering we have experienced lately."

"Thank you for being lay and committed, thank you for continuing to believe that Christ is and will be our only hope of love," expressed the bishop, who encouraged to see in Mary a Mother who "loves us, loves us and protects us at all times."

Our Lady of Carmen bears the title of Patroness and Generala Jury of the Armed Forces and Order in Chile Since 2007, it was established on July 16 as a national religious holiday in honor from Carmelita.