http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hFzBFEbX-Qzv6_dB2Q8CtdIUAQ5g?docId=5f06d574846d4a10b59aa272db06d38f
Pope Benedict XVI recently visited Mexico to urge citizens to use their faith as a way to stray away from drug use and poverty.
Mexicans feel that the Pope was reminding them to stay strong midst daily struggles against criminality, corruption, and economic hardship. In the past, Mexican citizens have not connected with Pope Benedict as well as they did with the Pope before him, Pope John Paul.
Benedict won over people with this prayer at the end of Mass, "At this time when so many families are separated or forced to emigrate, when so many are suffering due to poverty, corruption, domestic violence, drug trafficking, the crisis of values and increased crime, we come to Mary in search of consolation, strength and hope." The reference to Mary is particularly important for Mexicans, who revere the Virgin of Guadalupe as their patron saint.
The Pope was told to give the crowd a message of hope because their lives have been consumed by "fear, helplessness, and grief" over the immense violence stemming from Mexico's drug trade.
Benedict chose to visit Guanajuato because John Paul II had never visited that area and he needed to bless the Christ the King statue which "expresses an identity of the Mexican people that contains a whole history in relation to the testimony of faith and those who fought for religious freedom at the time," said Monsignor Victor Rene Rodriguez, secretary general of the Mexican bishops conference. Also, this region is Mexico's most conservatively Catholic.
Pope Benedict XVI recently visited Mexico to urge citizens to use their faith as a way to stray away from drug use and poverty.
Mexicans feel that the Pope was reminding them to stay strong midst daily struggles against criminality, corruption, and economic hardship. In the past, Mexican citizens have not connected with Pope Benedict as well as they did with the Pope before him, Pope John Paul.
Benedict won over people with this prayer at the end of Mass, "At this time when so many families are separated or forced to emigrate, when so many are suffering due to poverty, corruption, domestic violence, drug trafficking, the crisis of values and increased crime, we come to Mary in search of consolation, strength and hope." The reference to Mary is particularly important for Mexicans, who revere the Virgin of Guadalupe as their patron saint.
The Pope was told to give the crowd a message of hope because their lives have been consumed by "fear, helplessness, and grief" over the immense violence stemming from Mexico's drug trade.
Benedict chose to visit Guanajuato because John Paul II had never visited that area and he needed to bless the Christ the King statue which "expresses an identity of the Mexican people that contains a whole history in relation to the testimony of faith and those who fought for religious freedom at the time," said Monsignor Victor Rene Rodriguez, secretary general of the Mexican bishops conference. Also, this region is Mexico's most conservatively Catholic.
No comments:
Post a Comment