Special edition: Pope Francis visits Juárez

7/24/2019 Special edition: Pope Francis visits Jurez

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Thursday, February 18, 2016

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INDEX Lottery.........2A Calendar.........2B Opinion.........3B Obituaries.........4B Weather.........6B Sports.........1C Business.........6C Lifestyle.........1DOnline Complete coverage of Pope Francis visit to the borderland elpasotimes.com

Acharismatic Pope Francis kissed babies, hugged children and blessed El Paso during his historic 10-

hour visit to Jurez while at the same time urging change. The violence, he said, must stop. The

low-wage exploitation of workers must stop. The shunning of immigrants, some who die as they try to

cross into the United States in search of better lives, must stop. We have forgotten to focus on what

must truly be our concern: peoples lives their lives, those of their families and those who have suffered

because of this cycle, he said. Pope Francis five-day tour of Mexico began Saturday in Mexico City at

the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It ended Wednesday on the banks of the Rio Grande.

Pope Francis speaks aboutplight of immigrants atborder Mass Page 8A

Two Nations, One Faithevent draws thousands toSun Bowl Page 11A

Read more, see photos andvideo from the popes visitat elpasotimes.com

Quote of the day: I want to invite you to dream, to dream of a Mexico wherea father can have time to play with his son, where a mother can have time toplay with her children.

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JUREZ - As the door to Pope Francis Mis-ionero de Paz airplane opened Wednesday morn-ing, the singing began.

Se ve, se siente, el Papa est presente.Se ve, se siente, el Papa est presente.And so began Pope Francis historic and joyful

visit to Jurez, the last stop of his five-day tourthrough Mexico that extended from the nationssouthern border in Chiapas to its northern borderin Jurez.

At the Abraham Gonzlez International Air-port, thousands of singing, cheerful children, in-cluding some altar boys and some special needsyouths, welcomed Pope Francis as he arrived.The pontiff flew in from Mexico City in a Boeing787-8 Dreamliner Aeromexico airplane with thewords Misionero de Paz on it. He landed just be-fore 10 a.m.

As he walked the red carpet, the pontiff wasgreeted by church officials, including JurezBishop Jos Guadalupe Campos and El Paso Bish-op Mark J. Seitz. Chihuahua Gov. Csar Duarteand Jurez Mayor Javier Gonzlez Mocken werealso there. The warm ceremonial greeting wasbrief but vibrant and colorful.

Mocken gave the pontiff the keys to the city be-fore the pope blessed a group of children who ap-proached and gave him a small bouquet of whiteflowers and a closed letter.

Las Cruces Bishop Oscar Cant gave Francis avideo that documents what the U.S. dioceses aredoing to protect immigrants, while Nuevo CasasGrandes Bishop Jess Herrera gave Francis ahandcrafted pot made at the Juan Mata Ortiz

community an internationally famous villagein the state of Chihuahua known for its pottery.

It is exiting that the pope is here, in Jurez, inChihuahua soil, Herrera said afterward.

The pope stayed at the airport for about 15 min-utes, before boarding his popemobile, a whiteDodge pickup. As he was exiting the airport, a 6-year-old boy broke through the human securitychain and ran toward the pontiff with a small let-

ter in his hand.The popemobile stopped, Pope Francis took

the letter and then he kissed and blessed the boy.He was later identified by the local media as JuanManuel Garca.

During the welcoming ceremony, the songCielito Lindo, followed by Francisco Es thetheme song for Francis historic visit to Mexico and El Corrido de Chihuahua were sung to therhythm of the music played by four local chil-drens orchestras, including the Fundacin PedroZaragoza and Esperanza Azteca orchestras.

At least 2,500 altar servers dressed in red cas-socks and white yokes from 85 parishes in theJurez Diocese joined dozens of children withspecial needs, all between 7 and 13 years old, tocheer as Francis waved to the crowd.

The chanting restarted: Se ve, se siente, el Pa-pa est presente, and El Papa amigo, Chihuahuaest contigo.

Among those singing was Kevin Ruiz, 12, an al-tar boy from the Divino Rostro Chapel in Lomasdel Rey neighborhood. He was at the airport forabout four hours.

I am not tired, I am excited, the boy said.El Pasoan Michelle Caro, 16, also was excited to

see Pope Francis, saying she was grateful to beone of 35 peers selected from the Cecyt group ofthe congregation Legionarios de Cristo to attend.

I couldnt believe when we knew about thechance to come, she said minutes before thepopes arrival. Caro, who was accompanied by hermother and 12-year-old sister, said, I just cannotbelieve it right now.

Lorena Figueroa may be reached at 546-6129;[email protected]; @LFigueroaEPT onTwitter.

Top: Thousands cheer and chant while waiting for PopeFrancis to arrive Wednesday at the Abraham Gonzlez

Airport in Jurez. LORENA FIGUEROA/EL PASO TIMES

SONGS, CHEERS GREET POPEFrancis five-day tour through Mexico culminates in historic Jurez visitLORENA FIGUEROA

EL PASO TIMES

Above: Pope Francis kisses the head of a boy who rantoward him to hand the pontiff a note upon his arrival

Wednesday morning at the Abraham Gonzlez

International Airport in Jurez. COURTESY PHOTO

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POPE FRANCIS IN MEXICO

JUREZ - Papa Francisco, bjate un poqui-to! Pope Francis, stop for a little while!

Despite pleas from the thousands of faithfulwho lined Avenida Tecnologica to receive a bless-ing from Pope Francis, his motorcade and Pope-mobile zoomed past the anxious crowd fasterthan their chants could carry.

Even with the crowds energy and full vigor,the pope dashed by the masses, offering only awave as acknowledgment of their praises.

And, just like that, he was gone ... and thecrowd dissipated and scattered.

Event organizers were hoping that, as part ofhis 25-mile route along the streets of Jurez, thepontiff would make an unannounced stop in frontof a section designated for the sick and disabled.

I was kind of disappointed he didnt stop,Omar Flores said afterward. Even though it onlylasted three to four seconds, it was worth it.

Flores was part of the human chain of volun-teers who were designated to keep the streetsclear during the papal route.

It was too fast, and an experience that wasfilled with lots of emotions, Flores added. Itwas worth getting up at 4 in the morning.

Pope Francis, who was on his way to the Jurezseminary to rest before a Mass, is on the last legof his Mexican tour.

Long before the popes brief sighting, thou-

sands from both sides of the border and else-where were rehearsing songs and chants, all inhopes that the pope would stop and step out of hisPopemobile. Some faithful even placed childrenon a platform to greet the pope. And, if needed,the Chihuahua Xochipilli group had a few polkadances ready.

On this day, Jessica Arias Diaz was up early towait for the pope. The 17-year-old suffers fromidiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a disorderthat results in low levels of blood cells that pre-vent platelets. With her mother and sister by herside, Diaz, sitting in her wheelchair, held a spe-cial stuffed animal. She hoped that the pope

would take the souvenir and bless her with a mir-acle.

Im very happy and blessed, Diaz said hoursbefore the popes arrival. Im going to feel lots ofjoy and hope if I receive his blessing.

Others like 9-year-old Ruben Lazo and his par-ents were simply trying to find a good spot to seethe pope when they learned about the special sec-tion. Ruben is deaf and his parents were hopingfor a chance to receive a blessing.

