As soon as Rosa and Sergio Siller heard Pope Francis was visiting Ciudad Juarez, they knew they had to visit. The couple led a group of pilgrims from Sacred Heart parish in Phoenix to Sergio Siller’s hometown, the last stop on Pope Francis’ Feb. 12-17 visit to Mexico.
Though their differences are recognizable and real, Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow emphasized their obligation as Christians and as bishops to encourage collaboration among Christians and charity for all who suffer.
MORELIA, Mexico (CNS) – The devil loves Christians – especially priests and nuns – who are resigned to the violence and corruption around them, Pope Francis said.
Two days before Pope Francis’ main event in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, the Diocese of El Paso was coordinating the final touches to its own two papal events.
Paying homage to the culture and ancient wisdom of Mexico’s indigenous peoples, Pope Francis urged them to hold on to hope and condemned those who exploit their people and their land.
A little bit of kindness can go a long way when recovering from illness, Pope Francis told a group of young patients. “Not only medicine but also ‘kindness therapy’ can make you live your time here with greater joy,” the pope said Feb. 14.
Pope Francis began his travels to Mexico’s “peripheries” by visiting an overcrowded, sprawling settlement known internationally as a hunting ground for girls to force into prostitution and for boys to enlist in the drug trade.
Pope Francis fulfilled his much-desired wish to pray in silence before the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Pope Francis told Mexico’s president and government officials that the country’s future can be bright only if government and business leaders put an end to a culture of “favors” for the influential and scraps for the poor.
At long last, Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow embraced, kissing each other three times. “Finally,” the pope told the patriarch Feb. 12 as they met in a lounge at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport. “We are brothers,” he told the patriarch.
