Rome surrenders to the Puppy on its first day on display in St. Peter's Basilica.

The term "historic" reaches its peak with what the Brotherhood of Cachorro and the Archconfraternity of Paso y la Esperanza have been experiencing in Rome since Wednesday. Since the morning of May 14, the Chapel of the Presentation of the Virgin in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican has had two exceptional inhabitants: the Most Holy Christ of the Expiration and the Virgin of Hope of Malaga . Both images from Andalusia, exponents of the intensity with which religiosity is experienced in the South, arrived in Rome late Tuesday and are now receiving worship in this beautiful enclave within the greatest temple of Christianity, in the heart of the Catholic world.

Although it was initially said that they would be in the Chapel of San José, in the end it was the Chapel of the Presentation, where the incorrupt body of Saint Pius X rests, that had the privilege of hosting two of the most devotional images in our country. As Paloma Saborido, national coordinator of the technical committee of the Great Procession next Saturday - and its ideologist - confirms to this newspaper, the preparations for the mass to inaugurate the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV next Sunday have caused certain logistical decisions to be made at the last minute these days, such as the place where the images would be worshipped or the time of their arrival.

Shortly before 9:30 a.m., social media filled with the first photographs of the Cachorro, dressed in all its attributes, and the Virgin of Hope, displayed for veneration in the aforementioned chapel. Previously, the brotherhoods had been finishing preparing the images in coordination with Vatican authorities for this long-awaited event. From then on, a stream of visits from faithful and curious people from all over the world began, continuing throughout the day.

All of them were able to contemplate with attention the expressiveness of Ruiz Gijón's masterpiece, shared by the people of Triana with Rome and all humanity for a few days, and they were also amazed by the sweetness of the sorrowful woman from Malaga, dressed in a green cloak, symbol of her dedication, which connects with the motto of the Jubilee: 'Pilgrims of hope' . The incomparable setting of Vatican Baroque art reinforced the royalty of both images without the need for them to have flowers or candles, something that is not permitted in St. Peter's Basilica.

Monsignor José Ángel Saiz Meneses , Archbishop of Seville, was present along with auxiliary bishops Teodoro León and Ramón Valdivia during the opening ceremonies. They all prayed alongside the Cachorro's elder brother, José Luis Aldea, before the statue of Christ of the Expiration.

The prelate of Seville took the opportunity to invite all pilgrims from Seville who are in Rome this week "to live the Jubilee days with an attitude of prayer. To all the brothers of Seville, Malaga, and Spain, let us allow the Lord to touch and transform our hearts and bring about a before and after of the Jubilee in our lives" so that, upon their return, all pilgrims "may return to our homes as witnesses of the love of God, of the risen Christ, hand in hand with the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother who guides us on our journey and is the source of our hope."

In the first hours that the Cachorro was exposed next to the Virgin of Hope in the Basilica of San Pedro, numerous faithful from different parts of the globe, such as Chile, Brazil, France and Italy, passed before the Lord and his mother. The pilgrims were amazed by the overwhelming image and prayed before it, as well as before the Esperanza of Málaga, radiantly dressed and to which the brotherhood of the Cachorro gave a brooch with the face of the Lord , undoubtedly a further example of the close and fraternal bond forged between both corporations during all these months of preparations, not without difficulties, but full of nerves and excitement in abundance.

The Spanish ambassador to the Holy See , Isabel Celaá, also visited the Chapel of the Presentation of the Virgin. She was welcomed by the Brothers and Paloma Saborido, where she spent a moment of contemplation and prayer with them. At the end of the visit, the ambassador visited the structure erected in Piazza Celimontana where the processional floats for the images are being assembled for Saturday's Grand Procession.

This bustle of people passing in front of the Cachorro, admiring it and praying before the image, will continue from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, the day the Jubilee of the Brotherhoods begins. Admission is always free of charge through the usual entrance to St. Peter's Basilica. This Thursday at 5 p.m., the brothers of Castilla Street will make the pilgrimage to the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica from Castel Sant'Angelo. It is expected that a good number of people from the Seville expedition—and from Malaga, since there is also a Perchelera pilgrimage to the Holy Door this afternoon—will be in Rome by then to intensely experience these unique and joyful days, which will undoubtedly remain in the memory of all the brothers and will be written in golden letters in the history of the brotherhoods.