Religion: A New Shrine for the Brown Virgin

They come by the tens of thousands, bringing balloons and flowers and images of the Virgin Mary. At the gateway to the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, at the northern edge of Mexico City, many of the Roman Catholic pilgrims drop to their knees to shuffle painfully forward as they pray for forgiveness. On any day there are crowds at this most venerated shrine in the Americas, but on Dec. 12, the Day of Guadalupe, the crowds turn into a tidal wave of humanity. This week for the first time the day is...

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