Pope in Mexico: Brother and friend

As the Holy Father prepares to depart Mexico for a visit to Cuba, our correspondent Philippa Hitchen looks back at Mexico’s encounter with Pope Benedict XVI, the man they call “brother and Friend”. Listen
Visiting Latin America and Mexico in particular, the term popular piety takes on a whole new meaning. Known for their deep Marian devotion, which permeates both public and private life here, Mexicans are also famed for their special affection for the Pope. The previous pontiff, John Paul II, came here five times and his smiling face can still be seen in shop windows, on flags, banners, hats and T-shirts worn proudly by young and old alike. And the reception reserved for the present Holy Father, Benedict XVI, has also exceeded all expectations – thousands of people have been out lining the papal routes at all hours of the day and night, singing and chanting slogans hailing Benedict as ‘hermano’, brother, and ‘amigo’ friend.
The Pope did indeed come as a brother and a friend to strengthen the deep and passionate faith of these people through a close up and personal encounter with the successor of St Peter. But he also came to assure Church leaders, bishops, priests and lay men and women, that he shares their concerns, the suffering and challenges they face in a country where violence, corruption, injustice and poverty are on the rise, despite significant economic growth in recent years.
Benedict didn’t offer any quick fix solutions to these problems – though he and his Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone did speak out forcefully about the importance of guaranteeing human rights and full religious freedom at this time when the government is debating a new law to lift the last vestiges of its violently anti-clerical past.
But during his short visit to this Catholic heartland of Mexico, the Pope did provide a new sense of hope to people here that their deep rooted devotion to Christ the King and to His Blessed Mother can overcome the evil they experience in their daily lives. Just as the country, two centuries ago, struggled for national independence and the Church, one hundred years ago, stood firm in the faith during the dark days of the Cristero civil war, so today Mexican Catholics must find the courage to be a leaven in society, to stand up against the violence and become promoters of a more just and peaceful society.