PROTECT CHILDREN THAT THEY MAY LOOK TO THE FUTURE WITH CONFIDENCE

Vatican City, 24 March 2012 (VIS) - At 5 p.m. today the Holy Father left Miraflores College in Leon to travel to the city of Guanajuato, sixty-four kilometres away. He covered the first part of the journey by car, transferring to the popemobile shortly before reaching his destination. The city of Guanajuato, which has a population of around 70,000, underwent its greatest expansion during the period of Spanish rule, thanks to the nearby silver and gold mines. It is also famous for being the cradle of the Mexican national independence movement led by Miguel Hidalgo. In 1998 the city and its silver mines became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After entering Guanajuato, the Pope made his way to the Casa del Conde Rul, the headquarters of the State government, where he paid a courtesy visit to Felipe de Jesus Calderon Hinojosa, president of Mexico. The two men held a private meeting, after which Benedict XVI, accompanied by Archbishop Jose Guadalupe Martin Rabago of Leon, appeared on the balcony of the building to greet children and faithful gathered below in the Plaza de la Paz.

"You have a very special place in the Pope’s heart", he told the children. "And in these moments, I would like all the children of Mexico to know this, especially those who have to bear the burden of suffering, abandonment, violence or hunger, which in recent months, because of drought, has made itself strongly felt in some regions. I am grateful for this encounter of faith, and for the festive and joyful presence expressed in song. ... God wants us to be happy always. He knows us and He loves us. If we allow the love of Christ to change our heart, then we can change the world. This is the secret of authentic happiness.

"This place where we stand today has a name which expresses the yearning present in the heart of each and every person: “la paz”, peace. This is a gift which comes from on high. “Peace be with you”. These are the words of the Risen Lord. We hear them during each Mass, and today they resound anew in this place, with the hope that each one of you will be transformed, becoming a sower and messenger of that peace for which Christ offered His life.

"The disciple of Jesus does not respond to evil with evil, but is always an instrument of good instead, a herald of pardon, a bearer of happiness, a servant of unity. He wishes to write in each of your lives a story of friendship. Hold on to Him, then, as the best of friends".

"I have come that you may know my affection. Each one of you is a gift of God to Mexico and to the world. Your family, the Church, your school and those who have responsibility in society must work together to ensure that you receive a better world as your inheritance, without jealousies and divisions.    That is why I wish to lift up my voice, inviting everyone to protect and to care for children, so that nothing may extinguish their smile, but that they may live in peace and look to the future with confidence.

"You, my dear young friends, are not alone. You can count on the help of Christ and His Church in order to live a Christian lifestyle. Participate in Sunday Mass, in catechesis, in apostolic works, looking for occasions of prayer, fraternity and charity. Blessed Cristobal, Antonio and Juan, the child martyrs of Tlaxcala, lived this way, and knowing Jesus, during the time of the initial evangelisation of Mexico, they discovered that there is no greater treasure than He".

"We will remain close in prayer. So I invite you to pray continually, even in your homes; in this way, you will experience the happiness of speaking about God with your families. Pray for everyone, and also for me. I will pray for all of you, so that Mexico may be a place in which everyone can live in serenity and harmony".