True to his style, the cardinal and until now archbishop of the archdiocese of Valencia, Antonio Cañizares, celebrated his last mass on Thursday before saying goodbye as archbishop. He has done so by asking the Immaculate Virgin Mary, "for Spain in these difficult moments, close to breaking or being broken, so that it finds its path of truth, justice, harmony, true and solid unity full of peace and progress guarantee. He is succeeded by Enrique Benavent, until now Archbishop of Tortosa.
During the mass, Cañizares prayed "for humanity, with so many wars", as the one in Ukraine has said, and "so much hatred, injustice, misery and calamities" and has asked for "peace and hope". The cardinal presided over the Seasonal Mass in the Cathedral of Valencia on the occasion of the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and has done so by once again criticizing family diversity and feminism, in addition to the Government, whom he considers guilty of the "state of rupture" in which is Spain.
Until now, the Archbishop of Valencia has encouraged us to "welcome, follow and open ourselves to Mary because she is our hope" and has asked her to "renew and strengthen the faith of all believers" so that "Mother Church of Valencia can row out into the deep towards the holiness".
Cañizares has been characterized during his eight years of pontificate with numerous controversies for his opposition to homosexuality, feminism, euthanasia and abortion. Topics that he also addressed during his last homily as archbishop.
"I ask, especially, for the families, for the spouses and that their children be educated on the path of faith," he said; that governments respond but not by projecting "family models that disfigure and even weaken"; that politicians "do not succumb to gender ideology, the most pernicious" and that they "respect article 27 of the Spanish Constitution on educational matters."
On the other hand, he recalled that the Immaculate Conception is the patron saint of Seminaries and the Metropolitan Seminary of Valencia encouraged to follow her because "She is Mother and model of faith for seminarians." At this point, he praised the work carried out in the Seminaries for the formation of future priests. "They have to be missionaries and evangelizers like Mary" and "messengers of peace," "missionaries in this new phase of the world's history that needs them so much," she assured.
