Benedict in Mexico - Day 2

The Day's Events

• 08:00 - Private Holy Mass in the Chapel of Colegio Miraflores
• 18:00 - Courtesy visit to the Federal President in the House of Conde Rul in Guanajuato
• 18:45 - Greeting to children gathered at Plaza de la Paz in Guanajuato

Commentary

• In Pope’s Mexico Visit, the Pastoral Is Political, by Damien Cave. (New York Times 3/24/12):

  Pope Benedict XVI met with President Felipe Calderón on Saturday evening in what was described by the Vatican as a courtesy visit in the middle of a purely pastoral trip to Mexico and Cuba.

  But his comments beforehand, about violence in Mexico and communism in Cuba, made it clear that the pope did not intend to ignore his potential political influence.

This evening the Holy Father greeted the Children gathered in Peace Square, Guanajuato. In an ecstatic atmosphere, the Holy Father’s speech was interrupted several times with loud cheers! -- Salt + Light Television

Coverage

• Mexico: Benedict XVI meets President Calderon (La Stampa "The Vatican Insider" 3/25/12). Topics at the centre of bilateral talks include: nuclear disarmament, climate change, international agreements to limit the use and distribution of arms.
• In Mexico, tens of thousands gather before Pope Benedict's Mass (Kansas City Star 3/24/12):

  Singing, strumming guitars and trying to shield themselves from a searing sun, tens of thousands of Mexican Catholics came together Saturday nearly 24 hours ahead of an open-air Mass with Pope Benedict XVI.

• Mexican faithful flock to Pope Benedict (CBS News 3/24/12):

  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.

Crowds waved yellow and white Vatican flags as the Popemobile arrived in the steep streets of the colonial city of Guanajuato from neighboring Leon, in highly Catholic, central Mexico, where the pope is staying for three nights. Source: Getty Images

• Pope Will Bond With Mexico on First Trip, Vatican Says (New York Times 3/24/12):

  Benedict awoke to the pre-dawn serenade of two dozen youths from a Guadalajara church group who sang him a traditional folk song after getting as close as security would allow to the college in Leon where the pontiff is staying during his three-day visit to Mexico.

  "We sang with all our heart and all our force," said Maria Fernanda de Luna, a member of the group. "It gave us goose bumps to sing 'Las Mananitas' for him."

• On the Pope’s Plane: Ladies Rule the Roost, by Greg Burke. (Fox News Latino, 3/24/12). Traveling on the Pope’s plane is sort of like the Boys on the Bus, but not exactly. By my count, some 17 of the 70 reporters sitting in the back of the Alitalia flight are women.

General view of Peace square in front of the basilica of Guanajuato in Guanajuato, Mexico on March 24, 2012, during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. Source: Getty Images

• Mexican immigrants from Dallas area make trek for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit , by Alfredo Corchado, Mexican Bureau. (Dallas News 3/24/12):

  When President Felipe Calderón greeted Pope Benedict XVI, he did so on behalf of the millions of Mexicans, including those who had departed for the United States — immigrants, the president said, that “we profoundly miss.”

  He could have been talking about Tereso Ortiz, who traveled from Dallas, despite repeated travel warnings from U.S. authorities. Like millions, Ortiz watched on television as Benedict’s prayers included “Mexicans who live outside their homeland, but who have never forgotten, Mexicans who wish to see a nation grow in harmony and with an integral economic development.”

  “I won’t lie to you,” Ortiz said. “Those words moved me and brought tears to my eyes. That alone was worth the drive.”

• Mexico abuse victims denounce Vatican as Pope Benedict XVI visits (Los Angeles Times 3/24/12). "Benedict has sat down with abuse victims in almost every country he has visited. But his spokesman said Mexican bishops did not request such an encounter here -- an omission that victims' advocates said was unconscionable."