Wed like to get a blessing, but just seeing himwould be enough, Lazos father said.

Luis Carlos Lopez may be reached at 546-6124;[email protected]; @lclopez4 on Twitter.

It was too fast: Popemobile zooms past thousands of Jurez faithfulLUIS CARLOS LOPEZ

EL PASO TIMES

RUDY GUTIERREZ/EL PASO TIMES

Pope Francis waves from the Popemobile as he departs the Abraham Gonzlez International Airport.


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News El Paso Times elpasotimes.com Thursday, February18, 2016 3A

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JUREZ - Pope Francis brought a message ofmercy, forgiveness and hope to prisonersWednesday at the state Cereso prison No. 3 in Ju-rez.

The prison visit was symbolic in Jurez, whichwas once considered one of the mostdangerous cities in the world because of a highmurder rate.

The pontiff gave the prison a crystal crucifixthat was symbolic in its frailty and strength, thepope told a group of about 700 male and femaleinmates.

The crystal is the most fragile, it breaks easi-ly, the pope said in Spanish. The cross helps us,it opens the door to salvation.

The prison was part of Pope Franciss first tripto Mexico and the first papal trip to the Jurez-ElPaso border.

Divine mercy reminds us that prisons are anindication of the kind of society we are, the popesaid. In many cases, they are a sign of silence andomissions, which have led to a throwaway cul-ture, a symptom of a culture that has stopped sup-porting life, of a society that has abandoned itschildren.

The pope spoke of the concern that JesusChrist had to care for the hungry, the thirsty, thehomeless and prisoners.

The pope had declared this year the Jubilee ofMercy, highlighting forgiveness.

We know that we cannot turn back, we knowwhat is done is done, the pope told inmates. Thisis the way I wanted to celebrate with you the Jubi-lee of Mercy because it does not exclude the pos-sibility of writing a new story.

Chihuahua authorities said that the prisonshave undergone improvements since corruption,security flaws and gang warfare exploded indeadly riots in Jurez nearly a decade ago.

Francis speaksof mercy, hope

at Jurez prisonDANIEL BORUNDA | EL PASO TIMES

JUREZ Pope Francis told business leadersand factory workers that the path to prosperitycomes through unity, negotiation and personalsacrifice for the benefit of everyone during amidday speech to business groups on Wednesday.

The pope spoke to more than 4,000 business of-ficials and workers, many from the maquiladoraindustry, who packed into the Colegio de Bachil-leres de Estado de Chihuahua gymnasium insouth central Jurez.

At first glance, the groups can seem like an-tagonists, but the same responsibility unites you:to look to create spaces for dignified and trulyuseful work, for society and especially for youngpeople, Pope Francis began.

Many young people in Jurez havent had op-portunities to study and make a decent living, hesaid.

This poverty and marginalization are the bestrecipe for them to fall into the cycle of drug traf-ficking and violence, he added.

Jurez was removed from the list of most vio-lent cities in the world just this month, after yearsof frighteningly high rates of homicides, robber-ies and kidnappings.

The city is forecast to hit a population of 1.45million people this year, according to the Univer-sity of Texas at El Paso Border Region ModelingProjects annual Borderplex Economic Outlook to2016publication.

Many of the formal working class in Jurez areemployed in the manufacturing sector.

More than 246,200 people work in manufactur-ing of the 385,900 people employed in the citysformal sector, according to the report.

Manufacturing job gains associated with IM-MEX, a government program facilitating import-ing goods to be processed and re-exported, areprimarily boosting employment numbers, ac-cording to the report.

But Pope Francis cautioned business leadersagainst exploiting workers as if they were ob-jects to use and throw away.

God will hold accountable the slave owners ofour days, he told the packed gym. The flow ofcapital cant determine the flow and the lives ofpeople.

Society as a whole loses each time one personsdignity is violated, he said. All sectors of businessare obligated to protect the well-being of all peo-ple, the pope said.

Were all in the same boat, he added.The enthusiastic crowd welcomed Pope Fran-

cis with a gymnasium-wide version of the waveand chants of Francisco, amigo, Jurez est con-tigo! or Francis, friend, Jurez is with you.

Pope Francis forwent a golf cart that waited todrive him around the gym floor, instead choosingto walk the cordoned-off path through the crowdto the stage.

Factories and parishes from around the regionsent representatives to Wednesdays event.

One factory worker presented Pope Franciswith products from the region. Also, Elvira AliciaMartinez de Leon, of the Jurez Valleys San Isi-dro neighborhood, presented the pope with mes-sages from laborers, business people and commu-nity members.

Juan Pablo Castan, of the national CorporateCoordinating Council, represented business own-ers at the event and spoke of the need for busi-nesses to adapt to globalization, technology, mi-gration, climate change and more.

We need to work together to build a just soci-ety, an inclusive Mexico, Castan said beforethe popes speech.

Pope Francis implored business leaders to notjust think of their own children, but of everyoneelses too.

What Mexico do you want to leave your chil-dren? he asked the crowd. Do you want to leavea memory of exploitation, of insufficient salaries,of workplace harassment or of slave labor? Or doyou want to leave the culture of a memory of dig-nified work?

He acknowledged the path ahead isnt easy.But I know its worse to leave the future in the

hands of corruption, savagery and a lack of equi-ty, he said.

Pope Francis recalled a young person who tes-tified at Morelia Stadium on Tuesday, saying thisworld takes away the capacity to dream.

Its true, the pope said. Sometimes, it takesaway the capacity to dream, the capacity forgratitude. When a boy or a girl sees their mom ortheir dad only on weekends because they go towork before they wake up and come home whentheyre already asleep, this is throw-away cul-ture.

I want to invite you to dream, to dream of aMexico where a father can have time to play withhis son, where a mother can have time to play withher children, he continued. And this will beachieved through talking, confronting, negotiat-ing and sacrificing so everyone can gain. I inviteyou to dream of a Mexico that your children de-serve.

Lindsey Anderson may be reached at 546-6345;[email protected]; @l_m_anderson onTwitter.

LINDSEY ANDERSON

EL PASO TIMES

MARK LAMBIE/EL PASO TIMES

Pope Francis speaks to Jurez business leaders and workers Wednesday at Colegio de Bachilleres del Estado deChihuahua. The pontiff cautioned against exploiting workers as if they were objects to use and throw away.

Pope stresses unity,treating workers fairly

MARK LAMBIE / EL PASO TIMES

Pope Francis met factory workers and business leaders at the Colegio de Bachilleres in Jurez on Wednesday.

MARK LAMBIE/EL PASO TIMES

A group of nurses await the arrival of Pope Francis onWednesday at Colegio de Bachilleres del Estado deChihuahua.


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El Paso Times elpasotimes.com Thursday, February18, 2016 5A

Much of the morning and early after-noon was calm along Paisano Drivenear Bowie High School.

A handful of residents had beenwalking around, looking to catch aglimpse of Pope Francis from the Unit-ed States side of the border. Most didnthave much luck as hundreds and hun-dreds of law enforcement officersmade sure people stayed away.

One man, Raul Fierro, set up his foodtruck across the street from BowieHigh School. He was expecting acrowd. None showed up.

They put too much emphasis on se-curity that they scared the peopleaway, Fierro said. Not even when thepresident comes does he get this much

security.Despite the disappointment he washappy the Pope was in Juarez.

