30 years after Pope John Paul II's visit to Yucatán: the journey and the mark he left behind
Credits
Thirty years ago, on August 11 and 12, 1993, Yucatan experienced a historic moment: the visit of Pope John Paul II, today elevated to the altars.
The masses that the Pope officiated in Izamal and Merida put the State in the eyes of the world. It was in Izamal where he held a meeting with representatives of the ethnic groups of the continent and asked forgiveness for the acts of the conquerors.
“We continue to thank God because from here the Pope was able to send a valuable message for all of Mexico and all the people who know and are involved in the issue of indigenous peoples,” said the Archbishop of Yucatan, Monsignor Gustavo Rodriguez Vega.
As the event was commemorated three decades ago, there was no particular celebration; not so five years ago, when there was a meeting of representatives from several cities focused on the Pastoral of Indigenous Peoples.
The prelate said that John Paul II's visit 30 years ago to Yucatan “put the native peoples and the brothers and sisters who often go unnoticed” in the spotlight.
He recalled that the Holy Father's trip was originally scheduled for 1992, but surgery caused it to be postponed. “I think it was providential to have him more time among us,” said the bishop, who is moved by the memory.
“In the long run it makes us think how God is providential and how his presence motivates us because, at the end of the day, as the phrase goes, he comes to confirm our faith. That's what one wonders in the long run. Thirty years later, it is a push to motivate our faith, to confirm it and to move forward. He came to confirm our faith and to fulfill his work as successor of St. Peter”.
Today the bond between Yucatecan society and the Pope remains strong. “We have a monument of him in Izamal, it was an idea of Don Manuel Castro (Ruiz, archbishop of Yucatan at that time); also the Pope crowned the Virgin”.
On his part, the auxiliary bishop Monsignor Mario Medina Balam said that having the Pastor of the Church in a diocese is something singular and very special. “Now that he has been declared a saint, it acquires another dimension.
Keeping in mind the 30th anniversary of his visit means not forgetting what the Archdiocese of Yucatan experienced, as well as the desire to follow the path of holiness.
“The presence of Pope John Paul II in the Church meant an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life (...) It is not that Popes Benedict and Francis have not impacted the Church, but the Pope's presence here greatly influenced the presence of vocations. That has to be revived so that the increase of vocations happens again because we are experiencing an autumn in vocations”, he admitted.
Pope's visit to Yucatan, for indigenous peoples
Who also lived very closely the visit of the Holy Father in the State was the presbyter Lorenzo Mex Jiménez, current pastor of San Sebastián and who at that time was appointed coordinator of the Pope's visit in Izamal.
“It is worth highlighting the recognition of the indigenous peoples of America, in fact, that was the main reason for his visit to Mexico, specifically to Yucatan and, above all, to Izamal (...) Practically the Pope came for Izamal, for the indigenous people, and in passing he touched Merida, although many considered it the other way around.”
The father recalled that Pope John Paul II's visit was scheduled for 1992, but, as it could not be possible due to a surgical intervention, he later invited a group of representatives from Mexico to deliver a message to him in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
“Right there, I told him that his visit to Yucatan was pending, and he, in a very natural way, responded: 'I will be there'. It was a truly surprising thing,” the priest recalled.
In Izamal, the Pope took up the message he had given in Santo Domingo to the indigenous peoples. “For me it was an event that marked me a lot. I followed up on everything. It was a very tiring task, but it left a pleasant taste in my mouth, and I think it also said a lot to the indigenous peoples of America from Pope John Paul II.”
YouTube video
For the priest, after the Pope's visit the pastoral turned its gaze towards the indigenous people. “There is more interest in attending to them and the great richness of the cultures and that in all of them is present, what the Pope called, 'the seeds of the word of God'”.
Cronista chaired a committee during the papal visit to Izamal.
“One of the transcendental events of Izamal, today Pueblo Magico, was the visit of Pope John Paul II on August 11, 1993, and 30 years later it is still remembered,” says the chronicler of that city Miguel F. Vera Lima.
“It is an event that marked the course of Izamal: the arrival of the Holy Father put it in the eyes of the world,” he said in an interview with El Diario.
“Many remember the echo that was made in the atrium when Pope John Paul II, today a saint, gave his message to the representatives of the ethnic groups of Latin America.”
The papal visit was scheduled for October 1992, within the framework of the fifth centenary of the arrival of the Gospel in the Americas, to be celebrated in Santo Domingo.
The program included visits to Mexico, specifically to Merida and Izamal, “but due to an operation for an intestinal tumor process, the Holy Father's activities were limited”.
That gave way to make preparations almost a year in advance. “The last six months were of great intensity for a committee that I chaired; the presbyter Lorenzo Mex Jiménez was our liaison with the Archdiocese of Yucatán”.
