Cathedral in Santa Fe Archdiocese named a minor basilica

Published: 2005-07-18

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI is naming the St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral in New Mexico a basilica, Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of Santa Fe said. The title makes St. Francis the first church in New Mexico to be named a basilica by the pope, and reasons for the honor include the fact that religious pilgrims travel to St. Francis every year to see the statue of Our Lady of Peace, which was brought to Santa Fe in 1625. The cathedral parish was founded in 1610 by Spanish Franciscans. The title of minor basilica is granted to prominent and significant churches throughout the world as a sign of papal honor. The title of major basilica is reserved for a handful of churches and usually refers to the four in Rome, including St. Peter's. The Vatican said the cathedral in Santa Fe is "the cradle of Catholicism" in the southwestern United States, crucial to the establishment of daughter dioceses throughout the region, from Denver to El Paso, Texas, and from Phoenix to Las Cruces, N.M. To become a basilica, a church must be known for leadership in faith life, antiquity, artwork and importance in the history of the Catholic faith.

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