I have a lot of respect for this Pope,hes for the people, Fierro said.

At Modesto Park in South Central ElPaso, several people tried to see if therewas a view of the road the pope wastraveling on.

Today we have a family gatheringto see the Pope, said Luis Moncayo,who was with his family at the park.Its a historic day for El Paso and Jua-rez, who knows how many years untilthe Pope will return.

Victor Romero was at Modesto Parkas well using binoculars to get a closerlook into Juarez.

Its something special, (the Pope)has never been here, Romero said.

Everybody is happy, plus its a beauti-ful day.Several people were able to go

through the neighborhood and find aspot in Segundo Barrio with an openview of the praying platform wherePope Francis stood to bless El Paso.

As the Mass at the altar was ready towelcome the pope, Michael Abeyta andhis family were able to catch a previewof it.

We were going to the Sun Bowl buttook a slight detour, Abeyta said. Itwas like a little family pilgrimage. Wegot there, heard the musicyou feelGods presence. The police, law en-forcement are all friendly, smiling andoffering us water.

Andrea Abeyta, 16, added, Its posi-tive vibes.

Matthew Abeyta, 11, added, Its anhonor. Its (the Popes) first time hereand Im glad Im here to see this today.

At the site of the intersection of Parkand the Cesar Chavez highway, peoplebegan to trickle in. Close to 200 peoplewere there.

Lorenzo Abeyta, 34, was on top of atree with binoculars to watch the Mass.He traveled with his family from Albu-querque, N.M.

I just wanted to be in (the popes) vi-cinity, I have havent seen the pope and

Ifigured hes just three and a half hoursaway so I might as well take the time,Abeyta said. I wanted to bring my fam-ily to get blessed when he throws theblessing over here.

Further up the tree, with the bestview among the spectators, was Loren-zo Aguirre, 68, a resident of SegundoBarrio.

What it symbolizeswho knowshow long until another pope comes,thats why I wanted to come, Aguirreshouted from above. If you were uphere, youd see everything. The Mass isfull, I think a lot of people got left out.

There, on the corner of Park and Ce-sar Chavez, a resident set up a televi-

sion with speakers. Many of the peoplegathered around it to watch live cover-age on the popes visit as he raced to thelocation of the Mass which was just astones throw away.

Everyone was full of anticipation.Former city representative Susie

Byrd was among the hundreds watch-ing from the Segundo Barrio neighbor-hood.

Im particularly excited to be herein the Segundo Barrio, its a historic dayand the people who live in this neigh-

borhood should have much participa-tion here, Byrd said. We are a regionof immigrants, its a safe region andblessed; Im happy the pope is focusedon that given there is rhetoric comingfrom the republican candidates forpresident.

Suddenly, Aguirre began to shoutfrom atop the tree, informing thecrowd that the Pope had arrived at theMass.

The crowd pushed as far to the edgeof the street as law enforcement al-lowed.

The pope walked up the ramp to thepraying altar facing El Paso. Everyonewaved as he blessed the city. One lady

broke through the fence to get a betterpicture of Pope Francis during hisblessing.

A few spectators grew frustratedand began to argue with cops, but it fiz-zled out shortly.

By the end of the Mass, everyonewas emotional.

I feel content, I ask the Lord forblessing for the sick, said teary-eyedArmida Martinez, 58. Theres a lot ofhope for peace and tranquility. Its ablessing just to be here hearing, not

seeing, but hearing (the Mass).Enrique Rodriguez, 35, embraced

his four children as he watched theMass on television.

I feel sad, but at the same time hap-py, Rodriguez said. I have six kidsand I just want (the struggle) to finish. Ihope people are listening to (the popes)message. I work a lot and have to moveforward. This is something beautiful, Ihope people recognize were all blessedin our own way.

Like the Bible says, God so lovedthe world that he gave his only son, sothat everyone who believes in him willnot perish but have eternal life.

Vicente Villela, 60, had tears run-

ning down his cheeks as he watched thepopes mass on television.It made me cry, we need to forgive

others, forgive ourselves, Villela said.For me its an emotion very beautiful.Im happy with (the popes) blessing. Ihad a granddaughter born an hour ago.Here on this side I feel (Gods) pres-ence. I cant describe it. I feel clean ofmy sin, (innocent) like a kid again.

Kristopher Rivera may be reached at546-6121; [email protected];@kgrivera on Twitter.


Traffic stays calm on US sideKRISTOPHER RIVERA

EL PASO TIMES

KRISTOPHER RIVERA / EL PASO TIMES

Victor Romero uses binoculars to get a better view into Jurez from Modesto Park in Central El Paso. Romero was hoping to catch a glimpse of

Pope Francis during his visit to Jurez.

As Pope Francis toured Jurez, vol-unteers and store owners in DowntownEl Paso helped pedestrians feel morefestive for the popes first visit to theBorderland.

At the Santa Fe pedestrian bridge,volunteers from the Diocese of El Pasohanded out prayer cards to those cross-ing into Jurez. Each pedestrian got oneprayer card and a very large dose of en-thusiasm.

Bienvenidos! volunteers greeted toall crossers, whether or not they werecrossing to see the pope.

Alicia and Jimmy Ayala, parishionersfrom Blessed Sacrament Church inNortheast El Paso, said they went to see

Pope Francis during his visit to Philadel-phia in 2015, but the crowds kept themfrom going to Jurez to see him again.

We dont have a place to stay (in Ju-rez) and we understood we would have tostay overnight, said Alicia Ayala. InDowntown, some stores close to the San-ta Fe bridge were selling Pope FrancisT-shirts and flags.

Employees at Wengs Wholesale andRetail, at the corner of El Paso Street andSixth Avenue, said they have seen a lot ofpeople coming in from out of town. Anemployee, who lives in Jurez, said sheis excited for the popes visit and hopesthe city will continue to improve after heleaves.

Sara Sanchez can be reached at 546-6147; [email protected];@siempresarita on Twitter.

Volunteers, store owners ready for popeSARA SANCHEZ

EL PASO TIMES

PHOTOS BY SARA SANCHEZ / EL PASO TIMES

A boy displays Pope Francis shirts for sale inhonor of his visit to Jurez.

Stores selling items for Pope Francis visit toJurez are pictured.

Thanks to the power of social mediaand mobile devices, Borderland resi-dents and visitors were able to share inthe experience of Pope Francis visit toJurez, wherever they were.

From the streets of Jurez, wherethousands lined up to see the popesmotorcade; to El Punto, where the popegave a Mass to thousands of faithful; toSun Bowl stadium, where many ElPasoans gathered to watch the Mass; totheir homes people shared theirthoughts, photos and video with theworld via Facebook, Twitter, and otherforms of social media.

Popular social network Snapchat which allows users to share shortvideos and photos with friends for alimited period of time offered twospecial geofilters to its users.

The geofilters are special artworkwhich can be applied to photos orvideos taken by users depending ontheir location. The geofilters featured

artwork of Pope Francis likenessalong with the words El Paso, TX, orCiudad Jurez, Mexio, depending onwhere the media was taken.

Another geofilter featured thepopes likeness inside the popemobilewith the words,They see me rollin Pope Francis in Mexico.

Rep. Beto ORourke shared severalvideos of himself on his Snapchat time-line or story on the bus headedto Jurez en route to the popes Mass,standing in line to enter and inside thearea where the Mass was held.

