| Ecuador – President of the Republic Correa pays his respects |
| RMG – A year into the pilgrimage of Don Bosco’s casket |
| Ecuador – Thousands of people around the casket of Don Bosco |
On 22 April the casket arrived in San Lorenzo, a city to which because of the armed conflicts many people from Colombia have moved The Civil and Church authorities wanted to have the presence of Don Bosco in order to pray for peace, respect for human rights and unity for the people.
The schools and the people of San Lorenzo welcomed the casket with a large procession which ended at the parish church. Here at 4 in the morning there was Mass attended by a number of religious and local authorities. Gustavo Samaniego, the Mayor of the city declared Don Bosco “Guest of Honour”. Fr Marcelo Farfán, Provincial of Ecuador, gave the first citizen a small statue of Don Bosco as a symbol of peace.
At 8.00 escorted by a long procession the casket arrived in Esmeraldas. Here it was welcomed at a Mass with the Bishop Eugenio Arellano Fernández, of Esmeraldas presiding. Here too the Mayor Ernesto Estupiñán declared Don Bosco “Guest of Honour” and Fr Farfán gave him and the Bishop a statue of the saint of youth.
On 24 April, after a short stay the previous day at Manta, the casket arrived in Guayaquil, where the Salesians have 15 works. Traditional Ecuadorian dances accompanied the long procession through the main streets of the city until the relics of Don Bosco arrived at the Cathedral. Here the Archbishop Antonio Arregui Yarza, of Guayaquil, presided at Mass concelebrated by the auxiliary bishops, priests and Salesians from the city.
The casket will remain in Ecuador until tomorrow 28 April when it will leave for Colombia, first the Province of Medellín and then that of Bogotá.
Published 27/04/2010
