The Archbishop of Valladolid and President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), Mons. Luis Argüello, has published a pastoral letter titled From Wonder to Alliance, in which he invites the faithful to renew their commitment to family, marriage, and life, in the context of Christmas and the conclusion of the Holy Year “Pilgrims of Hope”, which culminates in the feast of the Holy Family.
In his message, Argüello places Advent and Christmas under the sign of wonder before the Incarnation, evoking Mary as the Virgin of Hope, who welcomes Emmanuel into her womb. That wonder —he emphasizes— transforms into active hope, capable of sustaining the Christian journey amid the difficulties of history.
The archbishop recalls that the birth of the Lord is the foundation of Christian hope, because God has entered time and wanted to share the human condition. From then on, he affirms, history is sustained by Christ and the Christian lives as a pilgrim of hope.
Drawing on the call of Pope Francis in the bull Hope Does Not Disappoint, Argüello proposes sealing a visible alliance for hope, embodied in marriage, the family open to life, and birth rate. He presents marriage as a lifelong alliance, also sustained by the Christian community, called to accompany spouses and families.
He addresses the demographic crisis and the drama of abortion in Spain, recalling that each year more than 100,000 abortions are performed, a figure comparable to the country’s vegetative growth deficit. In the face of this reality, Argüello calls to unite prayer, social commitment, and political action, promoting real support for families and pregnant women, as well as policies that favor life, motherhood, and family stability.
The text concludes with an invitation for the wonder before the Child of Bethlehem to translate into a concrete and lasting commitment: an alliance for hope, in favor of marriage, family, and life, as a coherent response to the gift of life that God offers in the Incarnation.