MEXICO CITY – For the first time in decades, Mexico’s Roman Catholics were forced on Saturday to abandon what many consider the world’s largest religious pilgrimage, in which millions visit Mexico City’s Basilica of Guadalupe on Dec.
12. The pilgrimage marks the day in 1531 when the Virgin of Guadalupe, patroness of Latin America's Catholics, is said to have appeared on the hillside behind the basilica.
Millions come each year, many walking or biking for days from distant towns.This year, church officials agreed to close the basilica to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and offered virtual services and candle-lighting to mark the day without gathering.