Fight violence and poverty, protect family and life: Pope's challenge to Mexican bishops

May 19, 2014

Pope Francis encouraged the bishops of Mexico to reach out to “the victims of drug trafficking and the most vulnerable social groups” in a May 19 address.

In his address to a group of Mexican bishops who were making their ad limina visits, the Pontiff focused on the “many forms of violence that afflict Mexican society.” While the Church cannot offer political solutions, he said, evangelization of society will serve the cause of peace. The Holy Father applauded the Mexican bishops’ commitment to the defense of human rights and human dignity. That work, he said, bolsters “the credibility of the Church and gives relevance to the voice of her pastors.”

Pope Francis challenged the Mexican hierarchy to give special priority to pastoral work that strengthens the family. The family, he said, should in turn be “a promoter of the culture of respect for life in all its phases, from conception to natural death.”

 

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Further information:

• In order to give the Church credibility (L'Osservatore Romano)
• To the Bishops of Mexico: Promote Encounter through Dialogue against Violence (VIS)
• Pope to Mexican Bishops: Promote a spirit of harmony (Vatican Radio)