Mexico City, Mexico, Dec 14, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Cardinal Norberto Rivera, Archbishop of Mexico City, is calling on Mexicans to financially assist the Church to continue building a shrine dedicated to St. Juan Diego, which is to be located near the Basilica of Guadalupe.
Cardinal Rivera lamented that some media have "invented" the story that construction has been suspended for economic reasons and he pointed out that the delay was due to the government failing to provide the necessary documentation to begin construction.
"Without the paperwork which federal authorities finally sent to us last week, we were liable to disappoint so many people who want to see a church in this place," he explained.
The cardinal revealed that after the Christmas holidays, the groundwork for construction of the church will continue forward. He warned however that the church would be built "as the people contribute. Its not like we have all the money to finance the construction. Catholic churches have always been built through the contributions of the faithful." Therefore he renewed his call for Catholics to contribute economically to the project.