Nasry Asfura visits the image of the Virgin of Suyapa in the Vatican Gardens during his tour of Italy

Nasry Asfura visited the Vatican Gardens during his official tour of Italy and paid homage to the patroness of Honduras. (Photos: Presidential House)The president of Honduras, Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah, visited the Vatican Gardens during his official tour of Italy, where he paid homage to the image of the Virgin of Suyapa, the country's patroness, in an event marked by prayer and Honduran religious tradition. During the tour, the head of state placed a floral arrangement in front of the image and offered a prayer in which he entrusted the Honduran people, in a gesture that highlighted the bonds of faith and tradition that unite Honduras with the Catholic Church. Asfura was accompanied by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mireya Agüero; the Minister of the Presidency, Juan Carlos García; the Honduran ambassador to Italy, Mariano Jiménez Talavera; and the Honduran ambassador to the Holy See, Gilliam Noemí Gómez Guifarro. The Honduran head of state offered a floral arrangement in front of the image of the Virgin of Suyapa in the Vatican. (Photos: Presidential House)The visit took place as part of the leader's activities in the Vatican, where his agenda has also included meetings aimed at strengthening diplomatic relations and cooperation between Honduras and the Holy See. The presence of the patroness of Honduras in the Vatican Gardens constitutes one of the symbolic links between the Central American nation and the heart of the Catholic Church. The replica of the Virgin of Suyapa was enthroned in that space on September 20, 2013, during the pontificate of Pope Francis. The image, crafted in bronze by the Honduran artist Jesús Zelaya, represents the Marian devotion and religious identity of thousands of Hondurans. Mireya Agüero, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, accompanied the president during the tour of the Vatican Gardens. (Photos: Presidential House)The history of this devotion dates back to 1747, when, according to Catholic tradition, the peasant Alejandro Colindres found a small image made of cedar wood in the vicinity of Tegucigalpa. Decades later, in 1925, Pope Pius XI declared the Virgin of Suyapa the patroness of Honduras. Since then, every February 3, thousands of faithful participate in religious celebrations in her honor, especially at the Basilica of Suyapa, in the Honduran capital. The presence of the image in the Vatican has also been connected with the prayer practices of the pontiffs. During his pontificate, Benedict XVI used to walk through the Vatican Gardens and dedicate moments to prayer and the recitation of the rosary in front of the representation of the Honduran patroness. The replica of the Virgin of Suyapa was enthroned in the Vatican Gardens on September 20, 2013. (Photos: Presidential House)As part of his agenda at the Holy See, the Honduran president also visited St. Peter's Basilica, one of the main temples of the Catholic Church and a historic and architectural landmark of the Vatican. The tour is part of the official trip that Asfura is carrying out in Italy, with diplomatic activities and meetings aimed at strengthening ties between both parties. On October 22, the head of state signed a bilateral treaty with the Holy See, alongside Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, with the purpose of strengthening institutional relations and cooperation. The signing of the instrument is part of the diplomatic efforts to deepen the ties between Honduras and the Holy See, which maintain a historic relationship marked by cooperation and cultural and religious bonds. The president also toured St. Peter's Basilica as part of the activities of his official agenda in the Vatican. (Photos: Presidential House)The visit to the Vatican Gardens and St. Peter's Basilica complemented the leader's official activities, who highlighted through this tour the importance of faith and the historic ties that connect the Honduran people with the Catholic tradition. The image of the Virgin of Suyapa, present in the Vatican since 2013, thus represents a symbol of national identity for Hondurans and a meeting point between religious devotion and the relations between Honduras and the Holy See.