Pope sends envoy to 475^th anniversary of South America’s first diocese

October 19, 2012 - Pope Benedict has appointed an Ecuadoran cardinal as his special envoy to the 475^th anniversary of South America’s first and oldest diocese which is in Peru. In a letter, signed on Oct. 3, but made public on Thursday, the Pope nominated Cardinal Raul Eduardo Vela Chiriboga, retired archbishop of Quito, his special representative to the Oct. 24 to 28 celebrations of the archdiocese of Cuzco, Peru. In his letter the Pope recalled that the celebrations will coincide with the International Marian Eucharistic Congress and, quoting from Blessed John Paul II's Encyclical "Ecclesia de Eucharistia", he noted that "Mary can guide us towards this most holy Sacrament, because she herself has a profound relationship with it".