Colombia: Pope Francis elevates the church dedicated to the Virgin of Chiquinquirá to a minor basilica

Starting next July 7, the faithful of the Archdiocese of Bogotá (Colombia) will have a new minor basilica, thanks to Pope Francis’ decision to grant this title to the Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Chiquinquirá church.

The elevation ceremony will be presided over by the Archbishop of Bogotá, Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio, at 6:00 p.m. (local time), and will be attended by priests, faithful and especially the friars of the Order of Preachers, congregation who manages the temple located in the Chapinero neighborhood.

The construction of the neoclassical-floral Gothic style church began in 1919 and it was erected as a parish on August 20, 1948. The building was completed in 1959 and the temple was inaugurated in 1959.

In the central part of its façade, the sculptures of the Virgin Mary with Saint Andrew and Saint Anthony stand out, replicating the painting of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá, patron saint of Colombia.

In statements to Nuevo Rumbo newscastof the Archdiocese of Bogotá, parish priest Fra Jorge Israel Gómez Otálora reported that his predecessor presented to Cardinal Rueda the request for the Vatican to elevate the temple to the dignity of minor basilica, “because of how significant it is for Bogotá.”

The approval decree was received at the Chancellery of the Archdiocese of Bogotá on November 16, 2013.

The priest explained that among the requirements that had to be met were being “a fairly representative building in the city” and being a “pilgrimage center for the faithful for the archdiocese.”

With the elevation to minor basilica, now “it will be necessary to assign a team of friars who assume, like the Marian Sanctuary in Chiquinquirá, the responsibility of permanent attention at the level of the sacraments that must continually accompany the basilica.”

In addition, the Archbishop of Bogotá must appoint one of the priests as a “penitentiary confessor.”