Pope Benedict XVI greets young Mexicans as he arrives in Leon March 23, 2012. The Pope arrived for a three-day visit in Mexico. Picture taken March 23, 2012.
Posted on 03/24/2012 6:51:33 AM PDT by NYer
LEON, Mexico (AP) -- There was little excitement in Leon in the hours before the pope arrived.
Crowds were thin. Spectators napped under trees. Vendors complained about the low turnout here in the conservative heartland of Mexico's Roman Catholicism.
Then, as Pope Benedict XVI's plane appeared in the shimmering heat of Friday afternoon, people poured from their homes. They packed sidewalks five and six deep, screaming ecstatically as the pope passed, waving slowly. Some burst into tears.
Many had said moments earlier that they could never love a pope as strongly as Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II. But the presence of a pope on Mexican soil touched a chord of overwhelming respect and adoration for the papacy itself, the personification for many of the Catholic Church, and God. Thousands found themselves taken aback by their own emotions.
As a girl, Celia del Rosario Escobar, 42, saw John Paul II on one of his five trips to Mexico, which brought him near-universal adoration.
"I was 12 and it's an experience that still makes a deep impression on me," she said. "I thought this would be different, but, no, the experience is the same."
"I can't speak," she murmured, pressing her hands to her chest and starting to cry.
Belief in the goodness and power of the pope runs deep in Guanajuato, the most observantly Catholic state in Mexico, a place of deep social conservatism and the wellspring of an armed uprising against harsh anti-clerical laws in the 1920s. Some in the crowd came for literal healing, a blessing from the pope's passage that would cure illness, or bring them more work. Others sought inspiration, rejuvenation of their faith, energy to be a better parent.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
People are surrounded by such evil every day that when a really good man comes into their lives you can actually feel the goodness eminating from him. I remember when JPII visited here in AZ, you could literally feel it when he landed and stepped out onto the ground.
Nice pictures!
I’m not Catholic but I too adored Pope John Paul II. He, along with Ronaldus Magnus and Lady Thatcher led the defeat of Communism in the second half of the 20th century. Strange how the vile thing has sprung back up in the form of the current administration.
I have such fond memories of trips to Mexico. I’m so sad that now I would not want to go because of the violence and even if I did it would be to a tourist enclave. We actually camped in the early 70s at Cancun and there was absolutely nothing there but a coca plantation and some wonderful lagoons. We snorkeled. We slept in hammocks. We also camped about a mile from Tulum. Again, nothing there but a guy up on a bluff who would cook what we caught and charge us for it if we brought it to him. We slept in our camper on the beach with some friends and caught and cooked most of our food. We were 60 miles from the nearest town (where we could buy bread) but the beer truck stopped on its way to the coca plantation down the road twice a week.
Well...I’m sure the Pope is a good man, but...guess what....here it comes....heresy...I know............the Pope is a sinner just as every other man since the beginning of time. He is no more holy than you and I.
“ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”. Romans 3:23
Said in love and respect.
We should keep all of our leaders in our prayers, including our earlthly religious leaders. 1Timothy 2:1-3
A lady I work with went back home to chihuahua and she said she was stunned by the changes. Her sister there warned her about what shoes to wear to avoid having them stolen..
May his presence help a bleeding and sick land back to peace. My heart weeps for Mexico—they have endured too much due to corruption and gangs. I see only revolution—maybe Communism and all the horrors of that system to stop the gangs that have ruined that nation. Let the peace of the Pope be as a bandage upon there souls.
Some parts are still ok. I was in Oaxaca (City, as well as some surrounding villages) about a month ago and it has had very little problem with the drug gangs. In fact, the worst group it had there was the teachers’ union, which was dissatisfied with the election results a couple of years ago (because the conservative party won) and set up barricades and burned tires in the streets! Where is Governor Walker when you need him?
I met some Americans who lived in or near Merida or Campeche, and they said those places were ok. Most of the really awful stuff seems to happen up north, particularly as you get closer to the border w the US.
It would seem that you do not know the difference between infalliability and impeccability.
Every Pope goes to Confession — sometimes daily.
But decisions of faith and morals pronounced through him or the Magisterium are infalliable.
Please check those two meanings.
