Pope Francis: Apostolic Visit to Mexico
February 12th - 18th, 2016
On February 12th, the Holy Father travels to Mexico, the place where Our Lady appeared to St. Juan Diego, a poor and simple indigenous Catholic-convert, to proclaim the beginning of a new era filled with God’s peace and mercy. Carrying Our Lady’s message, Pope Francis visits the places in Mexico where people most need to hear the message of God’s mercy, the places where peace is most needed. The pope will be based in Mexico City for the duration of his visit. Each day he will travel from Mexico City to different cities and towns: Ecatepec, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Morelia, and Ciudad Juárez. Not only will Salt + Light bring you extensive television coverage, but visit this page regularly for photos, videos, and texts of the papal homilies and speeches throughout this apostolic visit.

Learn more on the official papal visit page: papafranciscoenmexico.org/
Broadcast Schedule
Pope Francis meets Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Havana, Cuba
Fri, Feb 12, 2016
4:00 pm ET / 1:00 pm PT
On route to Mexico, Pope Francis stops in Cuba where he will meet with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. This is the first time a pope has met with a Russian Orthodox patriarch. Salt + Light has live coverage of this historic meeting.
Mass at Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Sat, Feb 13, 2016
5:45 pm ET / 2:45 pm PT
During his Apostolic Visit to Mexico, Pope Francis celebrates Mass, in honour of Our Lady, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Mass at Study Centre of Ecatepec
Sun, Feb 14, 2016
12:15 pm ET / 9:15 am PT
Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the Study Centre in Ecatepec.
Mass with representatives of Indigenous communities
Mon, Feb 15, 2016
10:45 am ET / 7:45 am PT
Pope Francis celebrates Mass in San Cristobal de Las Casas with members of local indigenous communities.
Meeting with Families
Mon, Feb 15, 2016
5:00 pm ET / 2:00 pm PT
In Tuxtla Gutierrez, Pope Francis meets with local families.
Holy Mass with Men and Women Religious
Tue, Feb 16, 2016
10:45 am ET / 7:45 am PT
Travelling to Morelia, Pope Francis celebrates Mass with men and women religious.
Meeting with Young People
Tue, Feb 16, 2016
5:15 pm ET / 2:15 pm PT
Concluding the fifth day of his visit to Mexico, Pope Francis meets with young people in Morelia.
Mass at Ciudad Juarez Fairground
Wed, Feb 17, 2016
5:30 pm ET / 2:30 pm PT
Concluding the final day of his visit to Mexico, Pope Francis celebrates a poignant Mass on the fair grounds at Ciudad Juarez, steps away from the Mexico-US border.
Join Alicia Ambrosio (Twitter, Blog) and Pedro Guevara Mann (Twitter, Blog) and follow the Holy Father's Apostolic visit to Mexico
Joint Press Release of the Holy See and of the Patriarchate of Moscow
February 5th, 2016
The Holy See and the Patriarchate of Moscow are pleased to announce that, by the grace of God, His Holiness Pope Francis and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will meet on February 12 next. Their meeting will take place in Cuba, where the Pope will make a stop on his way to Mexico, and where the Patriarch will be on an official visit. It will include a personal conversation at Havana’s José Martí International Airport, and will conclude with the signing of a joint declaration.

This meeting of the Primates of the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, after a long preparation, will be the first in history and will mark an important stage in relations between the two Churches. The Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate hope that it will also be a sign of hope for all people of good will. They invite all Christians to pray fervently for God to bless this meeting, that it may bear good fruits.
Interview with the Pope: Seeking the richness of faith in Mexico
February 3rd, 2016
Vatican City, 3 February 2016 (VIS) – Next week Pope Francis will begin his apostolic trip to Mexico. From 12 to 17 February he will visit Mexico City, Ecatepec, Tuxtla Gutierrez, San Cristobal de Las Casas, Morelia and Ciudad Juarez, and will pray before Our Lady of Guadalupe. For the occasion, the agency Notimex recorded a series of brief questions and expressions of hope for the Mexican people in four videos, presented to the Holy Father. The Pope responded with a video that will be broadcast today on the Notimex website. The following is a summary of the questions and answers. The images can be obtained from the Vatican Television Centre.

Question: Why are you coming to Mexico? What brings you to Mexico?

