On Aug. 7, Pope John Paul II met with pilgrims from around the world for his weekly general audience. It was held in the courtyard of his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. During the audience, the Holy Father recalled some highlights of his visit during the previous week to Guatemala and Mexico.

Pope John Paul II thanked all those who were instrumental in making his pilgrimage to these countries a success. He offered special thanks to the vast numbers of people who turned out to see him. “The strong turnout of these brothers and sisters enabled me to catch a glimpse of the faith that impels them, their filial affection for the Successor of Peter and their enthusiasm for belonging to the Catholic Church,” he noted.

While the Holy Father was in Guatemala, he canonized Brother Pedro de San Josè de Betancur, a Spaniard who found his “Promised Land” in Guatemala where he worked among the poor. “A humble and austere man, he was able to recognize in his brothers and sisters, especially in those who were most neglected, the face of Christ,” the Pope said.

In Mexico, John Paul canonized the first Indian ever — St. Juan Diego. St. Juan Diego was “a humble and generous man of great simplicity” to whom the Blessed Virgin appeared in the 16th century. He also beatified two Zapotecan Indian martyrs who shed their blood for their faith. “They are a stimulus for all of God's people to build a new humanity that is inspired by the perennial values of the Gospel,” the Holy Father said.