Annai Velankanni Shrine becomes a minor Basilica
It is now the 30th basilica in the country
The Annai Velankanni Shrine in Besant Nagar has been elevated to the status of a minor Basilica by Pope Leo XIV, according to the source. A celebration marking this significant event was held on Sunday when 12 Bishops from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh gathered at the seaside worship center. The Very Rev. Msgr. Andrea Francia, Charge d’Affaires ad interim from the Apostolic Nunciature to India in New Delhi, read out the Papal Decree during the ceremony.
During the event, symbols of the Catholic Church, such as the Umbraculum and the Coat of Arms of the Vatican, were placed. The Catholic shrine was initially established as a church in 1972 for the local parishioners, and later it became a shrine as the congregation no longer limited its membership to those from its parish.
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