Pope Francis will visit Mexico from 12 to 17 February this year, just a few months after the pontiff returned from his trip to the US and Cuba. The pope’s itinerary is revealing. It is carefully thought out so that he can show his solidarity with the poor and marginalized, including migrants and indigenous people. Perhaps the most eye-catching destination is Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, where he will perform mass on the border with the US. President Enrique Peña Nieto immediately tweeted that Mexico was “ready and very enthusiastic” about the Pope’s visit which could also serve to get relations with the Vatican City back on track after the unprecedented diplomatic spat last February when the pontiff’s private remarks to an Argentine friend about drug trafficking entered the public domain. This is the fourth trip to Latin America by Pope Francis. It follows pastoral visits to Rio de Janeiro in July 2013 (Brazil has the largest population of baptized Catholics ahead of Mexico), Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay in July 2015, and Cuba (and the US) in September 2015.
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