CONCLUSIÓN

146. Vivimos en la actualidad una etapa difícil de nuestra historia: sufrimientos por la crisis internacional, fuerte carencia de valores humanos y espirituales, angustia existencial de los jóvenes que no encuentran su identidad ni su misión en el mundo, hedonismo y odio que corrompen el corazón humano, tanta pobreza e injusticia social que golpean la dignidad de hermanas y hermanos, todos aquellos que se han alejado del verdadero Dios, tanto desperdicio de riquezas y cualidades culturales, personales y sociales, en fin, tantos miedos para vivir, para compartir, para amar de verdad.

147. Necesitamos la participación de todos para hacer realidad la construcción del “templo” que pidió Santa María de Guadalupe, a saber, el templo de nuestra ciudad, de nuestra nación y de otras naciones. Se trata de alcanzar una identidad que parta de nuestras conciencias, se construya en medio de nuestras familias, para que desde ahí sea proclamado el mensaje de nueva vida en Dios, que Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe ha hecho florecer para el mundo entero.

148. Querido Juan Diego, muéstranos dónde quiere la Reina del Cielo, nuestra amada Niña, nuestra Madre, nuestra Señora de Guadalupe que le edifiquemos su templo; en qué corazón, en qué alma, en qué espíritu debemos construir la fe, esperanza y amor. Dinos dónde recogiste estas hermosas flores llenas de rocío matinal, dónde estaban arraigadas, quién las hizo crecer para nosotros, quién las acarició y las acomodó en tu tilma. Queremos ser esas nuevas rosas que florezcan en nuestro valle a veces tan frío, tan árido de civilidad. Queremos seguir dibujando con el pincel del Espíritu de Dios el rostro mestizo y moreno de cada habitante de esta ciudad, rostro donde resida y crezca el amor. Dinos, querido Juan Diego, indio diligente y obediente, indio noble y paciente, indio fiel y verdadero, dónde debemos ir, por cuál sendero debemos caminar, para llevar a este pueblo delante de santa María de Guadalupe, para que sean escuchados sus ruegos, sus tristezas, sus llantos, para que sean acariciados por esas manos cobijadoras de Madre. Condúcenos, amado Juan Diego, ante la Muchachita Morena del Tepeyac, nuestra Madre amorosa y compasiva, pues creemos en el mensaje del que fuiste testigo y nos has transmitido como fiel misionero de Dios. Por ti sabemos que la Reina y Señora nos ha colocado en su corazón, que estamos bajo su sombra y resguardo, que es la fuente de nuestra alegría, que estamos en el hueco de su manto, en el cruce de sus brazos; sabemos y estamos seguros de que es ella quien nos conduce al verdadero Dios por quien vivimos y somos. Gracias, Juan Diego, varón santo, felicidad de México, de América y de la Iglesia entera. Amén.

México, D. F., 26 de febrero de 2002, día en que el Santo Padre Juan Pablo II ha anunciado oficialmente, en solemne consistorio, su decisión de viajar a la Ciudad de México para la canonización del Beato Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin.

+ NORBERTO RIVERA CARRERA ARZOBISPO PRIMADO DE MEXICO

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), July 31, 2002

Answers

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-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), July 31, 2002.

Enrique,

What a beautiful post. I had never read this article from the Pope. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

Peace

-- Choas (choas@ivillage.com), July 31, 2002.

from the Washington Post:

A President's Reverent Kiss Gesture by Fox During Papal Visit Surprises Secular Mexico

By Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan Washington Post Foreign Service Thursday, August 1, 2002; Page A20

MEXICO CITY, July 31 -- Pope John Paul II delighted millions of this nation's poorest people today by canonizing the Americas' first indigenous saint, but talk about the saint was eclipsed by a controversial kiss. Upon the pope's arrival here Tuesday night, President Vicente Fox bent over and kissed the papal ring, a traditional gesture of reverence. But in a country with a long history of strained government relations with the church, Fox's kiss was startling. It dominated front pages and filled the airwaves today"And thsecularstate?" said the headline in today's La Jornada newspaper, reflecting continued discomfort among some Mexicans -- in a country where 90 percent of the population is Catholic -- with a president who openly practices his religion.

Many commentators called the kiss a historic turning point, and some cautioned that Fox appeared too cozy with -- and perhaps too deferential to -- the church. But in interviews on the street and in commentaries on radio and television, public sentiment seemed to be overwhelmingly with Fox.

"Kissing the ring was a beautiful thing," said Aurora Diaz Cadena, who left her home at 3 a.m. for a glimpse of the pope. "Times have really changed."

For more than 150 years, until Fox took office in 2000, Mexican presidents largely hid their religion. After independence from Catholic-dominated Spain in the early 19th century, the Mexican government separated itself from the powerful church, eventually outlawing worship in public places and prohibiting priests and nuns from voting, commenting on political affairs and wearing religious attire in public.

The last of those restrictions ended with constitutional amendments in 1992. But they didn't end in practice until Fox publicly began going to Mass and taking Holy Communion shortly after his election two years ago.

Before the kiss, Fox had already broken taboos -- and federal election law -- by hoisting a banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe during his presidential campaign. He was fined by electoral officials for breaking the ban on mixing religion and political campaigns, even though many Mexicans cheered it.

Alicia Buenrostro, a Fox spokeswoman, said Fox's kiss was a "spontaneous expression of his beliefs" that showed a "maturity in Mexican democracy" not demonstrated by previous presidents who hid their religious convictions.