Pope Francis: "What moves me most is this: what are coming to look for in Mexico? I will come to Mexico not like a Wise Man loaded with things to bring, messages, ideas, solutions to problems … I come to Mexico as a pilgrim, to look for something among the Mexican people. … I come to seek the wealth of faith you have, I come for that infectious wealth of faith. You have an idiosyncrasy, a way of being that is the fruit of a very long road, a history that has been forged slowly, with pain, with success, with failures, with searching, but with a common thread. You have great richness in your heart and, above all, you are not an orphaned people, as you are proud to have a Mother, and when a man or a woman or a people do not forget their Mother, this provides a wealth that cannot be described; it is received and transmitted. So, I will go in search of some of this in you. A people that does not forget its Mother, the Mother who forged her people in hope".

Question: What does Our Lady of Guadalupe represent for the Pope?

Pope Francis: "Security, tenderness. Sometimes I am afraid of certain problems or something unpleasant happens and I do not know how to react, and I pray to her. I like to repeat to myself, 'Do not be afraid, am I not here, your Mother?'. They are her words: 'Do not be afraid'. … I feel this, that she is our Mother, who cares, protects and leads a people, who leads a family, who gives the warmth of home, who caresses with tenderness and who banishes fear. … It is an eloquent image, that of a Mother like a blanket who covers and cares, in the midst of her people. … This is what I feel before Her. … What I would ask you, as a favour, is that this time, the third time I will be on Mexican soil, that you will let me spend a moment before the image. That is the favour I ask of you".

Question: How would you help us to face the violence here?

Pope Francis: "Violence, corruption, war, children who cannot go to school because their country is at war, trafficking, arms manufacturers who sell weapons so that the wars of the world can continue … this is more or less the climate that we live in the world, and you are experiencing a part of it, a part of this 'war', this part of suffering, of violence, of organised trafficking. If I come to you, it is to receive the best of you and to pray with you, so that the problems … that you know exist may be resolved, because the Mexico of violence, the Mexico of corruption, the Mexico of drug trafficking, the Mexico of the cartels, is not the Mexico that our Mother loves, and of course I do not wish to cover up any of that; on the contrary, I would urge you to fight, day by day, against corruption, against trafficking, against war, against disunity, against organised crime, against human trafficking".

"'May you bring us a little peace', one of you said. Peace is something that must be worked on every day, and – to use a phrase that sounds like a contradiction – it must be fought for, every day. It is necessary to combat every day for peace, not for war. It is necessary to sow gentleness, understanding, peace. St. Francis prayed, 'Lord, make me an instrument of your peace'. I would like to be an instrument of peace in Mexico, but with all of you. … And how is peace formed? Peace is a craft, it is formed by hand. From the education of a child to the care for an elderly person: they are all seeds of peace. Peace is born of tenderness, peace is born of understanding, peace is born or is made in dialogue, not in rupture, and this is the key word: dialogue. Dialogue between leaders, dialogue with the people, and dialogue among all people. … Do not be afraid of listening to others, to seeing their motivations. And please, do not enter into any traps to make money; it enslaves life in an inner war and takes away freedom, because peace brings freedom. I come to ask the Virgin, along with you, to give us this peace, so that Our Lady of Guadalupe may give us peace in our heart, in the family, in the city, and in all the country".

Question: What do you wish for from us, and what are your hopes for us?

Pope Francis: "I come to serve, to be a servant of the faith for you … because I felt this vocation … to serve the faith of the people. But this faith must grow and go out into daily life; it must be a public faith. And faith becomes strong when it is public, above all … in moments of crisis. … It is true that there is a crisis of faith in the world. But it is also true that there is a great blessing and a desire … for faith to come forth, for faith to be missionary, for faith not to be closed up in a tin. Our faith is not a museum faith, and the Church is not a museum. Our faith is born of contact, of dialogue with Jesus Christ, our Saviour, with the Lord. … If faith does not go out into the street, it is no use; and taking faith out into the street does not mean merely a procession. That faith goes out into the street means that we show ourselves to be Christians in the workplace, in the family, at university, in college. ... Faith wants to be on the streets, like Jesus. … Where did Jesus spend most of his time? On the street, preaching the Gospel, bearing witness. … Our faith demands that we too go forth, that we do not keep Jesus confined to ourselves without letting Him out, as Jesus goes out with us, so if we do not go forth, neither does He. … Renewing the faith means going out into the streets, not being afraid of conflict, seeking solutions to family, school, social and economic problems. Faith has to be my inspiration for my commitment to my people, and it has its risks and its dangers. I would like to end with some of our Mother's words; through me, she is saying to you, 'Do not be afraid of going forth, do not be afraid, my child, I am here and I am your Mother".


​Source: Vatican Radio