The mayor of the Portuguese town of Sabrosa, which claims to be Magalhães’ birthplace, the mayor of Seville (Spain), and the mayor of Punta Arenas (Chile) were also received by the Pope with Mayor Costa.
The delegation of dignitaries belonging to the Network of Magellan Cities was received by His Holiness Pope Francis on Wednesday at 9am.
Fernão de Magalhães, or Ferdinand Magellan, as he is referred to in English, was a Portuguese explorer who organised the Spanish expedition to the East Indies that resulted in the first circumnavigation of the Earth, between 1519 and 1522.
The Network of Magellan Cities was established on 1 February 2013 in Seville. It is a non-profit, trans-national association that aims to commemorate the fifth centenary of the first circumnavigation of the earth and give greater visibility to the historical achievement between 2019 and 2022.
For this a series of commemorative events have been organised, with a view to celebrating the achievement and promoting the exchange of cultural, socio-economic, scientific, and technological and tourism knowledge between the different cities and towns that make up the Network.
The Network of Magellan Cities is made up of 12 members: Lisbon and Sabrosa (Portugal); Seville and Granadilla de Abona (Spain); Ushuaia, Puerto de San Julián, Montevideo and Puerto de Santa Cruz (Argentina); Punta Arenas and Porvenir (Chile); Cebú (Philippines), and Praia (Cape Verde).