In receiving the award, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime underlined his love for Asturias and its roots. "I like my land" he highlighted in his speech. "I allow myself to call myself an ambassador of Asturias and even the Pope knows that I am Asturian, since I always talk about how we are good people and how we make ourselves loved," he added.
Also present at the award ceremony was the Mayor of Gozón, Jorge Suárez, who expressed his pride and joy at the presence of the 10th Successor of Don Bosco. The Mayor presented him as "the son of a simple family of fishermen", a sobriquet for which the Rector Major was particularly grateful. "We are the result of what we have received", the Rector Major recalled "but also of our personal work."
Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, who said he was "honoured, grateful and happy" for the recognition, received the award and the commemorative certificate from the Vicar General of Oviedo, Jorge Juan Fernández Sangrador. He also took the opportunity to praise the beauty of Cudillero, stating that in his multiple trips, in 120 countries, he understood that "the world is beautiful, even if sometimes we ruin it."
A special performance by the Arduríu Pixuatu dance group took place during the event, followed by a greeting from the President of the "Amigos de Cudillero" Association, Juan Luis Álvarez del Busto. The latter said how this award goes beyond national borders and how it aims to distinguish people or institutions that stand out for their work on behalf of Asturias in general and the city of Cudillero in particular. “I must confess that when the prize came into existence I never thought it would become something so appreciated and of such great value,” said Del Busto.
In conclusion, the Mayor of Cudillero, Carlos Valle, encouraged the Rector Major and the other winners to continue spreading the history and legacy of Asturias. The celebration then ended with the anthem of Asturias and as well as the Spanish anthem.