The interviewee assures that “it was a very exhausting job, we had to comply with the protocols of the Presidential General Staff that were issued in meetings in which the Archdiocese, the State government and Vatican personnel, among others, participated”.
On the day of the Pope's arrival, “a servant and my wife entered the Franciscan atrium at 6 a.m. and we waited for his Holiness to arrive shortly after 11 a.m.”.
“There was a lot of emotion when we heard and saw the helicopter over the atrium; on the roof of the convent a banner was placed with the legend 'Welcome John Paul II'”.
Miguel F. Vera shares that “an event that was not programmed was the coronation that the Pope made to the Virgin of Izamal; also, from among his ornaments he took out a rosary and deposited it in the hands of the Blessed Virgin of Izamal”.
“There are many things to remember, we could spend hours, days or weeks talking about that historic event in Izamal,” he says.
“I can tell you that from that historic message of encouragement there is still much to reflect on, although the Catholic Church is more open to various issues but the indigenous people are only in speeches, the indigenous people are still in bad economic conditions, they depend on handouts from the federal government, which limits them in their social freedom and above all in political matters.”
The chronicler has a large collection of unpublished photos of the Pope's visit and keeps with special affection a key ring that the Holy Father gave him and all those who made up the committee and that Father Lorenzo Mex gave them on behalf of His Holiness.- BY Iván Canul Ek/// José Candelario Pech Ku
Pope John Paul II
Credits
Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus II; Italian: Giovanni Paolo II; Polish: Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005. He was later canonised as Pope Saint John Paul II. In his youth, he also dabbled in stage acting.
Having graduated with excellent grades from a male-only high school in Wadowice shortly before the war, in 1938, Karol Wojtyła was highly respected. Coming from the Generation of Columbuses, one in four of all his schoolmates did not survive World War II. During the war, Wojtyła went through struggles of his own. To avoid being kidnapped and sent off to a German slave labor camp he signed up for work in harsh conditions in a quarry. He was also struck by a German army truck and by a tram and barely survived these events. He took up acting and developed a love for the profession and participated at a local theater. The linguistically-skilled Wojtyła wanted to study Polish at university. Encouraged by a conversation with Prince Adam Stefan Sapieha, he decided to study theology and become a priest. Eventually, Karol Wojtyła rose to the position of Archbishop of Kraków and then Cardinal, both positions held by his mentor previously. Cardinal Wojtyła was elected pope on the third day of the second papal conclave of 1978 (becoming one of the youngest popes in history), which was called after John Paul I, who had been elected in the first papal conclave of 1978 earlier in August to succeed Pope Paul VI, died after 33 days. Wojtyła adopted the name of his predecessor in tribute to him. Born in Poland, John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century, as well as the third longest-serving pope in history after Pius IX and St. Peter. John Paul II attempted to improve the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the spirit of ecumenism, holding atheism as the greatest threat. He maintained the Church's previous positions on such matters as abortion, artificial contraception, the ordination of women, and a celibate clergy, and although he supported the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, he was seen as generally conservative in their interpretation. He put a lot of emphasis on family, identity, and questioned consumerism, hedonism and the pursuit of wealth. He was one of the most travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he beatified 1,344, and also canonised 483 people, more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the preceding five centuries. By the time of his death, he had named most of the College of Cardinals, consecrated or co-consecrated many of the world's bishops, and ordained many priests. He has been credited with fighting against dictatorships for democracy and with helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland and the rest of Europe. Under John Paul II, the Catholic Church greatly expanded its influence in Africa and Latin America, and retained its influence in Europe and the rest of the world.
John Paul II's cause for canonisation commenced one month after his death with the traditional five-year waiting period waived. On 19 December 2009, John Paul II was proclaimed venerable by his successor, Benedict XVI, and was beatified on 1 May 2011 (Divine Mercy Sunday) after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints attributed one miracle to his intercession, the healing of a French nun called Marie Simon Pierre from Parkinson's disease. A second miracle was approved on 2 July 2013, and confirmed by Pope Francis two days later. John Paul II was canonised on 27 April 2014 (again Divine Mercy Sunday), together with John XXIII. On 11 September 2014, Pope Francis added these two feast days to the worldwide General Roman Calendar of saints. While saints' feast days are traditionally celebrated on the anniversary of their deaths, that of John Paul II (22 October) is celebrated on the anniversary of his papal inauguration, due to Lent or Easter Octave usually falling on the date of his death, 2 April. Posthumously, he has been referred to by some Catholics as "Pope St. John Paul the Great," although the title has no official recognition. He has been criticised for allegedly condoning the sexual abuse of children by priests in Poland as archbishop, though the allegations themselves are criticized.
Under John Paul II, the two most important constitutions of the contemporary Catholic Church were drafted and put in force: the Code of Canon Law which, among many other innovations, began the effort to curb sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, among its features, explaining and clarifying the Church's position on homosexuality.