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| "The majestic banner of the colors green. white and red, with the eagle devouring a serpent, which waived in the posterior part of the altar, gave an aura of unrestrained nationalism to the first Papal mass in Mexico." -- (La Opinion reporter) |
POPE CALLS FOR CONTINENTAL UNITY AND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS DURING MEXICO VISIT
Excerpts from coverage by La Opinion dated 1/24/99
Tranlsated from Spanish by J.R. Carlsen, Hispanic Media Watch
"The majestic banner of the colors green. white and red, with the eagle devouring a serpent, which waived in the posterior part of the altar, gave an aura of unrestrained nationalism to the first Papal mass in Mexico." (La Opinion reporter)
La Opinion reported that The Pope made a surprise announcement during the course of ceremonies in the Basilica of Guadalupe when he declared that henceforth the 12th of December would be celebrated in the entirety of the American continent as the liturgical day of fiesta in honor of the Virgin (Mary) of Guadelupe.
"This was greeted by a spontaneous outburst of applause from the multitude in attendance." (La Opinion reporter)
La Opinion reported that The Pope noted that in its history the American continent has known many migrations which have brought many people to diverse regions in search of a better future; a phenomenon which has brought many Latino families to the northern regions. The church must help such families to establish themselves while at the same time developing an attitude of acceptance on the part of local populations, even in the case of illegal immigrants.
La Opinion reported that the Pope stated "The Church in America must be vigilant advocate that protects, against all unjust restrictions, the natural right of each person to freely move within its own nation or to another nation."
(In additional coverage of the Papal visit to Mexico provided by Vida Nueva, the Spanish language publication of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, on 1/28/99, it was reported that the Pope stated "America constitutes a geographic and human unity that goes from the North Pole to the South Pole. Although its past is rooted in ancestral cultures - such as the Maya, the Olmec, the Aztec, or the Inca -- (through) its contact with the old continent as well as with Christianity...(it) has converted itself into a unity of destiny....")
