- Pope rounds off the day along with a visit to pediatric hospital where he kissed dozens of sick children
- One 15-year-old cancer sufferer sang a capella version of Ave Maria and brought the room to tears
- While yet another patient gave your man a Valentine’s Day card along with a huge heart on the front
- The pontiff additionally held mass for a lot more compared to 400,000 worshipers in a field in the Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec
- Pope Francis told his flock to make a country free from emigration and ‘merchants of death’
- Ecatapec has actually one of the highest murder rates in Mexico and its sprawling slums are known for drug gangs
- This is the pope’s second full day on his week long tour of the country where he seeks to address violence
Alexandra Genova For Dailymail.com
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Euan McLelland
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Isabel Hunter For Mailonline
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It was the day of enjoy – and even Pope Francis got a Valentine’s surprise.
In his last formal appointment of his second full day in Mexico, Francis visited a pediatric hospital where he kissed dozens of sick kids and even dished out medicine.
At one particularly poignant moment, a young patient from the cancer ward sang a beautiful a capella version of Ave Maria for him, bringing the room to tears.
The girl has actually been identified by the Catholic News Agency as 15-year-old Alexia Garduño, that suffers from osteosarcoma.
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While Pope Francis visited Federico Gomez hospital a young patient (centre) from the cancer ward sang a beautiful a capella version of Ave Maria for him, bringing the room to tears
The girl has actually been identified as 15-year-old Alexia Garduño (left and right) that suffers from osteosarcoma
The pope embraces the young girl. He makes a point of stopping at children’s hospitals throughout his foreign trips
And one admirer, that was wheelchair-bound – was particularly charmed by the holy visit and offered Francis a handmade card along with a big heart on the front.
Francis asked: ‘You gained this? Gracias.’
His visit to the Federico Gomez hospital was clearly well-received along with some posing for selfies, while others managed to rise from their wheelchairs to embrace him.
The pope makes a point of stopping at children’s hospitals throughout his foreign trips, both to visit along with the children and to thank the staff for caring for them. While sections of the encounters are televised, Francis additionally visits bedridden patients in private for a lot more personal encounters.
But despite his warmth towards the sick patients and their staff, the Pope delivered a sturdy message to the country once again.
Francis held Mass in front of 300,000 people in a murder-ridden suburb of Mexico City, and urged them to make a country without emigration and ‘merchants of death’.
The pontiff used the service in Ecatepec, a rough Mexico City suburb, to touch on two major themes of his journey to Mexico – drug violence and the plight of migrants.
He urged his flock to turn the country in to a ‘land of opportunity,’ where ‘there will certainly be no should emigrate in order to dream’ and where they will certainly ‘not have actually to mourn men and women, young people and kids that are destroyed at the hands of the merchants of death.’
Ecatepec, a city of 1.6million people, has actually become infamous for a spate of disappearances of women, whose bodies have actually turned up in abandoned lots or canals.
The city lies in the populous state of Mexico, where some 600 women have actually been killed between January 2014 and September 2015, according to the non-governmental National Citizen Observatory of Femicides.
Francis urged the faithful to resist the three temptations of Christ – vanity, pride and wealth – throughout the homily.
In his last formal appointment of his second full day in Mexico, he visited a pediatric hospital where he kissed dozens of sick children. Pictured: Pope Francis speaks along with a kid throughout his visit to the Federico GÛmez children’s hospital
The pope makes a point of stopping at children’s hospitals throughout his foreign trips, both to visit along with the children and to thank the staff for caring for them
Pope Francis gives a medicine to a kid throughout his visit to the pediatric hospital
While sections of the encounters are televised, Francis additionally visits bedridden patients in private for a lot more personal encounters
‘Brothers and sisters, let’s grab this in to our heads: You can’t talk along with the devil. You can’t talk along with your man since he will certainly constantly defeat us,’ the 79-year-old emphasized, going off-script from his ready remarks.
‘Only the Word of God can easily defeat him. We have actually opted for Jesus and not the devil,’ he said.
The pontiff received a jubilant welcome after arriving from Mexico City in a helicopter, which had flown your man over the majestic Moon and Sun pyramids of the pre-Columbian city of Teotihuacan.
Mass: Pope Francis delivered Mass to 400,000 people in a crime-ridden suburb of Mexico City
Violence: Ecatepec has actually one of the highest murder rates in the country, and is one of the most dangerous places for women
‘Merchants of death’: The pontiff urged his flock to reject emigration and ‘merchants of death’
Faithful: He went off-script throughout the ceremony and told the faithful not to talk to the devil
Two nuns fall to their knees and pray prior to the arrival of the Pope to celebrate an open air mass in Ecatepec in Mexico City
Two nuns can’t contain their excitement while waiting for the arrival of the Pope to celebrate Mass in Mexico City yesterday
A group of four nuns hold up a banner determining their order as they wait for the Pope to pass by the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City
Throngs lined the concrete-laden streets of Ecatepec, whose walls were decorated along with graffiti art featuring the pope’s image, to cheer the popemobile on the second full day of a journey that will certainly take your man to various other Mexican hotspots.
