The Senate of the Nation Argentina recently inaugurated a Catholic oratory in its institutional headquarters, under the patronage of Santa María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, known as Mamá Antula, as reported by the Argentine newspaper La Prensa.
The event was presided over by the Vice President of the Nation and President of the Senate, Victoria Villarruel, and was attended by ecclesiastical authorities and representatives from the institutional sphere.
Presence of Civil and Ecclesiastical Authorities
Among the attendees at the ceremony were the Apostolic Nuncio in Argentina, Monsignor Mirosław Adamczyk; the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, Father Pedro Cannavó; as well as officials from various areas of the Senate, including general directors of Culture, International Relations, and Institutional Relations.
The inauguration took place within the framework of a formal event held at the headquarters of the Upper House.
A Space for Prayer in the Parliamentary Headquarters
The new oratory is enabled as a space dedicated to prayer and reflection within the Senate building. According to La Prensa, the initiative is part of the recognition of the historical roots of Catholicism in Argentine institutional life.
In this context, the media recalls that the Argentine National Constitution guarantees freedom of worship and, at the same time, establishes that the State supports the Catholic Apostolic Roman cult.
Marian Devotions from Different Provinces
Following the inauguration, Vice President Victoria Villarruel stated that the oratory will progressively incorporate Marian devotions representative of different provinces of the country, in keeping with the federal character of the Senate.
Among the mentioned devotions are the Virgin of Itatí, Our Lady of the Valley of Catamarca, and the Virgin of Luján, with the intention that each province can be represented in this common space.