This is the border right here,ORourke said in a video shared onSnapchat.

Another video shared by the con-gressman showed the view from thebus he traveled in as he crossed theborder.

This is the channel that has the RioGrande inside of it, ORourke saidduring the video.

And later: Were now standing inline to get in to see the pope. You cansee people continuing to file in behind

Ive never been in such an enor-mous and mostly orderly crowd, Es-cobar tweeted. Great music, intensesun, lots of excitement.

Twitter users also used the specialhashtags #PapaEnCDJ and #Pa-paEnMex, which added special pope-themed emojis to tweets.

Many area journalists used Twitterand various social media platforms tonot only keep the public informed ofwhat was happening in real time, butalso share their own experiences andbehind-the-scenes photos and videoswhile covering this once in a lifetimeevent.

On Facebook and Instagram, manyEl Paso residents posted memes andphotoshopped images of the Pope eat-ing at Chicos Tacos and advertisingfictional parties featuring papal DJsets, as well as their thoughts, bothpositive and negative, on the popesvisit.

Dave Acosta may be reached at 546-6138; [email protected];@AcostaDavidA on Twitter.

me and across the river channel youcan see Mount Franklin and the borderpatrol.

Snapchat also created a Pope inMexico story which gathered the us-er-submitted videos and photos intoone timeline. There, Snapchat usersshared photos and videos of the popearriving at the Jurez airport, zippingby in his popemobile and giving mass.

The Popes own Twitter accountshared messages throughout the day in 140 characters or less that reiterat-ed Pope Francis words as he spoke toinmates at Cereso prison, businesspeople and factory workers at Colegiode Bachilleres de Estado de Chihuahuagymnasium and during his mass.

Do not forget that the mercy of Godis our shield and strength against in-justice, destruction and oppression,one tweet from the popes account read reinforcing the message he gave dur-ing his speech at CBEC.

County Judge Veronica Escobartook to Twitter to share her thoughts onthe day.

Borderland shares papal experience via social mediaDAVE ACOSTA

EL PASO TIMES


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ROBINZIELINSKI/SUN-NEWS

Pope Francis blesses those watching from across the Rio Grande on a levee in El Paso on Wednesday during his visit to Jurez.

RUDYGUTIERREZ/ ELPASOTIMES

Pope Francis stands with Mexican President Enrique Pea Nieto, right, and his wife, Angelica Rivera de Pea, Wednesday atAbraham Gonzalez International Airport.

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6A Thursday,February18,2016 elpasotimes.com El Paso Times R1 R1 El Paso Times elpasotimes.com Thursday,February18,2016 7A

MARKLAMBIE/ELPASO TIMES

Pope Francis waves back at the audience at Colegio de Bachilleres del Estado de Chihuahua Wednesday as they do the wave shortly after hisarrival. Pope Francis visited with business leaders and laborers at the technical high school in Ciudad Jurez.

RUBENR.RAMIREZ/EL PASOTIMES

Pope Francis celebrates Mass with 250,000 faithful that came to get a glimpse of the pontiff as well as listen to his messagewhile in Jurez Wednesday afternoon.

VICTORCALZADA/ELPASOTIMES

Achil d was lifted by a security officer to give Pope Francis a note Wednesday at the Jurez airport.


Pope Francis enters La Punta in his popemobile after arriving to celebrate Mass with thousands in attendance.

MARKLAMBIE/ELPASO TIMES

A member of the audience reaches out and grabs Pope Francis robe as he arrives at Colegio de Bachilleres del Estado de Chihuahua Wednesday.


Left: A group of indigenous women in traditional clothing wait to see Pope Francis off to Rome Wednesday at AbrahamGonzalez International Airport.Right: Pope Francis walks through a crowd of well-wishers with Mexican President Enrique Pea Nieto, right, at AbrahamGonzalez International Airport upon his departure for Rome Wednesday.

ROBINZIELINSKI/ SUN-NEWS

The pope walks up a ramp on Wednesday in Jurez,where he briefly prayed and blessed those watching from across the Rio Grande on a leveein El Paso.

News


Pope Francis arrives at the Mass site in his pope mobile at 4 p.m., where he placed flowers at three crosses along the RioGrande.


Pope Francis climbs the stepsto the Aeromexico Boeing787 that will return him to

Rome on Wednesday atAbraham GonzalezInternational Airport.


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8A Thursday, February 18, 2016 elpasotimes.com El Paso Times News


JUREZ - A massive crowd of morethan 250,000 sang, cried and prayed un-der a hot desert sun during an emotion-al Mass by Pope Francis on Wednesdayafternoon in Jurez.

The Mass was part of the first papalvisit to the Jurez-El Paso area, an his-toric event that crossed borders with asimulcast at Sun Bowl Stadium in ElPaso and a papal prayer along the RioGrande for immigrants around theglobe.

Most schools and government of-fices closed on both side of the border,streets were blocked and thousands oflaw enforcement officers stood guardwhile helicopters patrolled above Ju-rez and El Paso for what is believed tobe the largest cross-border event in theregion.

Residents, church and governmentofficials said that the visit by PopeFrancis signals the start of a new erafor Jurez, a city of about 1.45 millionthat had been bludgeoned by a bloodydrug cartel war that left more than10,000 dead between 2008 and 2012.

It almost made me cry to watch somuch hope in a people who have suf-fered so much, Pope Francis said to-ward the end of the Mass celebrated atEl Punto, a former fairground locat-ed next to the Rio Grande across fromEl Paso.

Pilgrims came from several statesin the U.S. and Mexico for what they

described as a once-in-a-lifetime expe-rience. There were people from Cali-fornia, Arizona and several states inMexico. One person was wrapped inthe flag of Venezuela.

Wednesday was one of the hottestdays so far this year. A spring-like tem-perature, reaching about 80 degrees,caused some to try to block the sunwith hats, blankets or anything theycould find, as they stood in the dirtfield, penned into lots fenced by metalbarriers. Though, there were com-plaints about overcrowding, some notgetting into the Mass, and not beingable to leave the area for restroom

breaks, the overwhelming feelingamong the faithful was that of grat-itude.

The crowd arrived early, somelined up at 5 a.m. to enter at 8 a.m. justto wait under the sun until the popesarrival at about 4 p.m., which broughta tidal wave of cheers.

It could have been a bad situation a hot, sunny day and a massive crowd,that included senior citizens, peoplein wheelchairs and young children.

Lively religious cumbias, the Mex-ican classic Cielito Lindo andFrancisco Es, the theme song forthe popes visit to Jurez, kept thecrowd motivated despite the hot sun.

When it seemed the afternoon sunwas starting to wear down the crowd,video screens showed that the pope-mobile was on its way, and the crowdcame to life. People cheered andsnapped photos as the popemobileweaved through the crowd.

Pilgrims came for different rea-sons, different prayers, but joined to-gether in worship on both sides of theU.S.-Mexico border.

Karla Sandoval, 33, grew up in Ju-rez and lives in El Paso.

I think all people feel it (thepopes visit) is a blessing, Sandovalsaid. All of us think that the city isgetting a new start because of his vis-it. Our family was affected by the vio-lence. They killed fourmembers of our family. Two uncles,two aunts.

