Nearly 500,000 faithful from the Archdiocese of Durango gathered recently at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City together with Archbishop Hector Gonzalez Martinez to pray for an end to the violence that is occurring in their region and that is the result of organized crime.

This year pilgrimage, which was the 116th to the Guadalupe shrine by the Archdiocese of Durango, came after Archbishop Gonzalez Martinez denounced the presence of drug traffickers in that part of the country.

The organizer of the pilgrimage, Father Manuel Ramirez, said, “A lot of people like to stop in the different towns along the way, so many got a head start in order to enjoy the journey. And the closer we get to the final destination, the more joy we feel, especially because we are experiencing it in community. We are very happy to be at the Basilica of Guadalupe again,” he said.