*****.heresy...I know............the Pope is a sinner*****
Not heresy. Throughout salvation history, God has chosen sinners to reveal Himself to our fathers in faith and to us. There is no heresy is knowing the pope is a sinner in need of God’s saving grace, through Jesus.
*****Said in love and respect.*****
But, in error. It’s okay, it is common for people to not know or misunderstand the teachings of the Church.
*****We should keep all of our leaders in our prayers, including our earlthly religious leaders. 1Timothy 2:1-3****
Absolutely.
No, that’s not the solution! Communism is actually the cause of today’s problems. Few Americans understand that Mexico has been, ever since its “Revolution” in the 1920s, technically a Socialist country. In any place where every aspect of life, both economic and social, is controlled by the government, corruption thrives because the government becomes the source of all power, all advancement, and in fact, all employment. This gives incredible power to bureaucrats, who can easily be bought, and it also results in the establishment of a kind of underground economy (witness the Soviet Union).
In the last few years, Mexicans have been electing the conservative party and part of the drug violence is attributable to this. The old cozy arrangements between the drug lords and drug couriers and local authorities got shaken up and destroyed because in many cases, these authorities were replaced with PAN members and also because there was a strong reform movement aimed at rejecting corruption. Many decent police officers, army members and local officials have died in the fight.
And it’s international. All the Communist governments of Latin America (such as Bolivia, Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela) make lots of money off of the drug trade and it is in fact a major source of income for them. So seeing it cut off in Mexico before it reaches the markets in the US is a serious threat, and believe me, they don’t take it lightly and they are very vicious.
Mexico doesn’t need a Communist revolution because it has already had one, and what you are looking at are its results. What Mexico really needs is what the current government is doing (liberalizing the economy and getting the state out of everything), more support from the US of the kind that Colombia received under Reagan and the Bushes — and for the US to stop using drugs.
I don’t see why, if it was possible to nearly halt the use of tobacco in the US, which was something that had far less serious physical and social effects, it is not possible for us to halt the use of drugs here. And remember, a lot of the decline in tobacco use wasn’t even due to laws, it was due to social pressure: it became uncool to smoke. So why do our movie stars and everybody else forming our “opinion leadership” act as if it is cool to use drugs?
That’s a US spiritual problem.
We know he is a sinner! Hello! The title Holy Father does not mean Eternal Father. A long history of misinformation and false views of who he is blurs the truth.
A sinner, yes; but to say that all believers are equally holy does not strike me as biblical. At any rate, what captivated the Mexicans in this case is a twofold holiness (IMHO):
First, the holiness of his office as the Vicar of Christ - he is, after all, the Successor of St. Peter (this is a historical fact, and not just a theological reality);
Second, his personal holiness. Jesus exhorts us to be holy as our heavenly Father is holy and St. Paul makes it clear that this is the will of God, our sanctification. While it is the will of God that all be saved, that all be holy, unfortunately few are those who correspond to that call.
Thank you for writing with "in love and respect". There are already more than enough hotheads blogging nowadays ;-)
May the Lord bless you and keep you!
Since he is the successor of Peter, on account of his Office, I would not be surprised if some are healed by the mere passing of his shadow. As regards his personal holiness, none of us can really know that, except by the fruits of his labor. I thought it was great that he prepped the Cubans with his remarks about how communism has got to go, just days before stepping foot there! That is a pastor of souls!
I agree 100 %—Thanks for the commentary—a Right wing—democratic Government might stop the violence. Maybe they need a King.
Within a short time of a new pope's election, before the Cardinals return home, a formal ceremony of inauguration takes place at which the woolen pallium - symbolizing the plenitudo pontificalis officii (i.e. the plenitude of pontifical office); - is bestowed upon him. The choir chants "Tu es Petrus" (Thou art Peter), the words Christ spoke to Peter when He told him he was the Rock on which Jesus would build His Church and asked him to feed His sheep.
Only the AP or similar ilk could be surprised at Mexicans’ enthusiasm for Pope Benedict.
