(Vatican Radio) After arriving in Mexico City on Friday night, Pope Francis made a brief appearance outside the Apostolic Nunciature (Vatican Embassy), where he will be staying while in the Mexican capital.
He told the people they “needed to rest” ahead of the weekend’s festivities, and accepted two white roses from well-wishers.
He also led the crowd in a Hail Mary.
Finally, he left them with these word: “Look at the Virgin and remember these faces: The people who love us, those we love, those we do not like, those who do not like us, and are envious of us.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has a fortnightly telephone appointment with a youth prison in Buenos Aires, where he speaks to the young people incarcerated there.
The head of the Vatican Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, revealed this during a press conference in Mexico City on Friday.
When asked about the prison riot at Topo Chico prison in Monterrey, Mexico, which left 49 people dead, Fr. Lombardi said the event had “troubled the heart” of Pope Francis.
Pope Francis is scheduled to visit a prison near the end of his visit to Mexico in the city of Juarez, which Fr. Lombardi said was still on the schedule, adding Pope Francis has a strong commitment to ministry to prisoners.
“Not only has he visited penitentiaries in Rome, such as the Holy Thursday ceremony in Rebibbia, where he met with detainees” – Father Lombardi said – “Pope Francis also every 15 days carries out a telephone conversation with young prisoners in Buenos Aires.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is in Mexico on his 12th Apostolic Journey, after meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Havana, Cuba to sign a joint declaration. The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, spoke with Veronica Scarisbrick about the Holy Father’s meeting with the Patriarch and his arrival in Mexico.
Listen to their conversation:
Noting that the Pope and the Patriarch’s encounter was private, Fr. Lombardi said the climate of the discussion was “very friendly, but ‘friendly’ is too little an expression for he says the encounter [began] with the Patriarch saying ‘my brother’ and ended with ‘finally, finally we meet, you are my brother’. This means he was very happy and the Patriarch was also happy.”
He notes this will not be a unique episode but is merely the beginning of a closer relationship. “The Pope has said that they spoke about some concrete initiatives, but he has not explained what. The talk was not theoretically but was concrete.”
“The dynamic element is the personal encounter between the Pope and the Patriarch.”
Mexican welcome
Turning to the arrival of Pope Francis in Mexico , Fr. Lombardi said “here in Mexico City we have these incredible crowds, over a million people. There was a very good preparation for the little arrival ceremony, with people, songs, and dances.
As per his usual, the Holy Father immediately broke protocol upon arrival, going to meet the people. “In this sense I think we have already experienced how the great Mexican people is happy to have the Pope with them and how the Pope desires to meet personally and directly many, many people. This is obviously a place where the Pope speaks his [native] language; this is an advantage. I think it will be a marvellous encounter with this land where the people has always demonstrated an enormous love for the popes.”
Concluding the interview, Fr. Lombardi said, “the vitality of the youth of this people will give a sense of hope, of dynamism, and future, and also the encounter with the Virgin of Guadalupe will give a sense of tenderness and spirituality to these days.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is in Mexico on his 12th Apostolic Journey. He was welcomed there to an atmosphere of ‘fiesta’ on Friday night. On Saturday his schedule includes an encounter with civil society and the diplomatic corps, the bishops of Mexico, and Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Vatican Radio’s Veronica Scarisbrick is in Mexico with Pope Francis and sent this report on Saturday’s activities.
Listen to the report:
While Pope Francis comes to Mexico to walk with the people he has also begged a chance to pray on his own. You’ll have guessed where. It’s before the image of ‘Our Lady of Guadalupe’ which he says inspires security and tenderness. “She is our mother”, he insists, “who cares, protects and leads a people”.
His request has been granted and on Saturday on the first full day of his Apostolic journey he’ll be shown into a sort of secret room, the ‘camarin’ as they call it, located directly behind the altar of the Basilica of the Shrine which houses this image.
To get to it a sort of mini bank vault has to be unlocked. And for this fleeting occasion the image will be turned towards the Pope rather than towards the congregation gathered there for Holy Mass.
You are probably familiar with this 16th century image of Our Lady framed by a pink almond shaped oval with the rays of the sun all around, wearing a green blue cloak decorated with stars and standing on a crescent moon. The moon being symbolic of Mexico as the word means ‘navel of the moon’. Known as the ‘Morenita’ she appeared as a ‘mestizo’, of mixed race, so symbolic of the unity of Mexican people.
Pope Francis makes requests but also courteously accepts invitations. Naturally from the nation’s President Enrique Pena Nieto at the impressive ‘Palacio Nacional’, seat of the federal executive in Mexico.
Located at the heart of Mexico City the building with its stylish colonial red façade overlooks the elegant “Plaza de la Constituciòn” known as ‘El Zòcalo’. Part of the stone used for it was stolen from the original Palace of the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II, also in the early 16th century.
It is there that on Saturday morning Pope Francis delivers his first speech to the Mexican nation in the presence of civil authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps.
The second speech is to the Bishops fittingly in the City’s Metropolitan Cathedral of the ‘Assumption’ with its ‘Dona Maria’ bell which pealed for two hours to welcome the Pope to town on Saturday evening. An ornate colonial building which like all of the rest of this capital city sinks into the spongey soil of what was once an azure lake. One which houses a massive gold altar. I mean really massive. That’s why perhaps the ‘guardia federal’ keeps guard inside the precints of the Cathedral.
In Mexico City, I’m Veronica Scarisbrick.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis arrived in Mexico Friday evening after an historic meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Cuba . This is his 12th Apostolic Journey and is the third Pope to visit the country. Vatican Radio’s Veronica Scarisbrick is with the Pope in Mexico. She sends us this report on his arrival Friday evening.
Listen to the report:
The Pope’s arrival in Mexico City was supposed to be a straightforward affair without particular protocol. In reality it had more the feeling of a ‘fiesta’ verging on a television show.
There was a stadium crowd, mariachi, folk dancers in colourful traditional dresses and singers of all ages including children. But then as we know Mexicans love fiestas.
And perhaps Pope Francis does too. He certainly looked relaxed and happy as he always does when he’s back among his people.
On a more official note the President of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto was there to greet him together with his wife, the ‘primera dama’.
And there were children who ran all together into his arms to hug him while the crowds yelled “ Quedan que el papa nos benedica’, requesting he bless them.
Eventually he did bless them and then waved in a friendly manner and on a more profane note he donned a black and gold Mexican mariachi hat for a moment.
And then he climbed into his pope mobile and covered the nineteen kilometres into town amid a tunnel of cheering crowds lighting up the night with their smart phones or torches.
Definitely a homecoming…
With Pope Francis in Mexico City, I’m Veronica Scarisbrick
(from Vatican Radio)…