Rome, Italy, May 7, 2012 / 11:07 am
Father Federico Lombardi, head of the Vatican's press office, said Pope Benedict XVI wanted to leave “a sign of his presence and his word for the entire continent” during his visit to Mexico last March.
In an interview with CNA, the spokesman called Mexico the ideal place for this gesture, “because it is a central place of devotion, faith and Latin American culture thanks to the presence of Our Lady of Guadalupe, joined to a great tradition of faith.”
“From Mexico, the Pope sent this message to all the peoples of Latin America, especially the Spanish-speaking ones,” he said. “For this reason, this trip was not only to Mexico and Leon but to the entire continent.”
Fr. Lombardi, who had visited Mexico previously for the canonization of St. Juan Diego in July of 2002, said the country “loves the Pope a lot.”