Thousands had spent the night outdoors, wrapping themselves in blankets and using cardboard as makeshift tents versus the freezing cold.
Hundreds of police officers stood guard about the field.
‘We know that Ecatepec has actually a lot of issues enjoy the lack of security and kidnappings,’ said Rodrigo Perez, a 25-year-old public security student.
Jubilant: The pope traveled down the suburb’s newly renovated street, where the authorities replaced gang insignia along with bright murals
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Opportunity: He additionally told his supporters to turn Mexico in to a ‘land of opportunity’ as he celebrated mass in front of thousands of Catholics
Dedication: Thousands of worshipers lined the street overnight for a front row seat to see Pope Francis
Security: The neighbourhood, known a lot more for kidnapping and murder, was under a 24-hour lock down
Police escort Pope Francis as he makes his means through one of Mexico City’s main avenues on the popemobile
A group of nuns run down the steps in Independence Square in Mexico City in a bid to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis, that is visiting the city
The nuns after that filed on to the base of the Angel of Independence monument prior to the arrival of the Pontiff yesterday
But the pope’s visit, he said, is a possibility to ‘talk regarding peace and unity.’
The Argentine-born pontiff gained it clear prior to his arrival in Mexico that he would certainly speak out regarding the corruption and crime afflicting sections of the country.
Two massacres served as reminders of Mexico’s ills throughout his visit: 49 inmates died in a prison riot in the northern city of Monterrey on the eve of his arrival while 13 people were shot dead in the drug cartel-plagued Pacific state of Sinaloa on Saturday.
Francis used his visit to the National Palace and the capital’s cathedral on Saturday to bluntly urge political and religious leaders to offer Mexicans along with ‘true justice’ and combat drug violence along with ‘prophetic courage.’
Many Mexicans, fed up along with a decade of drug violence that has actually left 100,000 dead or missing, had hoped to hear such words from the pope.
Francis has actually selected to visit several of Mexico’s most troubled regions throughout his five-day journey to the world’s second most populous Catholic country.
The crimes versus women in the state of Mexico, which surrounds the capital, prompted the federal government to declare a ‘gender violence alert’ requiring protective measures in 11 towns, including Ecatepec.
But Maria de la Luz Estrada, coordinator of the National Observatory on Femicide, an alliance of 49 rights groups said she was disappointed that the pope did not discuss discrimination versus women or deliver a stronger ‘message of solidarity along with the families of the victims of femicide and disappearances.’
Peace: Attendees of the service said the Pope’s visit was a possibility to talk regarding ‘peace and security’
Catholic faithful attend Pope Francis’ open-air mass in Ecatepec –a rough, crime-plagued Mexico City suburb
Ana Yeli Perez, legal adviser at the National Citizen Observatory of Femicides, said the organization is ‘concerned regarding the lack of visibility of the issue since the government controls it. We chance the pope speaks regarding it.’
But Karla Paola Romero, a 21-year-old activist that was nearly kidnapped three years ago, said gender violence would certainly not be resolved ‘along with a miracle.’
Romero, that was not at the mass, spoke near a hill where a woman’s physique was found in December. The victim had been raped and hanged.
The pope will certainly face various other sturdy complications throughout his trip.
On Monday, he visits Mexico’s poorest and least Catholic region, the southern indigenous state of Chiapas.
On Tuesday, he heads to the capital of Michoacan, a western state scarred by drug cartel violence.
The pope caps his journey in Mexico’s former murder capital, Ciudad Juarez, for a mass that will certainly straddle the US-Mexico border to highlight the plight of migrants.
Earlier, Pope Francis proved his fun-loving nature – donning his third sombrero in as Numerous days as his tour of Mexico continues
Pope Francis showed his playful edge after donning a sombrero in front of thousands of adoring worshippers
When visiting Mexico City Square yesterday, he wore a white and red sombrero handed to your man by a member of his adoring audience – much to their substantial delight.
Enjoying the reception, his Holiness after that playfully gestured to the crowd, as if to say: ‘exactly how do I look?’
The well received spot of joviality marked a hat-trick of hat tricks for Pope Francis on his journey to the country.
The well received spot of joviality marked a hat-trick of hat tricks for Pope Francis on his journey to Mexico. He had already whipped his worshippers in to a frenzy As soon as he donned a white sombrero on his flight in to the country
His huge popularity after that escalated even further As soon as he was seen wearing a black and gold version As soon as meeting the country’s President (right) and Initial Lady
He had already whipped his worshippers in to a frenzy As soon as he donned a white sombrero on his flight in.