I hope all of us take the time to re-

flect on our lives, here in Jurez andin all of Mexico, Sandoval said aboutthe popes historic visit.

Cruz Patricia Vasquez of Anthony,N.M., held a large photo of her father-in-law, Arturo Vasquez, who is bat-tling cancer in Midland, Texas. Hecould not make it to the Mass.

We came here to pray for him,Cruz Patricia Vasquez said. It it veryhot, but it is worth enduring. I neverthought a pope would come here andthat I would get to see him.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at546-6102; [email protected];@BorundaDaniel on Twitter.

Faith, hope shineat Francis MassDANIEL BORUNDAEL PASO TIMES

JUREZ - With a backdrop of sistercities in two countries, Pope Franciscame to the desert to bid its people toweep over injustices of the world, and tohave mercy for those immigrants whosuffer grave dangers in their journeys.

In Jurez, on the last day of his five-day tour of Mexico, the missionary ofpeace and mercy rolled into the papalMass at El Punto on Wednesday in his po-pemobile to a festive atmosphere. Afterwaiting for hours in the hot sun, the morethan 250,000 gathered children, adultsand seniors seemed to become enliv-

ened again, cheering and waving as hezigzagged through the huge dirt lot.But the singing and chanting quickly

subsided, as Pope Francis made a poign-ant stop on a small altar overlooking theRio Grande and the chain-link fence thatphysically divides the two countries.

He put flowers near some crosses insolidarity with immigrants, and took amoment to reflect on those who have losttheir lives in pursuit of a better life. Healso extended his arms to the hundredswho were gathered on the other side ofthe border, some of them immigrantsdubbed Francis VIPs.

As expected, Pope Francis homily fo-cused on the plight of migrants and refu-gees.

Here in Ciudad Jurez, as in otherborder areas, there are thousands of im-

migrants from Central America and oth-er countries, not forgetting the manyMexicans who also seek to pass over tothe other side. Each step, a journey ladenwith grave injustices: the enslaved, theimprisoned and extorted; so many ofthese brothers and sisters of ours are theconsequence of a trade in human be-ings, the pope said.

We cannot deny the humanitariancrisis, which in recent years has meantthe migration of thousands of people,whether by train or highway or on foot,crossing hundreds of kilometersthrough mountains, deserts and inhospi-table zones, he said.

Pope Francis, who has touched on im-migration and other sensitive issuesthroughout his trip to Mexico, said thecrisis should be measured with names,stories and families not numbers andstatistics.

Let us together ask our God for thegift of conversion, the gift of tears, let usask him to give us open hearts like the Ni-nevites, open to his call heard in the suf-fering faces of countless men and wom-en. No more death, the pope pleaded.

Many people in the crowd weretouched by the popes homily and saidthey hoped his visit would continue tohave a positive effect as Jurez con-tinues to overcome years of violence.

Leonarda Herrera, who is originallyfrom Jurez but now lives in El Paso, saidshe hoped government officials in theUnited States would reflect on what thepope had to say.

She believes immigrants need to betreated with more dignity.

They deserve it because they comehere to work like all of us; not to steal. Yano se vale (its not fair) that they just

send them back without their family,without anything, she said.

Herrera said everyone from Jurezhas suffered in some way because of vio-lence.

It makes me want to cry to thinkabout that and I want to thank (PopeFrancis) for the effort he made to comehere. The effort we made to come seehim compared to him was nothing, shesaid, with tears in her eyes.

Fabiola Luna and her husband DavidCruz also said they were one of the manyfamilies affected by immigration issues.She returned to Jurez four years ago af-

ter living in Chaparral, N.M., for sevenyears.

We werent better off, and we wereliving in fear, she said.

Luna said the saddest part of her situ-ation is that she hasnt seen her son, wholives with his wife, a U.S. citizen, in fouryears.

I hope that one day we are able to seeeach other and be like a family again,she said.

After the homily, Pope Francis ac-

knowledged the 28,000 who were gath-ered at the Sun Bowl for a live simulcastof the Mass. He addressed Catholics onboth sides of the border and thankedthem for creating a feeling of being onesingle family.

I want to thank the other side of theborder that joins us simultaneously, es-pecially those who have gathered at thestadium of the University of Texas at ElPaso, known as the Sun Bowl, he said.

Though they couldnt see theircounterparts on the U.S. side, the Jurezcrowd responded with great applause.

Under the leadership of your BishopMark Seitz, and technology, we can sing,pray and celebrate that merciful lovethat our savior gives us and that no bor-der can impede, Pope Francis said to theEl Paso crowd.

Jurez Bishop Jos Guadalupe Torresthanked the pope for coming to this bor-der city that has been through difficultmoments and that have left numerouswounds in our families.

We have felt firsthand the conse-quences of violence and unmeasuredambitions, he said.

Torres said just the mention that thepope was coming had renewed hope inthe city.

You have looked upon us withwarmth, and with your paternal pres-ence, we feel very blessed and accompa-nied by Christ, Torres said. I am surethat you have found a resilient peoplethat motivates us pastors tocontinue to have enthusiasm in spite ofadversity.

At the end of the Mass, the crowds re-turned to its festive state, chanting Pa-pa, te queremos, (Pope, we love you),before breaking into a sing-song: Se ve,se siente, el papa esta presente. We seehim, we feel him, the pope is present.

Mara Corts Gonzlez may bereached at 546-6150; [email protected]; @eptmaria on Twitter.

Pope shares vision of peace250,000 gather at

El Punto for MassMARA CORTSGONZLEZ |EL PASO TIMES

RUBEN R. RAMIREZ/EL PASO TIMES

Pope Francis celebrates Mass at El Punto in Jurez on Wednesday.

We have felt firsthand the

consequences of violence

and unmeasured ambitions.

JOS GUADALUPE TORRESJUREZ BISHOP

JUREZ - Standing for hours underthe sun while the heat penetrated intoher skin was not a sacrifice for MariaContreras. It was a blessing.

Like many others who spent Wednes-day morning trying to get into the spe-cial papal Mass in Jurez, Contrerascried in excitement when Pope Francispassed her on his way to the site.

El Punto, an area just across theborder from the Segundo Barrio inDowntown El Paso, was the site wherehundreds of thousands of pilgrimsgathered to celebrate Mass with thepope. It was the last event in Jurez,which was the final leg of the popestour in Mexico.

Its a miracle that Im here, shesaid. I got lost and walked about sevenkilometers to get to the entrance.

Endless lines formed around El Pun-to, formerly the Jurez fairgrounds, aspeople raced to get into the designatedareas.

Some people experienced momentsof frustration while trying to get intothe site, but then they would keep eachother calm, and comfort each other be-cause they had a common goal -- to seethe pope, though some did not get in.

Once those who were allowed inwere were inside the chain-link fenceand past the security checkpoint, peo-ple scurried to find their place, but notbefore getting a glimpse, a photo orvideo of Pope Francis, who ignited thecrowd as he arrived. The popemobiletraveled through the crowd to the altar.

The excitement was so contagious,that for a moment, many people seemedto forgot about any pain they may havebeen experiencing.

When the pope proceeded to pray onthe ramp near the border, people re-laxed and took a moment to drink waterand get a quick snack. Some childrensat on the dirt floor to eat a sandwich ortwo.

