Saint “might help Spain out of crisis,” says interior minister

Interior Minister Jorge Fernández Díaz on Friday disclosed the existence of a previously unknown factor that might help Spain pull out of its deep economic crisis.

Speaking at the tourism fair FITUR in Madrid, Fernández Díaz said he was convinced that Saint Teresa of Ávila, the 16th-century nun, is “interceding” for Spain “during these harsh times.”

The revelatory statement was part of the presentation of “Huellas de Santa Teresa” (or, Traces of Saint Teresa), a project to celebrate the 500th anniversary of her birth through a tour of 17 cities where the saint established outposts for the Discalced Carmelites, a branch of the Carmelites that she founded.

“Saint Teresa spoke of harsh times, and I am sure that right now she is acting as an important intercessor for Spain during our own harsh times,” said Fernández Díaz, of the conservative Popular Party (PP).

“Efforts from above”

 Fernández Díaz also expressed confidence in the saint’s ability to make the 2015 cultural project a success. “I am sure that her efforts from above, where she is very powerful, will make this a success,” he told a large group of representatives from the cities and regions involved in Huellas de Santa Teresa.

Saint Teresa is one of the most popular holy figures in Spain, and a relic of her body — an “incorrupt hand” — is still preserved and venerated at the Church of La Merced in Ronda (Málaga).