Polls seem to support Fox's argument that political leaders should be free to practice their religion as long as they do not let it dictate their public policies.

This is John Paul's fifth visit to Mexico, but the first time a president has been so effusively involved. Past presidents have welcomed the pope, then left him to his followers. Fox attended today's Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and visited the Vatican residence here tonight for a private meeting with the pope.

Other politicians, however, kept their distance. Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a likely presidential candidate in 2006, greeted the pope at the doors of the basilica but did not go inside.

Fox has been accompanied by his wife, Martha Sahagun, who received a warm greeting from the pope. Fox and Sahagun, both previously divorced, were married by a judge last year over strong objections from conservative Catholic leaders here, who said their marriage was not valid in the eyes of the church. There had been much speculation here about how much Sahagun would be included in the pope's visit.

Massive crowds turned out across North America's biggest city today, jostling for a glimpse of the pope in the glass-domed Mercedes popemobile, which carried him for miles through the city. Although the size of the crowd across the city was difficult to calculate, Fox's office estimated it at more than 6 million people. The largest gathering was at the basilica, where the pope presided over a Mass to canonize Juan Diego, an Indian to whom the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared in 1531.

The pope, who displays symptoms of Parkinson's disease, appeared to struggle to keep his head up during the three-hour service, carried live on national television. To accommodate the crowds outside the basilica, platoons of priests positioned themselves on street corners offering Holy Communion to tens of thousands.

"I would like to have touched him, but at least I saw him," said Hilda Hernandez, 60, who came to ask the pope for a miracle because her husband has stomach cancer. "I feel he has already heard my prayers and will answer them."Hernandez said friends gave her the money for the 200-mile bus trip from her home in the central Mexican city of San Luis Potosi. She joined many other people who have been sleeping on the streets this week, awaiting the pope.Beatriz Lopez, 27, an indigenous woman from the southern stateOaxaca, said she made her bus journey to the capital to give thanks to Juan Diego, the new saint. Lopez is eight months pregnant and said her pregnancy resulted from prayers to him. She said her baby will be named Juan Pablo, in honor of the pope, to thank him for canonizing Juan Diego.

As he did on a stop in Guatemala on Tuesday, the pope singled out indigenous people, who have the region's highest rates of poverty and illiteracy. The pope called for respect for the "authentic values of each ethnic group."

Some historians argue that Juan Diego never existed and that his story was simply a Spanish ploy to convert the indigenous people. But according to the Vatican, Juan Diego was visited by the virgin, who instructed him to build a church near the site where the huge basilica in her name now stands. It is one of the world's most visited religious sites.

Juan Diego's cloak, which the church says is miraculously imprinted with the virgin's image, hangs over the altar where the pope said Mass.

"To say Juan Diego did not exist to us is like saying George Washington or Abraham Lincoln didn't exist," said Cecilia Gonzalez, a high school student who stood in a crowd that kept an all-night vigil outside the Vatican residence where the pope is staying.

In his homily today, the pope called Juan Diego "a simple, humble Indian." Juan Diego is credited with helping convert millions of Mexicans to Catholicism in the 16th century, and the pope seemed to call on him to continue leading people to the Catholic faith.

"Blessed Juan Diego," the pope said, "we ask you to accompany the church on her pilgrimage in Mexico, so that she may be more evangelizing and more missionary each day."

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), August 01, 2002.

Enrique,

Interesting post. I was watching the Pope's visit to Mexico on EWTN Tuesday night and was also surprised by President Fox's actions to the Pope. He (Fox) seemed extremely happy to be able to host Pope John Paul II. It was interesting to watch even if I didn't know the history of Mexican politics. Now it is even more interesting.

-- Glenn (glenn@excite.com), August 01, 2002.

I just stumbled upon this & found it very interesting & wanted to share.

[Note: Upon his election, President Vicente Fox of Mexico paid a visit to her image and that day a quake was felt in Mexico City. So too did Governor Jeb Bush of Florida visit the shrine, and after countless supplications by millions of pro-lifers invoking her in the last U.S. presidential election, a pro-lifer named George Bush was declared president when the Supreme Court decided for him on December 12, 2000 -- the Guadalupe feast day.]

-- Choas (choas@ivillage.com), August 01, 2002.

Jmj

Felicitaciones, amigo Enrique! Were you able to take part in the papal visit in some way?
I was able to watch the canonization of beloved St. Juan Diego on EWTN. The Mass and ceremonies were very moving, and the music was the most beautiful I have heard in many years.
JFG

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), August 15, 2002.

Thank you, John, for your congratulations. I wasn't able to be physically present niether at the Canonization Mass for St. Juan Diego nor the one for the beatification of the Cajonos Martyrs, but I enjoyed both of them on TV. You are right: the dances and the music were extraordinary, I think it was a magnificent example of "inculturation" of the _Faith. In order to get a ticket for the Beatification you had to be either a very notable person in the Church of Oaxaca (where I live) or a native indian which I am not. I think it was a nice and just gesture in this case to give preference to the Mexican Indians, since both the Canonization and the Beatification had very special meaning for them. During the Beatification the songs were taken from the OAXACAN MASS, composed by a well known musician from Oaxaca City. It is inspired in popular songs from this region. That explains why the people sing it with such enthusiasm.It was executed during the Mass in the main square of the city during the first Papal visit in 1979.

God bless you, John.

Enrique

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), August 16, 2002.