In the lead-up to Pope Francis’ journey to Mexico, the ambassador of Mexico to the Holy See, Mariano Palacios Alcocer, spoke with journalists earlier this month in Rome.
Palacios noted the anticipation in the country for the arrival of the first Latin American pope, also pointing out that when Francis began his pontificate, it was the first time that a Mexican president attended the inauguration ceremony.
The ambassador asserted that “the message the Pope is taking [to Mexico] is one of hope and reconciliation.”
He also clarified that it “is an exclusive trip to our country, and the first in which a Pontiff is received in the National Palace.” Reviewing the troubled history of relations between the Church and the State, he illustrated that “in the 19th and 20th centuries they weren’t linear, they had ups and downs and dark moments, not to speak of the 25-year impasse with the Cristiada and of radical and Jacobin moments.”
The diplomat stressed that the existence of a Catholic and profoundly popular culture is evident in Mexico, which is of much importance to this trip, as well as the geographic and geopolitical position of his country.
Also of much weight in this connection, is the emigration of so many Mexican citizens to the United States. He noted that during Obama’s presidency more than two million immigrants of his country have been repatriated. Added to this is a constant flow “of brothers of Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador.”
The ambassador added that the Pope’s messages will shine a spotlight on problems at hand, although he indicated that in Mexico the difficulties are already of public knowledge, such as the violence in the country.
The Mexican diplomat also said that when he invited the Pope to go to Mexico at the beginning of his Pontificate, Francis said: “I have to go to Africa and Asia before,” in keeping with the commitments of Benedict XVI’s Pontificate.
He also noted that the Pope chose personally the itinerary he wished to follow. Ambassador Palacios said there has been an over-abundance of petitions, including for example, that the Holy Father was also invited by Congress, but he will not address them.
