By In a letter addressed to the priests, religious, and faithful of Ceuta, Bishop Ramón Valdivia invited the faithful to pray on the eve of the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary.
The apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Cádiz and Ceuta in Spain, Bishop Ramón Valdivia, called for a vigil for peace, justice, and stability in Ceuta, the Spanish city located in northern Africa and the site of a recent immigration crisis.
In a letter addressed to the priests, religious, and faithful of Ceuta, where the recent arrival of thousands of illegal migrants led to an overwhelming breach of the city’s maritime border, Valdivia invited the faithful to pray on the eve of the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, celebrated on Aug. 15, following a suggestion made by Pope Leo XIV.
“As a proposal for ecclesial action in response to this humanitarian and confidence crisis, I believe it is necessary to turn our gaze toward God,” Valdivia wrote, expressing his desire that this prayer take place “with the intention not only of seeking protection for the city of Ceuta but also so that we may become aware of the importance of maturing in the faith we have received and ask for the necessary light so that, united, we may experience these moments as a new cultural beginning and not simply as a crisis, which one hopes will prove temporary.”
“These events seem to me to reveal the depth of the cultural change that is taking place. For this reason, now more than ever, we need to lift our eyes and pray together the Our Father, saying: ‘Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!’” he insisted.
In the letter, Valdivia, who is also the auxiliary bishop of Seville, acknowledged that he needed time “to reflect on and understand the scope of what we have suffered and, at the same time, to try to understand, with the light available to me, the repercussions that go beyond what the media have been showing.”
The bishop pointed to “the humanitarian disaster generated by ambition and corruption” in which “young people without a future threw themselves into the unknown, driven only by political slogans or ill-intentioned promises” while adults “took advantage of the lack of government control to flee the criminal responsibilities of their own country, perhaps aided by a premeditated pardon arranged for this occasion.”
He also wrote of minors who, “abandoned by their families, become easy prey for predators” and, referring to the residents of Ceuta, “people who have felt their own space violated.”
‘Our Lady of Africa has been our stronghold’
In his reflection, Valdivia shared that what arose in his heart was “gratitude born of faith,” emphasizing that “from the very first moment, Our Lady of Africa has been the stronghold in which we can find refuge.”
“I have been able to perceive how the mother and patroness of Ceuta has once again, throughout history, become the lighthouse guiding us as we navigate stormy seas,” he added.
The auxiliary bishop of Seville also highlighted the way Catholics have faced the challenge of the arrival of a group nearly as large as Ceuta’s own population: “It is only right that we all send a message of gratitude to this small Christian community, so that they may receive strong encouragement from the rest of the diocese and continue to keep alive the witness of faith.”
“I want to believe that both the floral offering and the celebration and procession with the image of Our Lady of Africa were not merely a passing sigh but rather a catalyst for breaking the inertia generated by fear, the spark that awakens awareness of what faith contributes to the rebuilding of the city, the greatest challenge facing society and the Church in this time that the Lord has given us,” Valdivia said.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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—The Spanish CC is complicit in the mass invasion and the crimes committed against Spanish men, women and children (as is the CC in the U.S.).
— An article in CWR points out, “Up to 22 European Union countries have pointed to THE RECENT MASS LEGALIZATION OF IMMIGRANTS CARRIED OUT IN SPAIN — AND BACKED BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH — AS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE CURRENT MIGRATION CRISIS.
MEANWHILE, A RECENT SPANISH COURT RULING INVALIDATED THE PRACTICE OF SO-CALLED “HOT RETURNS” (IMMEDIATE, SUMMARY EXPULSIONS) IN CASES WHERE ILLEGAL ENTRY INTO THE COUNTRY WAS MADE BY SWIMMING, AS OCCURRED ON JULY 31”
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2026/08/03/spanish-bishops-president-the-invasion-of-ceuta-is-a-test-demography-is-a-weapon/
—See the horrible crime figures:
’Imported crime’ – Foreigners commit 500% more rapes than Spaniards, 400% more murders, according to new study
Spain has seen penetrative rape cases jump 143% in just 5 years
—A new study highlights the outsized role of foreigners in serious crimes in Spain, which has seen worrying growth in rapes, attempted murders, and other serious crimes in just the last five to six years. The CEU-CEFAS Demographic Observatory report, titled “Demography of Crime in Spain,” examines the evolution of crime across various demographic groups and geographical areas in the country, and the researchers are warning about “imported crime” due to mass immigration.
—The study highlights several trends concerning the involvement of foreigners in criminal activities.
Murder and rape
—Some of the key findings indicate that foreigners, who make up 31 percent of Spain’s prison population, commit per capita 500 percent more rapes and 414 percent more murders than Spanish citizens.
—The highest rates are seen among Arabs and Latinos, with many of them hailing from countries in South America known for their extremely high crime rates.
While the murder numbers are stable in Spain at 300 per year, there has been explosive growth in attempted murders. Between 2019 and 2023, a matter of four years, attempted murder cases nearly doubled, going from 836 to 1,507.
—In just five years, penetrative rape cases also soared 143 percent, going from 2,2143 in 2019 to 5,206 in 2024.
As Remix News has reported on in the past, in many Spanish states, the crime statistics show massive overrepresentation of foreigners in serious crimes like sexual assault, including in the Basque region.
—Illegal occupation
Spain is also dealing with a serious crisis involving illegal property occupation, with 170,000 cases recorded between 2010 and 2024. Of those arrested, 51.8 percent were foreigners, which is 610 percent more than Spaniards.
—Robbery with violence
In cases of robbery with violence, foreigners are 440 percent more likely to commit such a crime. Many such cases have made headlines in the Spanish media.
Crime should be decreasing
The study heads indicate that Spain’s aging population should have led to a decrease in crime rates, but the influx of migrants, amounting to 3.8 million per decade, has led to an “imported crime” problem.
Basque region: 64% of those arrested for crimes in Basque region are foreigners, including 68% of sexual assaults and robberies
The Ertzaintza, the autonomous police force of Spain’s Basque Country, has published its first report ever on the origin of detainees, with the data showing that 64 percent are foreigners, despite foreigners only making up approximately 14.1 percent of the population.
—Rapists in Spain’s Catalonia are almost entirely foreigners 91% of convicted rapists in Spain’s Catalonia region are migrants They make up only 17% of the region’s population Spain has seen crime rise each year in tandem with growing migration numbers Show more
—In Barcelona, North African migrants were caught on camera trying to bundle an 11-year-old girl into a car while she was on the way to the shop opposite her home. Her mother speaks out, “She burst into the house in tears, trembling. That night, she couldn’t sleep or eat. It was horrible.” For these figures see
https://rmx.news/article/imported-crime-foreigners-commit-500-more-rapes-than-spaniards-400-more-murders-according-to-new-study/