12 Million Cheer Pope in Mexico

MEXICO CITY — David Margáin is a 24-year-old engineer from Monterrey, Mexico. Every morning for the past two years he has started off early in order to get to work at the large glass factory on the outskirts of this city. But July 31 was different.

“I'm here to see the Holy Father, to try and receive his blessing,” he said while walking over to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where John Paul II later canonized Juan Diego.

Beyond the basilica, 12 million people filled the streets of Mexico City to see the Pope, who had said Mass for 800,000 World Youth Day pilgrims in Toronto only a few days before.

“You could say the country has been paralyzed since the Pope arrived,” Margáin said. “There were people from all around the country who traveled thousands of miles just to feel near him, maybe to see him for a couple of seconds. Sometimes we forget about Mexico's faith. I have learned not to underestimate the way we still feel about the important things in life.”

St. Juan Diego is the Indian witness of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose image helped convert Mexico. The saint, who lived from 1474 to 1548, was the first Indian of the Americas to be raised to the altar.

Describing the newly canonized saint, the Holy Father said: “He brought about the fruitful meeting of two worlds” — the European and Indian, which have contributed to the making of present-day Mexico.

The climax of the celebration came when the Holy Father read the formula for the canonization in Spanish. The basilica was flooded with people, as were the square in front of the basilica and nearby streets.

“We declare and define as saint Blessed Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin and inscribe him in the catalog of saints, and we establish that he be honored with devotion by the whole Church,” the Holy Father said in a slow, clear voice.

The Holy Father touched Mexican soil on July 30 for the fifth time since the beginning of his pontificate. After months of discussion concerning his health, John Paul surprised both critics and fans when he insisted on his 97th international trip.

“I noticed the Pope was very happy. He looked really satisfied with what he was doing: He was fulfilling a promise our Lady had made to Juan Diego — now St. Juan Diego,” said Paulina Garza, a 28-year-old administrative assistant who traveled to see the Holy Father. “He was tired; it was a very tiresome trip for him. But even after all that, he was so happy, he glowed like a little kid.”

Garza said she absolutely had to see John Paul because it was a great opportunity for any Catholic to show his or her support.

“He left us a very important commitment with our Church. If he was able to be here and do everything he did, even though his body made it really hard for him, he's showing me that nothing's too hard when you're trying to do what the Lord wants you to,” she said.

“I saw the Pope with an amazing inner strength — an invincible willpower — but at the same time he was very serene and peaceful, in a manner which only someone close to God can be,” Margáin said. “After the Pope's testimony, we cannot be afraid of the things life throws at us. We have to keep going, fight till our last breath to fulfill God's plan.”

In his homily (see full text, Page 5), the Holy Father said, “Beloved brothers and sisters of every ethnic background of Mexico and America, today, in praising the Indian Juan Diego, I want to express to all of you the closeness of the Church and the Pope, embracing you with love and encouraging you to overcome with hope the difficult times you are going through.”

John Paul ended his homily with a prayer to Juan Diego, in which he asked that he look with “favor upon the pain of those who are suffering in body or in spirit, on those afflicted by poverty, loneliness, marginalization or ignorance.”

“May all people, civic leaders and ordinary citizens, always act in accordance with the demands of justice and with respect for the dignity of each person, so that in this way peace may be reinforced,” the Pope concluded.

Speaking to the Heart

For Gerardo González Cantú, a father of two children who went to Mexico City with his wife to participate in Juan Diego's canonization Mass, this visit represented an invaluable opportunity to be close to Christ's special envoy.

“For us, just to have the opportunity of seeing John Paul II up close, in our Mexico, is more than we could ask for. The strength he gives us is just invaluable for our efforts,” he said.

“He was so direct in his speech,” González said. “He told us about truth as one of God's gifts to us — we should not look for complex solutions and not let vanity grab ahold of our lives, because we'll find truth in the simple things in life. You don't hear that often, do you?”

González said he and his family got to sit near the altar during Mass.

“During the Mass we were pretty close, and I was thinking he looked tired. But then he stood and read his homily. You couldn't believe his desire to do everything, and to do everything right. His attitude showed us nothing can be so hard in this life. Everyone can say he looked tired, but I'm sure I saw him smiling,” he said.

“I felt as if I could breathe the spirituality in the air,” he added. “There were people who stood on their knees for the whole ceremony. The group my wife and I were with was praying the rosary. I'm absolutely sure Our Lady of Guadalupe was right there with us.”

Fighting the Crowds

After starting off at 1:30 a.m. in order to beat the crowds trying to make it the canonization mass, Czarina Villarreal de Velarde thought she should be tired. But after seeing everyone's enthusiasm, the 46-year-old mother of four suddenly found herself renewed.

“People were happy, I mean, really, really, 100% happy,” she said. “Just imagine: We rose at 1:30 in the morning, and even though everyone was tired, emotions ran high and our sense of happiness and peace was enough to carry us through the event.”

“His body looks tired, fatigued, but you can't believe the energy in him. He's so strong, so certain and full of authority,” she added. “After this, I'm compelled to try and be a saint. We need to be better at all the little things we do, every day. The difference is in the way we look at our daily efforts.”

For the duration of the whole visit, Claudia Padilla said, the air was full of happiness and smiles.

“Everyone was as happy as always. Just the sight of him moves you. Suddenly you've got tears coming out of your eyes, and your heart feels like it's going to explode,” said the 30-year-old from Mexico City. “It never ceases to amaze me to see those crowds who brave adverse weather, uncomfortable locations, and wait for hours, just to catch a glimpse of the Holy Father. Just to feel him near is worth it. He really is St. Peter's successor.”

St. Juan Diego is remembered as the humble Indian to whom Our Lady of Guadalupe revealed herself.

“Juan Diego is a very important saint for us; I'm so proud of him being a Mexican, a poor Mexican loyal to what Our Lady of Guadalupe wanted of him. He was brave when nobody believed him,” added Paulina Garza, while David Margáin chose to designate him as a role model.

“St. Juan Diego is the Mexican Our Lady of Guadalupe chose,” he said. “As such, he is a role model to all of us, especially when speaking about humility: ‘My son, my smallest son,’ she said to him.”

Amid the millions of faithful trying to be near the Holy Father, cheering and applauding for him, there was a sense of spirituality and hope, a sensation of peaceful energy to strengthen Mexico's faith.

“I saw him full of hope, absolutely faithful,” Padilla said. “I saw a coherent man, someone true to his vocation and in love with his life's mission. He maintains his penetrating gaze. I really hope this visit will stay in our hearts for a long, long time.”

René Lankenau filed this story from Mexico City.