Peruvian President Ollanta Humala attends Solemn Mass and Te Deum at the Basilica Cathedral of Lima, which is celebrated by Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, Archbishop of Lima, on the occasion of Peru’s Independence Day celebrations.
On his way to the cathedral, President Humala reviewed the troops stationed around Lima’s Main Square and received a 21-gun salute.
Wearing the presidential sash, the head of state left the Government Palace and was later accompanied by his wife, Peru’s First Lady Nadine Heredia during the mass.
State ministers, senior government officials, diplomats, as well as high-ranking military and police officers also attend the religious ceremony.
The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise".
The hymn remains in regular use in the Catholic Church in the Office of Readings found in the Liturgy of the Hours, and in thanksgiving to God for a special blessing.
After the mass, President Humala will return to the Government Palace to wait for the invitation of Congress to attend the Solemn Session at the Legislative Palace, where he will deliver his annual address to the Andean nation.
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Published: 7/28/2014