Mexico's Foreign Minister visits Vatican

(Vatican Radio) Mexico’s Secretary for Foreign Affairs, José Antonio Meade, visited the Holy See’s Secretary of State, Archbishop Pietro Parolin, on Thursday. Following his round of meetings, Secretary Meade came to Vatican Radio, where he spoke with Chris Altieri, who asked him about his morning sessions. Listen:

Secretary Meade: They went well. The Secretary of State knows Mexico well. He was part of the Delegation of [The Holy See] in Mexico in the early 90’s – he was one of those who participated in the constitutional amendment that allowed Mexico to have diplomatic relations with the Vatican. So, after twenty-two years, it was an opportunity to look at the relationship that we have built, to identify those topics where Mexico and the Vatican State can contribute together in the international arena. It was an opportunity, also, to reiterate the invitation that [Mexico’s] President Peña Nieto made to visit Mexico at his convenience. So, it allowed us to talk about issues that are relevant for us, that are relevant for the Vatican, and it allowed us again to express our interest for the Pope to visit Mexico.

CRA: Were there any specific highlights that emerged from your conversations?

Secretary Meade: There are many issues where the Vatican and Mexico have common interests. One of them, of course, is migration: for Mexico, that is a very relevant part of its agenda. Mexico is a country that generates migration. It is a country [through which] migrants transit to other countries, and it is a country that is increasingly becoming a destination in and of itself. That means that, from an international perspective, Mexico is a relevant player in the debate about migration – and that being a topic that is of wide interest to the Vatican – that meant an opportunity to reflect on the issue with Secretary of State Parolin.

CRA: In his recent Message to the Americas to mark the Dec. 12^th Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope Francis focused on the scourge of human trafficking, which is something with which Mexico wrestles on many different levels: how might you respond to the concerns the Holy Father raised in the Message?

Secretary Meade: Well, it is true: [our] visit comes the day after the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, one of the most visited sanctuaries in the world – possibly the second-most visited sanctuary after the Vatican – so that gave a good framework for the visit. Also, for the seventh time, the Vatican hosted a nacimiento – a representation of Christ’s birth – within the Vatican walls. This time, the [Mexican] sate of Vera Cruz was highlighted in the proceedings, and it coincided with a Message from the Pope, focusing on human trafficking. That is also an issue where Mexico and the Holy See can be good partners in helping to avoid, to confront, to control something that we believe is a very serious offense, that is a very serious violation of human rights and of Mexican law. Mexico has wrestled with these issues, but it is fully committed to bringing the full force of the law and the capabilities of the states, to confront the issue head-on, and to make headway into modifying the patterns of behavior and the conditions that allow [trafficking in persons] to happen.

CRA: While the Holy Father did speak about the need for greater concert on the international level and greater focus on the part of individual states to combat human trafficking, he also spoke of the need – before and beyond any specific program of policy – to recover a sense of the dignity of human life: how did you receive that part of the Pope’s Message?

Secretary Meade: Well, going back to trafficking: Mexico has very recently strengthened its legal frameworks, so as to be more assertive in dealing with human trafficking. We have modified our laws, so as to make the consequences of human trafficking more stringent and to provide more elements for the state in its [efforts to] combat [trafficking]. So, the issue that the Pope was focusing on is an issue that, internally, Mexico has focused on a lot, as well – and we believe as he does that it is an issue that would benefit from more international awareness and better international cooperation.

CRA: How is Mexico cooperating now with its international partners to the north and south?

FM: In terms of many of these phenomena, the dialogue that we have on both sides of the border is very intense. Mexico has, as you know, a very dynamic relationship with the US – with trade with the US, more than $1 million in goods every minute, and there are more than 1 million legal crossings of our border every day: that makes it the most transited and one of the most economically relevant borders in the world. That forces us to talk about productivity, logistics, and how to make the border a source of growth, development and prosperity. In the south, Mexico now trades with Central America about the same as it trades with Spain, or with the Pacific alliance that we have with Colombia, Peru and Chile. So, it has also become a source of prosperity – and Mexico recognizes, as do the Central American countries, that the work we do in terms of achieving prosperity, inclusiveness and peace, will come as a result of us working hand-in-hand and developing common agendas – which is something we are doing every day.