A spokesman for the Mexican Bishops’ Conference has revealed that donations from Catholics in that country have made it the ninth largest contributer to the Vatican during 2005.

According to the Notimex news agency, the Mexican bishops’ spokesman for Church-State relations, Father Manuel Corral, said the news reflects the importance Mexicans give to the Peter’s Pence collection.  “We are very aware of the needs of the Vatican, and we should not forget as well that these needs are made known through the media and so the people show more solidarity,” he said.

He praised the Mexican faithful for being conscious of their responsibility provide assistance to the Vatican.  According to the 2005 statistics released by the Holy See on July 12, Mexico was ninth among the most generous nations in sending donations to the Vatican.  First on the list was the United States, followed by Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Canada, South Korea, Mexico and Austria.