Pope Ends Mexico Trip at US Border Praying for Undocumented; Comments on Use of Contraceptives in Face of Zika Virus

pope-600Pope Francis is back at the Vatican after a busy trip to Mexico, where he addressed some of the world’s most difficult problems. He began the visit stressing the importance of faith, particularly Catholic devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. He spent time in private prayer at the shrine dedicated to the vision of Mary that Catholics believe appeared to peasant Juan Diego in 1531. Throughout the trip, Francis emphasized the poor and marginalized. At a children’s hospital, he prescribed what he called “kindness therapy.” In several speeches, Francis spoke out against corruption and elitism. He pushed Mexican bishops to denounce drug violence more forcefully. During a visit to an area that has been among the hardest hit by the drug wars, Francis told young people they are the hope for Mexico’s future. And in a visit to Mexico’s indigenous south, he criticized the exploitation of native cultures. The pope’s trip ended with a highly anticipated stop in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso. Many people saw that stop as a powerful demonstration of Francis’s concern for immigrants. Also, at that press conference aboard the papal plane Francis implied contraceptives might be acceptable to prevent women from getting pregnant in areas where the Zika virus is threatening babies. The pope firmly rejected abortion as an option, calling it an “absolute evil.” But he noted that in the 1960s, Pope Paul VI allowed nuns in the Congo to use contraceptives to avoid getting pregnant due to rape.

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