Pope bids "Adios" to Mexicans, with an invitation to nourish their Christian roots
Guanajuato (AsiaNews) - "Dear Mexican friends, I say to you "Adios!"
in the traditional sense of this fine Hispanic expression: remain with God! Yes,
"Adios!"; for ever in the love of Christ, in which we meet each other and will
again meet with one another. May the Lord bless you and may Mary Most Holy
protect you!". These were the last words that Benedict XVI addressed to the
authorities and the thousands of faithful gathered at the airport at
Guanajuato, just before boarding the plane that brought him to Cuba, the second
leg of this journey in Central America and the Caribbean.
Visibly
moved, the pope briefly traced his three days Mexico, which saw hundreds of
thousands of enthusiastic people gathered for "Benedito", to the chant
"Benedicto hermano, ya eres mexicano!" ("Benedict,
brother, you are already a Mexican!").
"Recognizing
the faith in Jesus Christ - he said - which I have felt resounding in your
hearts, and your affectionate devotion to his Mother, invoked here with
beautiful titles like Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Light, a light I
have seen reflected in your faces, I wish to reiterate clearly and with vigour
a plea to the Mexican people to remain faithful to yourselves, not to let
yourselves be intimidated by the powers of evil, but to be valiant and to work
to ensure that the sap of your Christian roots may nourish your present and
your future".
The
Pope mentioned "expressions of concern," " some more recent and
others longstanding, which continue to cause such great distress". At
almost every stage of the visit, the pope spoke of violence, drug trafficking,
poverty, the idol of wealth. For
all this, the pope has promised to " share in the joys and the suffering
of my Mexican brothers and sisters, so as to place them in prayer at the foot
of the Cross, in the heart of Christ, from which flow the blood and water of
redemption."
"In
these circumstances - he added - In these circumstances, I strongly urge
Mexican Catholics, and all men and women of good will, not to yield to a
utilitarian mentality which always leads to the sacrifice of the weakest and
most defenceless. I invite you to a common effort so that society can be
renewed from the ground up, in order to attain a life of dignity, justice and
peace for everyone."
Until
a few years ago, the Mexican Church was banished from social life because of radical
Masonic government that dominated the country for almost the entire twentieth
century. Underlining
the new situation and entrusting new tasks, Benedict XVI urged "to be good
citizens, conscious of their responsibility to be concerned for the good of
all, both in their personal lives and throughout society" .
In
his speech, which preceded that of the pope, President Felipe de Jesús Calderón
Hinojosa noted "the joy of children and young people of Mexico," and
asked the pope to take with him also the "tears" of the
Mexicans who in the presence of the Pope have found "a new hope". And
finally he thanked him on behalf of "millions and millions of Mexicans."
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