- 29 August, 2026
August 29, 2026: ORAN, ALGERIA: Anna Medeossi, an Italian architect and consecrated virgin, has taken on a unique role as the first woman to serve as rector of a Catholic shrine.
She now oversees Notre-Dame de Santa Cruz in Oran, a shrine situated in an overwhelmingly Muslim country.
Speaking at the Rimini Meeting, Medeossi reflected on her journey from architect to rector and on the importance of listening, friendship and everyday acts of mercy in witnessing to the Gospel.
Medeossi first arrived at Santa Cruz in 2017 at the request of then Bishop Jean-Paul Vesco, now Cardinal and Archbishop of Algiers, to assist with the renovation of the shrine.
“I actually came to Notre-Dame de Santa Cruz as an architect,” she recalled. Her work also involved preparations for the beatification of the Martyrs of Algeria, which coincided with the inauguration of the renovated shrine.
Her appointment as rector followed from the need for a permanent presence at the site.
Although Santa Cruz is a Catholic shrine, it attracts large numbers of Muslims, particularly during summer and at weekends.
“It is a shrine for Muslims,” Medeossi explained. “It is therefore important to have someone there to welcome them... and bear witness to the world that it is possible to live together in peace.”
The esplanade has been named the Esplanade of Living Together in Peace, reflecting the shrine's growing role as a place of dialogue and fraternity.
Medeossi believes Mary can provide a natural bridge between Christians and Muslims because she is also honoured in Islamic tradition.
“Mary is certainly a path of dialogue,” she said, adding that the beauty of the shrine itself often helps visitors move towards conversation and peace.
The shrine's artwork offers another example of cooperation: its paintings depicting Mary's life were created by Muslim Algerian women artists.
For Medeossi, Christian witness is less about preaching and more about how people live.
“We bear witness... by being ourselves and trying to live the Gospel fully with the person before us—not through words, but through actions,” she said.
She believes listening is essential, particularly in an interreligious setting. “You must listen to what the other person is telling you,” she explained, noting that people recognise sincerity through love, understanding and simple human warmth.
Medeossi also emphasised the importance of small acts of mercy.
“A moment of mercy” can transform an encounter that might otherwise end in anger, she observed.
For the rector of Santa Cruz, this daily practice of welcome, listening and compassion offers a practical expression of the Gospel — demonstrating that faith can build bridges and that peaceful coexistence can begin with something as simple as genuinely listening to another person.
Courtesy : Vatican News (Eugenio Murrali and Andrea Tornielli - Rimini)
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