Pope in Mexico: Church and society must seek the common good, not privileges
During his meetings with Mexican authorities and bishops, Francis paid tribute to ‘la Morenita’. Drug trafficking represents "a moral and anti-social challenge” for Mexican society as a whole, including the Church. Pastors should "show a singular tenderness” for "indigenous peoples and their fascinating but not infrequently decimated cultures”. The pontiff calls for communion with the North American episcopate to help migrants “keep alive the roots of the faith [. . .], as well as the motivation for their hope and the power of their charity.”
Mexico City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis delivered the first major addresses of his visit to Mexico on Saturday, to the nation’s civil authorities and the diplomatic corps as well as the country’s bishops.
After arriving last night at 8 pm (local time), he made his way amid enthusiastic crowds, until the Nunciature in Mexico City, where he spent the night.
This morning, he travelled to the Palacio National (National Palace) for the welcome ceremony, where he met Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Mexican dignitaries, civil society representatives, and the diplomatic corps.
He centred his speeches on the common good, “the ‘common good’ which in this twenty-first century is not in such great demand,” without any kind of “privilege” that leads to corruption, violence and drug trafficking, which represents "a moral and anti-social challenge" for Mexican society as a whole as well as the Church, which is called to bear witness to seeing Jesus.
In the meetings with civic and other dignitaries as well as Mexican bishops, the pontiff also focused on Latin America’s patron saint, ‘la Morenita,’ as the Virgin of Guadalupe is affectionately called. For Francis, “Only by looking at la Morenita can Mexico be understood in its entirety.”
“Today,” he said in his first address in the National Palace, “I come as a missionary of mercy and of peace but also as a son who wishes to pay homage to his mother, the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe, and place himself under her watchful care. Endeavouring to be a good son, following in our mother’s footsteps, I wish in turn to pay my respects to this people and to this land which is so rich in culture, history, and diversity.”
Seeking privilege leads to corruption
“Mexico is a great country. It is blessed with abundant natural resources and with an enormous biodiversity that extends across its vast territory. [. . .] I believe and I dare to say that Mexico’s principal richness today has a young face; yes, this richness is your young people. Just over half of the population is made up of youth. This makes it possible to contemplate and plan for a future, for a tomorrow. This offers hope and future prospects. A people with a youthful population is a people able to renew and transform itself; it is an invitation to look to the future with hope and, in turn, it challenges us in a positive way here and now.
“This reality inevitably leads us to think about one’s own responsibilities when it comes to constructing the kind of Mexico we want, the Mexico that we want to pass on to coming generations.
“It also leads us to the realization that a hope-filled future is forged in a present made up of men and women who are upright, honest, and capable of working for the common good, the “common good” which in this twenty-first century is not in such great demand. Experience teaches us that each time we seek the path of privileges or benefits for a few to the detriment of the good of all, sooner or later the life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, drug trade, exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death, bringing suffering and slowing down development.”
Faced with such reality, the pope warned that “Leaders of social, cultural and political life have the particular duty to offer all citizens the opportunity to be worthy contributors of their own future, within their families and in all areas where human social interaction takes place. In this way they help citizens to have real access to the material and spiritual goods which are indispensable: adequate housing, dignified employment, food, true justice, effective security, a healthy and peaceful environment.
“This is not just a question of laws which need to be updated and improved – something always necessary – but rather a need for urgent formation of the personal responsibility of each individual, with full respect for others as men and women jointly responsible in promoting the advancement of the nation. It is a task which involves all Mexicans in different spheres, public or private, collective or individual.”
The Virgin of Guadalupe was also at the centre of the long speech Francis delivered before the bishops of Mexico in the cathedral, where he arrived in the popemobile among almost one hundred thousand people in Mexico City’s Plaza de la Constitución (Constitution Square).
“I am pleased to have this opportunity of meeting you the day after my arrival here in this beloved country,” he said. “How could I not come! Could the Successor of Peter, called from the far south of Latin America, deprive himself of seeing la Virgen Morenita? [. . .] Please allow la Guadalupana to be the starting point of everything I will say to you. [. . .]
