Vatican City, Jul 10, 2009 / 07:08 am
Mexico's new ambassador to the Vatican, Hector Federico Ling Altamirano, met with Pope Benedict on Friday morning to present his letters of credence and discuss the state of his country. The Holy Father spoke with Ling about the nature of religious freedom, and praised the end of the death penalty and efforts to protect the unborn.
Mexico, the Pope recalled, has an identity that has been "forged over the centuries in a fruitful relationship with the message of salvation proclaimed by the Catholic Church."
"Faith in Jesus Christ," he added, "has engendered a culture in Mexico that provides a specific and complete meaning for life, and a hopeful vision of existence, at the same time setting out a series of fundamental principles for the harmonious development of all society."
One example of this harmonious culture is the Sixth World Meeting of Families, held in Mexico City this past January. Pope Benedict pointed out that Mexicans hold the family in "high esteem," and that "it is of vital consequence that families be given adequate assistance, that homes continue to be schools of mutual respect and understanding, seedbeds of human virtues and a reason for hope in the rest of society."