Vatican City, 14 February 2016 (VIS) -
"Today I come as a missionary of mercy and of peace but also as
a son who wishes to pay homage to his mother, the Blessed Virgin of
Guadalupe, and place himself under her watchful care. Endeavouring to
be a good son, following in our mother’s footsteps, I wish in turn
to pay my respects to this people and to this land which is so rich
in culture, history, and diversity", said Pope Francis in his
first discourse on Mexican soil, before the authorities and
representatives of civil society gathered in the Mexican Palacio
Nacional. He was received by President Enrique Pena Nieto, with whom
he had spoken previously, presenting him the gift of a mosaic of Our
Lady of Guadalupe produced by the Vatican Mosaic Studio.
"Mexico is a great country",
exclaimed the Holy Father. "It is blessed with abundant natural
resources and with an enormous biodiversity that extends across its
vast territory. Its privileged geographical position makes it a
reference point for America; and its indigenous, mestizo and criollo
cultures endow it with its own identity that facilitates a cultural
richness not always easy to find and, particularly, to value. The
ancestral wisdom shown by your multiculturalism is, by far, one of
your greatest biographical resources. It is an identity that learned
gradually how to shape itself amid diversity and that now
constitutes, without any doubt, a rich patrimony to be valued,
encouraged and protected".
However, the Pope observed that
"Mexico’s principal richness today has a young face", as
young people constitute over half the population. "This makes it
possible to contemplate and plan for a future, for a tomorrow of hope
and future prospects. A people with a youthful population is a people
able to renew and transform itself; it is an invitation to look to
the future with hope and, in turn, it challenges us in a positive way
here and now. This reality inevitably leads us to think about one’s
own responsibilities when it comes to constructing the kind of Mexico
we want, the Mexico that we want to pass on to coming generations. It
also leads us to the realisation that a hope-filled future is forged
in a present made up of men and women who are upright, honest, and
capable of working for the common good, the 'common good' which in
this twenty-first century is not in such great demand. Experience
teaches us that each time we seek the path of privileges or benefits
for a few to the detriment of the good of all, sooner or later the
life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, drug trade,
exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking,
kidnapping and death, bringing suffering and slowing down
development".
The Holy Father emphasised that the
Mexican people "anchors its hope in an identity which has been
shaped in the trying and difficult moments of its history. It was
forged by the wonderful witness of citizens who understood that, in
order to overcome situations born of the obstinacy of individualism,
it was necessary to have agreement between the political, social and
financial institutions, and of all men and women committed to the
common good and the promotion of the dignity of the human person. An
ancestral culture together with encouraging human resources such as
yours, should be a stimulus to find new forms of dialogue,
negotiation, and bridges that can lead us on the way of committed
solidarity. Starting with those who call themselves Christians, it is
a commitment to which all of us must give of ourselves, for the
construction of a 'political life on a truly human basis', and a
society in which no one feels a victim of the culture of waste".
"Leaders of social, cultural and
political life have the particular duty to offer all citizens the
opportunity to be worthy contributors of their own future, within
their families and in all areas where human social interaction takes
place. In this way they help citizens to have real access to the
material and spiritual goods which are indispensable: adequate
housing, dignified employment, food, true justice, effective
security, a healthy and peaceful environment. This is not just a
question of laws which need to be updated and improved – something
always necessary – but rather a need for urgent formation of the
personal responsibility of each individual, with full respect for
others as men and women jointly responsible in promoting the
advancement of the nation. It is a task which involves all Mexicans
in different spheres, public or private, collective or individual".
The Pope assured President Nieto that
in this effort, the Government of Mexico "can count on the
cooperation of the Catholic Church, which has accompanied the life of
this nation and which renews its commitment and willingness to serve
the great causes of mankind: the building of the civilisation of
love".
"I am ready to travel around this
beautiful and wide country as a missionary and as a pilgrim who
wishes to renew with all of you the experience of mercy as a new
horizon of opportunity which inevitably brings justice and peace. I
also entrust myself to the gaze of Mary, the Blessed Virgin of
Guadalupe, I ask her to watch over me, so that by her intercession
the merciful Father may grant that these days and the future of this
land be an opportunity for encounter, unity and peace. Thank you".
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