Hey NYER I was at Taco stand today some of the workers been watching Pope travel down the street in Leon in that SUVs today there lots of security I didn’t understand Telemundo commentary boy they are going all out in SPanigh lanuage media
Please read the following story, which I believe to be true (taken from the blog "Roma locuta est"):
A priest friend of Scott Hahn's had returned from Rome and told Mr. Hahn this story. The priest was on his way to a private audience with the Pope but was running early. He thus decided to stop in a church to pray before his meeting. On the steps of the church were a number of beggars, something fairly common in Rome. As he approached the church, the priest thought that he recognized one of the beggars. After entering the sanctuary he knelt down to pray, whereupon he remembered how he knew the man. The priest immediately rushed out and approached the familiar beggar exclaiming, “I know you. Didn’t we go to seminary together?”
The man gave a humble affirmative.
“So you are a priest then?” he said to the beggar.
The man replied, “Not anymore. I fell off the deep end. Leave me alone.”
The priest mindful of his approaching appointment with the Holy Father, said nothing more than, “I’ll pray for you.” The familiar man replied, “A lot of good that will do.” With that, the priest left the man on the steps and departed for his meeting.
These sorts of meetings with the Pope are typically very formal. There are any number of people who have been granted a private audience at the same time, and when the Holy Father makes his way around to you, his secretary hands him a blessed rosary, and he in turn hands it to you. At this point, one would probably kiss the Pope’s ring and say something heartfelt, yet almost generic, such as asking him to pray for you, telling him you are praying for him, or thanking him for his service to the Church. However, when Pope John Paul II approached, the priest couldn’t help himself and blurted out, “Please pray for my friend.” Not only this, but the priest continued to blurt out the entire story. The Holy Father, looking concerned, assured the priest that he would pray for his friend.
Later that day, the priest received a letter from the Vatican. Excited and curious, he rushed with the letter back to the church where he last saw his classmate. Only a few beggars were left, and as luck (or grace) would have it, his friend was among the few. He approached the man and said, “I have been to see the Pope, and he said he would pray for you as well.”
The man listened.
“There’s more. He has invited you and me to his private residence for dinner.”
“Impossible,” said the man, “Look at me. I am a mess. I haven’t showered in God knows how long, and my clothes ...” Sensing the gravity of the situation (and understanding that this man was his admission ticket to have dinner with the Pope), the priest said, “I have a hotel room across the street where you can shower and shave, and I have clothes that will fit you.”
By the grace of God, the man agreed, and so the two of them were off to have dinner with Pope John Paul II.
The hospitality was wondrous. Near the close of dinner, just before dessert, the Holy Father motioned to the priest who didn’t understand what the Pope was trying to say. Finally, the secretary explained, “He want us to leave,” at which point the priest and the secretary left the Holy Father alone with the beggar.
After fifteen minutes, the man emerged from the room in tears.
“What happened in there?” asked the priest.
The most remarkable and unexpected reply came.
“He asked me to hear his confession,” choked the beggar. After regaining composure, the man continued, “I told him, ‘Your Holiness, look at me. I am a beggar. I am not a priest.’
“The Pope looked at me and said, ‘My son, once a priest always a priest, and who among us is not a beggar. I too come before the Lord as a beggar asking for forgiveness of my sins.’ I told him I was not in good standing with the Church, and he assured me that as the Bishop of Rome he could reinstate me then and there.”
The man then relayed that it had been so long since he had heard a confession that the Pope had to help him through the words of absolution.
The priest asked, “But you were in there for fifteen minutes. Surely the Pope’s confession did not last that long.”
“No,” said his friend, “But after I heard his confession, I asked him to hear mine.”
The final words spoken by Pope John Paul II to this prodigal son came in the form of a commission. The Holy Father gave the newly-reconciled priest his first assignment: to go and minister to the homeless and the beggars on the steps of the very church from where he just came.
The only words I can add to the incredible story are this: what a humble example we have in Pope John Paul the Great. Here is a man that was able to see not only Jesus Christ, but also the Priesthood of Christ, in the eyes of a fallen-away beggar. Not only that, but he bowed before the beggar in humility with full awareness of his own sinfulness. In doing so, the Pope gave the man the opportunity to perform the only priestly act that was immediately available to him.
As a closing remark, it is said that Pope John Paul II went to confession every week. Would that we follow this example, how many of us would be saints.
I’m a Catholic and yes, we know that the Pope, like all of us is a sinner and all of us are under God’s grace.
What a blessing it was to read that edifying story, Campion. Thank you for posting it, and have a blessed Lent.
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