Dominican ambassador presents historic cathedral replica to Pope Leo XIV

Vatican City.- Ambassador Enrique Antonio Valdez Aguiar, representative of the Sovereign Order of Malta in the Dominican Republic, briefly met with Pope Leo XIV during a general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

During the encounter, the ambassador presented the pontiff with a replica of the cornerstone of the Primate Cathedral of America, located in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo and considered the first cathedral built in the Americas. The symbolic gift highlighted the historical and spiritual ties between the Catholic Church and the Dominican Republic since the early days of evangelization in the New World.

Valdez also conveyed the Dominican people’s greetings and recalled the pope’s past visits to the country when he served as superior of the Order of Saint Augustine, including trips to the Augustinian community in La Vega.

The Order of Malta, founded in Jerusalem around 1048, is a Catholic religious and humanitarian organization dedicated to assisting the poor and the sick. Today it operates health, social, and emergency aid programs in more than 120 countries and maintains diplomatic relations with over 100 states, while holding permanent observer status at the United Nations.