Pope’s message for bicentenary of Mexico Cathedral

August 12, 2013 - Pope Francis regards the 200th anniversary of the cathedral of Mexico City as an opportunity for a strong stimulus for a renewed missionary commitment. In a message for the occasion to the Archbishop of Mexico, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, Pope Francis exhorted the faithful, particularly the young, to nurture the hope that is born of faith. One of the oldest and largest Catholic cathedrals in the Americas, the Assumption of Mary Cathedral was built in sections from 1573 to 1813, whose 200th anniversary is scheduled for August 15, the feast of the Assumption of Mary. According to the Argentine Pope the faithful must draw lessons for Christian life from the 200 years of the cathedral, looking at the past, strengthening the present and preparing for the future. This should be an opportunity for conversion for a strong spiritual stimulus in order to assume with joy the baptismal responsibility to be the disciples and missionaries of Christ. He pointed out that the strength to face the future with hope in every situation, no matter how hopeless, is drawn from the Eucharist.. He wished that the Word of God that echoes in the Cathedral be rooted always in the hearts of children and young people, who he said are “an open window to joy and enthusiasm.”