Armando and Maria Wong were elat-ed to be at the Mass. They started theirjourney to Jurez on Tuesday, whenthey left their home in Commerce,Calif.

Without relatives or a hotel reserva-

tion in Jurez, and not knowing wherethey were going to stay, the Wongswere thankful that they were able toattend the Mass and, of course, see thepope.

We came with no plan, with the de-sire to see the Holy Father, ArmandoWong said. Our dream came true. Itwas beautiful.

The Wongs said they felt blessed tofind good people who provided themshelter and VIP tickets for the Mass.

Others, though, were not as fortu-nate, many crying because they wereunsuccessful in trying to get near thepope.

Yalia Romero jumped the securityfence trying to stop the popemobile.Instead, she was briefly detained bysecurity guards.

Romero said she wanted the pope tobless her sister, Dayan Romero, whocant talk or walk, but understands ev-erything.

Dayan was very excited about get-ting to see the pope, Romero said.

After the Mass, the pope left ElPunto, blessing the audience and ask-ing them to pray for him.

Aileen B. Flores may be reached at546-6362; [email protected];@AileenBFlores on Twitter.

Popes Jurez visit, Massinspirational for pilgrimsAILEEN B. FLORESEL PASO TIMES

RUBEN R. RAMIREZ / EL PASO TIMES

Pope Francis climbs the ramp to lay flowersat the three crosses at the top duringWednesdays papal Mass in Jurez.

We came with no plan, with thedesire to see the Holy Father. Ourdream came true. It was beautiful.

ARMANDO WONGMASS ATTENDEE


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ROBIN ZIELINSKI / LAS CRUCES SUN-NEWS

Pope Francis prays at the top of a ramp Wednesday in Jurez before blessing a crowd watching from a levee inEl Paso.

Before Pope Francis addressed an estimated 250,000 faithful duringMass at the former Jurez fairgrounds on Wednesday, he had a specialmessage for a small crowd gathered on the United States side of theborder.

About 500 people including migrants from various agencies weresituated on the levee road by the Csar Chvez Border Highway, acrossthe Rio Grande and in view of a specially built stage for the papal Mass.Pope Francis was visiting the area as part of his tour of Mexico. Jurezwas his last stop

Prior to the Mass, the pope ascended a nearby stage to find worn,tattered shoes at the center of a large cross-shaped altar, symbolizingthe souls of those who died on their journey toward a better life in theUnited States.

Pope Francis didnt speak when he reached the altar, but he did facethe crowd in the United States and offered a blessing.

Carlos Gutierrez, who lives in El Paso, was invited to the privategathering on the levee. He grew up in Chihuahua, Mexico, but moved tothe United States after, he said, drug cartel officials cut off his legs. Hesaid the cartel officials were trying to extort money from him andwhen he refused, he was kidnapped and tortured.

Gutierrez, who now has two prosthetic legs, is seeking asylum in theUnited States, a laborious process.

The pope coming is giving all migrants hope that something canchange with immigration, he said through a translator.

Diana Hernndez, a teacher at a transitional foster care agency thathouses immigrant children, was part of the group on the levee.

Once we were at the levee, it was really nice, Hernndez said. Wewere mostly around immigrant children, and they were really excitedto see Pope Francis.

Hernndez added that security was high in the area, and she saidthey had to go through multiple security checks. She said that, althoughshe was only told a week in advance about the levee arrangement, itwas a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity she could not miss.

After the pope appeared at the border, he gave Mass at the the for-mer fairgrounds, where he highlighted the plight of immigrants fromCentral America, Mexico and other places, whoflee their homes because ofviolence.

Robin Zielinski may be reached at 575-541-5449; [email protected]; @ikillthelight on Twitter.

Sara Sanchez contributed to this report. She may be reached at 915-546-6147; [email protected]; @siempresarita on Twitter.

El Paso Times elpasotimes.com Thursday, February18, 2016 9ANews

JUAREZ - Pope Francis zoomed by

too fast for 5-year-old Odalis del Rio.I went like this but I dont think he

saw me, Odalis said as she demonstrat-ed her pope wave with her tiny hands.

But no worries, her dad Jose Oscardel Rio captured the split second on cellphone video, perfectly timing when thepontiff passed by in the popemobile onthe road leading into the Mass siteWednesday.

We never forget such good days,they become great memories, hermother Mayra Marquez, a 31-year-oldhomemaker and hair stylist, chimed in.

The family had tickets for the Mass,but said they didnt get in on time. Peo-ple had to be in the Mass site by 2 p.m.,and the line was still long and ticket tak-ers started turning people away.

Volunteers and officials at the gates

said they did not know how many peoplemight have been turned away, but saidsome elderly and others with specialneeds were let in the gates late.

Um, no, people said as they wereturned away, some more frustratedthan others.

For Odalis, it was a blessing in dis-guise.

We were better off here in the shadewith (Odalis). It was too hot over there,but it would have been nice to be there,too, said the 29-year-old Oscar del Rio,who works in cabling.

Others had slightly harsher words.Our tickets were good for two

things: Nothing, and nothing, Francis-

co Dominguez Gonzalez said in Span-ish as he sat exhausted on the side-walk of a corner store. All day hereand here we are.

Despite having a yellow ticket forthe Mass, Dominguez and his wifeMaria de los Angeles Rosales Lopezwere among many who werent al-lowed in after that section filled up.

You cant be mad. Well, you can, alittle, he said.

It was okay because it was a his-toric day for us no matter what andwe had for today, even with all this

craziness, a sense of tranquility,said Dominguez, a taxi driver whoalso coaches little league. Its im-portant to be involved in the commu-nity, and we were community heretoday.

At the end of the day, Dominguezand his wife said they prayed for ason they lost just eight days after hewas born.

We prayed for him and thoughtof him, but also of our four childrenwho are now married and are givingus grandkids, Rosales said.

Cindy Ramirez may be reached at546-6151; [email protected];@EPTCindyRamirez on Twitter.

Hopes dashed assome miss MassCINDY RAMIREZ

EL PASO TIMES

Our tickets were good for

two things: Nothing, and

nothing.

FRANCISCO DOMINGUEZ GONZALEZ

MASS TICKET HOLDER

As Pope Francis blessed migrants in theUnited States from Jurez before the papalMass on Wednesday afternoon, law en-forcement prevented people in the Segun-do Barrio area from walking onto Loop 375to get closer to the pope.

Some who had gathered on Park Streetin Central El Paso were disappointed. But,despite being guarded by dozens of policeofficers, metal barriers and a large truck,the crowd was still jubilant and peaceful.

There was chanting and people asking forthe police to move. At one point, Customsand Border Protection officers parked oneof their vehicles in between the cross andthe crowd, blocking the view of many gath-ered on Park Street. The crowd then yelleduntil the vehicle was moved.

Se ve, se siente, el Papa esta pre-sente! He is seen, he is felt, the pope ispresent! people chanted as Pope Francisturned his face toward the U.S.-Mexicoborder and gave his blessing.

Through the pope was barely visible inhis white robe, the sentiment of his bless-ing was felt throughout the crowd. Somemade the sign of the cross, while others

held up crucifixes.Everyone cheered.It feels good, said Juan Apodaca,

who lives in Segundo Barrio. Just know-ing that hes here with us, knowing that

about not being allowed closer to the bor-der fence.

