Pope’s Chiapas Visit Will Affirm Controversial Bishop

Long before Pope Francis spoke of a poor church for the poor and taking the church to the peripheries, Bishop Samuel Ruiz Garcia of San Cristobal de Las Casas built the church in southern Chiapas state.

Papal Trip to Mexico Is Mission of Mercy

Pope Francis said his reasons for his apostolic visit to Mexico Feb. 12-17 are “easy and simple.” “I want to come as a missionary of mercy and peace,” the pope said in a video message to the Mexican people.

Local Mexicans Cheer Pope’s Visit to Homeland

Enthusiasm and hope are brimming among Mexican Catholics in Brooklyn and Queens over Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to their native country, Feb. 12-17. That faith and excitement will be palpable at St. Brigid Church in Bushwick this Saturday evening, Feb. 6, when Mexican Catholics in the diocese will hold a 7 p.m. Mass to pray for the Holy Father and his intentions in Mexico.

Papal Visit Encourages Native Chiapas Ministry

Communities such as Bachajon have come to depend on indigenous deacons like Anselmo Hernandez, who play an important part in serving the Church and evangelizing remote regions of Chiapas state.

Murdered Mexican Mayor Was Warning, Says Bishop

The assassination of a Mexican mayor the day after she assumed office was a message from organized crime and evidence of its influence in the area around the city of Cuernavaca, said the bishop who celebrated her funeral Mass.

Mexican Priest: It’s Okay to Fight Back

COALCOMAN, Mexico (CNS) – Father Emiliano Mendoza Magana, pastor of the St. James the Apostle Parish in this town of timber cutters, recalls parishioners coming to confessions in past years with questions about grabbing guns and fighting back against a marauding drug cartel.

Feast Day in the Streets of Corona

On the eve of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s feast day, thousands of parishioners of Our Lady of Sorrows celebrated with a street procession, a Mass in Spanish, cultural performances and countless flowers. Mass was held outdoors because the Corona church has been closed since Jan. 4 when an early morning fire caused extensive damage.

Mexican Nun Wins Human Rights Award

Sister Consuelo Morales, a member of the Congregation of Our Lady: Canonesses of St. Augustine, has advocated for and accompanied families whose loved ones disappeared in violence or problematic security crackdowns.