Vatican City, 13 February 2016 (VIS) –
After signing the Joint Declaration with Patriarch Kirill, the Pope
departed by air for Mexico. During the trip he spoke briefly with
journalists, expressing his joy at the encounter with the Patriarch
and the willingness of President Raul Castro to host the meeting.
The Pope revealed that he had spoken
with the Cuban president at his previous meeting and that the latter
had expressed his full availability to facilitate the meeting between
the bishop of Rome and the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in
Havana. Francis thanked President Castro for this gesture and spoke
about his experience with His Holiness Kirill.
"In all honesty, I felt I was in
front of a brother, and he said the same to me too. Two bishops who
talk about the situation of their Churches, first of all, and the
situation of the world … of wars that now risk becoming not only
piecemeal but which instead involve all; and of the situation of
Orthodoxy. … Finally we established a programme of possible joint
activities, because unity is built by walking together. Once I said
that if unity is created through study, by studying theology and so
on, perhaps the Lord will come and we will still not have achieved
unity. Unity is built through progress: this way the Lord, when He
comes, will at least find us walking together".
"Finally, we signed the
Declaration. … There will be many interpretations. ... But it is
not a political declaration, nor is it a sociological declaration. It
is a pastoral declaration, even when it refers to secularism and
explicit issues such as bio-genetic manipulation and all these
things. But it is pastoral: it is the work of two bishops who met
each other with pastoral concern. And I am happy".
After a further three-hour flight, the
Pope arrived at 7.30 p.m. local time (2.30 a.m. in Rome) at Mexico
City's Benito Juarez airport, where he was received by President
Enrique Pena Nieto, in the presence of the state authorities and
representatives of the Permanent Council of Mexican Bishops. It was
however an informal welcome, without protocol ceremonies or official
discourses, although the Pope and the president spoke briefly in the
Presidential Hall.
From the airport, Francis made a
nineteen-kilometre journey by popemobile to the apostolic nunciature,
where he will stay while in Mexico City, and where he was awaited by
hundreds of people. He appeared later on to greet them, and before
giving his blessing, he asked them to pray at home to Our Lady both
for the people who love them and for those who have done them harm,
so that the Mother of God would give them her blessing.
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