I feel very angry, because its notfair, said Christopher Apodaca, 14. Allof these people who are gathered herewant to see him, but we only could seehim from a distance. We all want to befair, but were not being fair here. We allwant to get closer to him.

For a brief moment, let us through!was chanted, but quickly faded, as peopletried to get the best view of where PopeFrancis would be.

Most people gathered seemed eager to

get closer to the border fence, but at thesame time excited that they were able toget a glimpse at all.

At one point, an El Paso Police officerapproached the crowd and let them knowthat officers were only following the or-ders they were given to not allow peopleor traffic onto Loop 375.

Since some police were allowed on thehighway, they had a better view of PopeFrancis. Some were seen hugging, othersstanding on top of their patrol cars to geta better look.

Sara Sanchez can be reached at 546-6147; [email protected];@siempresarita on Twitter.

were going to at least get to see him here,its a blessing. Its a once-in-a-lifetime op-portunity, knowing that he picked our sis-ter city to come and visit. Its a big thing.

His son, Christopher, felt differently

Crowd gathers in Segundo Barrio despite roadblock

SARA SANCHEZ / EL PASO TIMES

Law enforcement prevented people from entering the site on the U.S. side, near where PopeFrancis gave his blessing to migrants in Jurez on Wednesday.

SARA SANCHEZ

EL PASO TIMES


Francis blesses migrantsROBIN ZIELINSKI | LAS CRUCES SUN-NEWS

JUAREZ - Two Virginia Hernandezes one lives on the U.S. side of the borderone lives on the Mexican side of the bor-der.

A mother and daughter united onWednesday along with 12 other family

members gathered to catch a glimpse ofPope Francis during his historical trip toJuarez.

Some of her family had tickets to en-ter the site of the former Jurez fair-grounds, also known as El Punto, wherethe pope addressed an estimated 250,000faithful, other members of the familysimply wanted to see him zip by in thePopemobile.

I think there will be more peace in thecity, said daughter Virginia Hernandez,46, who grew up and still lives in Jurez.She said had seen the city suffer fromyears of drug cartel violence that led Ju-rez to be considered one of the deadliestcities in the world for a period of time.

She also said it gave her family the op-

portunity to spend the day togetherwhile there were thousands of peoplevisiting and enjoying the city. Thestreets along the papal route were pep-pered with vendors selling refresh-ments, pope souvenirs and foods of allvarieties for the faithful, many of whomwere in the streets for several hours.

She and her mother waited along the

sidelines of the popes route to the Masssite. Her mother in a chair with a wide-brimmed blue and white hat shadingher face and shoulders.

Other members of the family re-laxed nearby in a small grassy parkwith trees that provided shade on theunseasonably warm winter day.

Virginia Hernandez, her 67-year-oldmother, lives in El Paso.

A pope has never come here in mylifetime and Ill probably never will seeone (in person) again, the elder Her-nandez said.

Elida S. Perez may be reached at546-6137; [email protected];@ElidaSPerezEPT on Twitter.

Family unites to see pope

ELIDA S. PEREZ / EL PASO TIMES

Virginia Hernandez, center, and her daughter Virginia Hernandez, right.

ELIDA S. PEREZ

EL PASO TIMES


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10A Thursday, February18, 2016 elpasotimes.com El Paso Times News


JUREZ - It seemed like perfect timingfor Claudia Diaz to travel with her daugh-ters Ruby, 10, and Esmeralda, 14, from SunValley, Calif., to Jurez to see Pope Francison Wednesday.

The two young ones are in Catechism,preparing for their confirmation and com-munion.

For them to see the pope now is some-thing they can experience just as theyrelearning about God and our religion, saidDiaz, who has family in Jurez and found iteasy to make the trip.

Diaz said she was hoping the popewould bless the border city so it could con-tinue to heal and improve.

Yes, its getting better, but it needs toget to where people want to come herewithout fear or reservations, she said,adding that many of her friends and evensome family members would not visit Ju-rez pope or not.

For her part, Esmeralda said that ratherthan asking for anything, she would thankPope Francis for coming to Mexico and es-

pecially Jurez.I would thank him for giving people

opportunity and hope, she said.Lilia Delgado Gardea, 43, of Chihua-

hua City, also wanted was to thank thepope for making Jurez one of the stopson his tour of Mexico.

For her, it was an opportunity to bereinvigorated with faith and strength.

Delgado is a Catholic missionary whooften travels to Denver and Arkansas,

not only evangelizing people, but servingas a translator for people seeking somekind of religious sacrament.

The Hispanic population is growingso much in those cities and many dontunderstand English, she said. Im gladto do it.

She said she looked to the popes visitfor courage and strength to continue onher journey, and was hopeful Pope Fran-cis would continue spreading hisstrength and charisma that are so conta-gious. Its a good day a blessed day,Delgado said.

Cindy Ramirez may be reached [email protected]; 546-6151;@EPTCindyRamire on Twitter.

Family, missionary thank Pope Francis for hopeCINDY RAMIREZ

EL PASO TIMES

CINDY RAMIREZ / EL PASO TIMES

People make their way to see Pope Francis at the Mass site on the Jurez fairgrounds onWednesday.

JUREZ - On sheer hope and determi-nation, 77-year-old Jurez native CarmenReyes walked from north Jurez in herblack heels, white dress and green shawlwrapped around her shoulders to the siteof the papal Mass.

What she did not have was a ticket toget in. But she had hope.

She was among thousands who earlyWednesday were lining up and walking to-ward the Mass site at the former Jurezfairgrounds, also known as El Punto,where Pope Francis addressed an esti-mated 250,000 faithful.

By 5 a.m., the streets of Jurez, closedto cars, were flooded with people. Peoplewith yellow tickets walking one path,those with red following another andthose with purple and green on otherpaths. Reyes, who is small in stature,walked the road with those who held redtickets. She unabashedly asked person af-ter person after person if they had a spare

red ticket. Politely, most told her no.Ill never have another opportunity to

see him or hear him in person, Reyessaid in Spanish.

Reyes had a ticket designated for her,but after several missed opportunitiesto pick it up the last chance being Tues-day evening she decided to take thechance and walk to the Mass anyway,hoping someone could help her.

She was just about to reach the en-trance gate where soldiers and securitywere making it clear to those in line thatno plastic water bottles and no flagsticks were allowed. And, more impor-tantly, pilgrims had to have their ticketsout and ready to be collected.

Undaunted Reyes continued walkingtoward the gate, asking for a ticket.

As she reached the soldiers, a gate se-curity worker told Reyes they had onered ticket left one ticket given up justin time for Reyes to gain access to theMass she prayed she would be able to at-tend.

On this historic day, her one and onlychance was granted.

Elida S. Perez may be reached at

546-6137; [email protected];@ElidaSPerezEPT on Twitter.

77-year-old woman walks miles to see popeELIDA S. PEREZ

EL PASO TIMES

ELIDA S. PEREZ / EL PASO TIMES

Jurez native Carmen Reyes, 77, walked miles from her home to see Pope Francis Wednesday.

JUREZ - In the morning darkness,droves of people wrapped in blanketslined two Jurez avenues Wednesday,praying, singing and even dancing asthey waited.

As the sun rose, people began swiftlymoving toward the old fairgrounds,where Pope Francis had Mass as part ofhis last stop in Mexico.