“Above all, la Virgen Morenita teaches us that the only power capable of conquering the hearts of men and women is the tenderness of God. That which delights and attracts, that which humbles and overcomes, that which opens and unleashes, is not the power of instruments or the force of law, but rather the omnipotent weakness of divine love, which is the irresistible force of its gentleness and the irrevocable pledge of its mercy. [. . .]
“Bow down then, quietly and respectfully, towards the profound spirit of your people, go down with care and decipher its mysterious face. The present, so often mixed with dispersion and festivity, is it not for God a preparatory stage, for him who alone is fully present? Familiarity with pain and death, are they not forms of courage and pathways to hope? And the view that the world is always and uniquely in need of redemption, is this not an antidote to the proud self-sufficiency of those who think they can do without God?
“Naturally, for this reason it is necessary to have an outlook capable of reflecting the tenderness of God. I ask you, therefore, to be bishops who have a pure vision, a transparent soul, and a joyful face. Do not fear transparency. The Church does not need darkness to carry out her work. Be vigilant so that your vision will not be darkened by the gloomy mist of worldliness; do not allow yourselves to be corrupted by trivial materialism or by the seductive illusion of underhanded agreements; do not place your faith in the ‘chariots and horses’ of today’s Pharaohs, for our strength is in ‘the pillar of fire’ which divides the sea in two, without much fanfare (cf. Ex 14:24-25).”
Many young people "commercialize" death in exchange for money
In a world that “is today dominated by a view of life which more than ever many consider to be hesitant, itinerant and lawless because it lacks a firm foundation. [. . .] It is in this very world that God asks you to have a view capable of grasping that plea which cries out from the heart of your people”. [. . .]
“If our vision does not witness to having seen Jesus, then the words with which we recall him will be rhetorical and empty figures of speech. They may perhaps express the nostalgia of those who cannot forget the Lord, but who have become, at any rate, mere babbling orphans beside a tomb. Finally, they may be words that are incapable of preventing this world of ours from being abandoned and reduced to its own desperate power.”
As he did in his speech at the presidential palace, the pope expressed concern for young people. “I am particularly concerned about those many persons who, seduced by the empty power of the world, praise illusions and embrace their macabre symbols to commercialize death in exchange for money which, in the end, ‘moth and rust consume’ and “thieves break in and steal” (Mt 6:19). I urge you not to underestimate the moral and antisocial challenge which the drug trade represents for Mexican society as a whole, as well as for the Church.
“The magnitude of this phenomenon, the complexity of its causes, its immensity and its scope which devours like a metastasis, and the gravity of the violence which divides with its distorted expressions, do not allow us as Pastors of the Church to hide behind anodyne denunciations. Rather they demand of us a prophetic courage as well as a reliable and qualified pastoral plan, so that we can gradually help build that fragile network of human relationships without which all of us would be defeated from the outset in the face of such an insidious threat.
“Only by starting with families, by drawing close and embracing the fringes of human existence in the ravaged areas of our cities and by seeking the involvement of parish communities, schools, community institutions, political communities and institutions responsible for security, will people finally escape the raging waters that drown so many, either victims of the drug trade or those who stand before God with their hands drenched in blood, though with pockets filled with sordid money and their consciences deadened.”
The pope also touched two other particularly sensitive issues in the nation’s life. “I ask you to show singular tenderness in the way you regard indigenous peoples and their fascinating but not infrequently decimated cultures.” [. . .]
“Allow me a final word to convey the appreciation of the Pope for everything you are doing to confront the challenge of our age: migration. There are millions of sons and daughters of the Church who today live in the diaspora or who are in transit, journeying to the north in search of new opportunities. Many of them have left behind their roots in order to brave the future, even in clandestine conditions which involve so many risks; they do this to seek the ‘green light’ which they regard as hope. So many families are separated; and integration into a supposedly ‘promised land’ is not always as easy as some believe.
“Brothers, may your hearts be capable of following these men and women and reaching them beyond the borders. Strengthen the communion with your brothers of the North American episcopate, so that the maternal presence of the Church can keep alive the roots of the faith of these men and women, as well as the motivation for their hope and the power of their charity.”
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