Last week, Cardinal Nicolás López Rodríguez blessed the new Capilla Santa María de la Rábida at the Columbus Lighthouse. A weekly Mass will be celebrated at 5 pm on Sundays. At the opening of the new chapel, Cardinal López spoke about the purpose of the Columbus Lighthouse, saying that it is the tomb of Christopher Columbus’s mortal remains and is a reminder of the cross of Christianity that the explorer brought to the New World. The chapel honors Nuestra Señora Santa María de la Rábida. The Cardinal explained that when Columbus did not receive the support from the King of Portugal for his trip to the Indies, he stayed at the Monasterio de la Rábida until he was able to contact the monarch of Spain and propose the voyage. In time, he paid much devotion to the Santa María de la Rábida, who was reputed to have performed many miracles in the XVI and XVII centuries.