The new president of Costa Rica, Laura Fernández, officially began her term with a mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, in Cartago, where she entrusted her government to the country’s national patroness and made a symbolic delivery of the presidential sash to the Virgin.
The ceremony took place on May 8, coinciding with the start of Fernández’s term as the fiftieth head of state of the Central American country.
During the religious act held in Costa Rica’s main Catholic sanctuary, the new leader placed her administration under the protection of God and the Virgin of the Angels, popularly known as “La Negrita”.
A symbolic gesture in a context of crisis
The celebration took place at a complex moment for Costa Rica, a country that in recent years has experienced an increase in violence linked to drug trafficking and organized crime.
In that context, Laura Fernández chose to begin her term with a liturgical celebration instead of a first political act focused exclusively on government announcements or institutional speeches.
The Basilica of Cartago, where the mass took place, is the country’s main Catholic pilgrimage center and houses the small image of the Virgin found in 1635 by a young indigenous woman named Juana Pereira.
The message of the Costa Rican Church
During the homily, the president of the Episcopal Conference of Costa Rica, Monsignor Javier Román, called for rebuilding national unity and working for “a more human, just, and united society”.
The bishop also emphasized the importance of faith being able to inspire public and political life, especially in matters related to ethics, honesty, and respect for human life.
“When a person recognizes that there is a truth superior to themselves, they also understand that power has limits and that all authority must be exercised with ethics, conscience, and respect for life,” affirmed the prelate during the celebration.
A ceremony marked by the religious dimension
The new president centered the beginning of her term on a religious act and a request for guidance and protection to face the social and security challenges that Costa Rica is currently going through.
The ceremony was marked by references to national unity, reconciliation, and the need to strengthen ethical commitment in public life.