And his huge popularity after that escalated even further As soon as he was seen wearing a black and gold version As soon as meeting the country’s President and Initial Lady.
Pope Francis waves to the crowd, aboard the popemobile in Mexico City’s main sqaure, the Zocalo, Saturday, kicking off his Initial journey to Mexico
On Saturday, he issued a pair of tough-enjoy messages to Mexico’s political and church elite, telling them they have actually a duty to offer security, justice and courageous pastoral care
It will certainly be a strikingly different backdrop from the pageantry of Friday night’s red-carpet welcome Pope Francis received at Mexico City airport.
He was greeted by President Enrique Pena Nieto and Initial lady Angelica Rivera. There were additionally performances by folkloric dancers and mariachi musicians.
Today’s mass will certainly be a strikingly different backdrop from the pageantry of Friday night’s red-carpet welcome Pope Francis received at Mexico City airport
He was greeted by President Enrique Pena Nieto and Initial lady Angelica Rivera. There were additionally performances by folkloric dancers and mariachi musicians
Pilgrims in white baseball caps wrapped themselves in blankets as temperatures dipped close to freezing as they trudged along roads to the site of the Mass in the early hours of this morning.
Conchita Tellez, 65, from the northwest border city of Mexicali, said she spent 38 hours on a bus to grab to Ecatepec and was among the Initial in line for a spot at the Mass.
She expressed her chance Pope Francis will certainly guidance ease the troubled soul of the country, where a lot more compared to 100,000 people have actually been killed due to the fact that the last President launched an offensive versus drug cartels in late 2006.
She said: ‘The Pope concerns Mexico at a quite ugly moment and he concerns pray for us and for all those that lost chance and have actually submerged the country in blood and violence.’
The Initial two days of the 79-year-old Francis’ journey were filled along with back-to-spine public events
Always the showman, Pope Francis strikes a pose to the crowd after placing on the famous Mexican hat
Francis’ is visiting Ecatepec a day after his grueling timetable appeared to be already taking a toll. He seemed tired and winded at times Saturday, and appeared to nod off at an evening Mass. He additionally lost his balance and fell in to a chair established for your man to pray.
The Initial two days of the 79-year-old Francis’ journey were filled along with back-to-spine public events. On Saturday, he issued a pair of tough-enjoy messages to Mexico’s political and church elite, telling them they have actually a duty to offer security, justice and courageous pastoral care.
Speaking to the president and various other members of government at the National Palace, Pope Francis said public officials should be honest and not be seduced by corruption and privilege that benefits the few to the detriment of the many.
Speaking to the president and various other members of government at the National Palace, Pope Francis said public officials should be honest and not be seduced by corruption and privilege that benefits the few to the detriment of the many
In a subsequent address to his own bishops, he challenged church leaders known for their deference to Mexico’s wealthy and powerful to denounce the ‘insidious threat’ of the drug trade
Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City on Saturday evening
After delivering his homily, he sat silently in front of the image of the Virgin for nearly 5 minutes while the Mass continued. Later, he moved in to a chamber behind the altar where the image is kept for nearly 30 minutes, fulfilling a wish to pray quietly prior to Mexico’s patron saint
In a subsequent address to his own bishops, he challenged church leaders known for their deference to Mexico’s wealthy and powerful to denounce the ‘insidious threat’ of the drug trade and be true pastors rather than career-minded clerics that spew inoffensive denunciations that make them sound enjoy ‘babbling orphans beside a tomb.’
He urged bishops to grab close to their flock and guidance Mexicans ‘finally escape the raging waters that drown so many, either victims of the drug trade or those that stand prior to God along with their hands drenched in blood, though along with pockets filled along with sordid your hard earned cash and their consciences deadened.’
Francis ended his public activities Saturday at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which is the largest and crucial Marian shrine in the world.
After delivering his homily, he sat silently in front of the image of the Virgin for nearly 5 minutes while the Mass continued. Later, he moved in to a chamber behind the altar where the image is kept for nearly 30 minutes, fulfilling a wish to pray quietly prior to Mexico’s patron saint.
‘merely by looking at [the Virgin], Mexico can easily be understood completely,’ Francis said earlier.
Members of the Federal Police and the Mexican Army are pictured throughout a security operation ahead of Pope Francis’ vist, in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
Members of the Mexican Army have actually been called in to make sure security is at its tightest throughout the Pope’s visit
Francis held Mass in front of 300,000 people in a murder-ridden suburb of Mexico City, and urged them to make a country without emigration and ‘merchants of death’.
The pontiff used the service in Ecatepec, a rough Mexico City suburb, to touch on two major themes of his journey to Mexico – drug violence and the plight of migrants.
He urged his flock to turn the country in to a ‘land of opportunity,’ where ‘there will certainly be no should emigrate in order to dream’ and where they will certainly ‘not have actually to mourn men and women, young people and kids that are destroyed at the hands of the merchants of death.’
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