Ismael Reyes closed his eyes and tilt-ed his head back, letting the sun hit hisface. On his shoulder lay a three-footwooden cross bearing six names, includ-ing those of his two sons, Sotero and Is-mael. They were 19 and 22 years old, re-spectively, when they were shot andkilled in 2010, he said.

Es mi cruz, (Its my cross to bear) hesaid shyly, not wanting to talk much

more. The mother of the slain boys, Gra-ciela Ricario, said she supports Reyes inhis quest to carry the cross everywherehe goes.

He made it last year and set out tocarry it everywhere, Ricario said as hereyes watered. Were heartbroken stilltoday.

The couple, who are from Durangobut have lived in Jurez for 15 years, saidthey came out to see the pope to pray forpeace for their hearts and for their city.

We want peace and tranquility notjust for us, but for everyone in Jurez,Ricario said.

Their sons were killed in a massacrethat left more than 20 dead in October2010. Among the dead were four of theirneighbors, also young men who weregunned down during a gathering.

Ricario said her sons were part of amatachin group named Danza Juan Pab-lo after the former beloved pope. Theyleft home to perform at 10 p.m. and by11:30 p.m. they were notified of theirsons deaths.

It seems like it was yesterday,Reyes said, showing the heart in the mid-dle of the cross. Thats where my namewill go one day.

And as the cool morning began towarm, thousands of others behind thecouple made their way through thegates. A dozen family members from Si-naloa, Mexico, and Los Monchis near LosAngeles came back to their home town ofJurez to pray for peace and good health;a Chicago artisan came home to El Pasofor the first time in 10 years to come toJurez on this day; and youth groupsfrom an array of Jurez churches sangand danced in prayer for other membersof their parishes.

A musical group of nuns called Sier-vas, based in Peru and comprising mem-

bers from all over the world, prepared tosing for the pope.

We are happy and honored to per-form for the pope, said Sister Monica, aleader of the group that became famousafter their pop music video on YouTubewent viral last year. The 12 nuns in thegroup play instruments and sing pop androck songs with a religious theme.

I guess you can say were here torock out with the pope, Sister Monicasaid.

Cindy Ramirez may be reached at546-6151; [email protected];@EPTCindyRamirez on Twitter.

Thousands trek to fairgroundsCINDY RAMIREZ

EL PASO TIMES

CINDY RAMIREZ / EL PASO TIMES

People walk to the papal Mass site in Jurez.

We want peace andtranquility not just for us,

but for everyone in Jurez.

GRACIELA RICARIO

MASS ATTENDEE

ELIDA PEREZ/EL PASO TIMES

A young child sits in a Radio Flyer wagon as a large group of people wait for Pope Francis onWednesday in Jurez.


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El Paso Times elpasotimes.com Thursday, February18, 2016 11ANews


JUREZ - Pope Francis historic visitto Jurez ended Wednesday evening 10nine hours after he arrived in the bordercity. Mexican President Enrique PeaNieto, accompanied by first lady first la-dy Anglica Rivera de Pea, members ofthe presidential Cabinet, ChihuahuaGov. Csar Duarte and ecclesiastic au-thorities, including Mexican CardinalNorberto Rivera and Jurez Bishop JosGuadalupe Torres, bid farewell to thepontiff at Abraham Gonzlez Interna-tional Airport.

The presidential couple had a privatemeeting with Francis at the airport for afew minutes before they came out from ahidden door on a giant screen a few min-utes before 7 p.m.

They walked on a red carpet path that

led them to a stage. In the backgroundwas the same Boeing 787-8 DreamlinerAeromexico airplane, with the wordsMisionero de Paz, that carried the popeto Jurez earlier in the day.

A crowd of at least 2,000 Jurez teen-

agers who participate as Catholic confir-mation coordinators, as well as dozens of

Tarahumara women and business andcivic leaders, sang worship songs andcheered despite waiting for hours at theairport.

Before the pope arrived, the crowdwatched the papal Mass on two giantscreens. They also were entertained bydancers who performed polka dancesplayed by a norteo group, as well aspopular songs such as Jarabe Tapatoperformed by a mariachi band.

The mariachi band played Las Go-londrinas when the pope began going upthe airplanes stairway at around 7:10p.m. after saying goodbye with a hand-shake to the members of the presidentialCabinet and church officials.

Four minutes later, the airplanes doorshut. The pope, through the first windowof the airplane taking him back to Rome,

waved at the crowd, who waved backwith yellow, white, green and red hand-kerchiefs. The plane took off at 7:38 p.m.

Lorena Figueroa may be reached ata546-6129; [email protected]; @LFigueroaEPT on Twitter.

POPE DEPARTS FROM JUREZLORENA FIGUEROA

EL PASO TIMES

VICTOR CALZADA/EL PASO TIMES

Pope Francis waves to the multitude bidding him farewell Wednesday at Abraham GonzlezInternational Airport in Jurez.

About 28,000 people in El Pasos Sun Bowlcheered when Pope Francis talked to them dur-ing his televised Mass from Jurez where an-other 200,000-plus people attended.

Thank you brothers and sisters in El Paso,Pope Francis said in his homily.

It may be the largest binational Mass evercelebrated, said Father Fabian Marquez, pas-tor of El Buen Pastor Catholic Church inSparks, an El Paso colonia, and an emcee at theEl Paso Diocese event.

There have been many Masses on the bor-der, but nothing like this, Marquez said.

The pope blessed El Paso in his homily,when he gave the final blessing at the end ofthe Mass, and when he blessed refugees andothers at a border levee near the Jurez Masssite, Marquez said.

The virtual blessings counted as much as ifthe people in the Sun Bowl had been in Jurez,he said. The pope celebrated Mass about twomiles to the south of the stadium, just acrossInterstate 10 and the parched Rio Grande.

Elvia Campos, 50, said the popes wordsmade her cry.

Its making many ideas in my head. Whatcan I do to help others, the East El Paso wom-an said as she and a friend held a banner with acolorful likeness of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Abanner she made.

About 30,000 tickets were sold and another

5,000 given away for the event at the 50,000-plus Sun Bowl stadium. Sun Bowl officials esti-mated about 28,000 attended the event stagedby the El Paso Diocese, said Trey Salinas,spokesman for the Catholic Extension, a spon-sor of the event billed as Two Nations, OneFaith.

A sold out stadium had been hoped for bysome officials, but Salinas said organizerswere very pleased with the turnout.

Pat and Victor Vargas said they were excit-ed to be at the Sun Bowl Mass telecast. The ElPaso couple had made the trip to see the popein Philadelphia in September. But transporta-tion difficulties prevented them from seeing

most of the Mass.This is our chance. We waited and waited

for this, and we are so excited, Pat Vargassaid. The couple wore white shirts with WeLove Pope Francis emblazoned across thefront. They bought them at an El Paso religiousarticles store.

We thought about going to Jurez. But weremembered Philadelphia and all the prob-lems, Pat Vagas said.

You can feel the electricity even beforethe Mass begins, she said.

The crowd cheered several times when thebinational telecast showed the Sun Bowl. But

the crowd was silent during much of the Massand most people intently listened as the popedelivered his homily.

Rosemary Ortega, 48, an East El Paso teach-er, said the popes televised Mass was emo-tional and moving.

It (popes homily) brought tears to myeyes, she said. His message to help those inneed struck a chord, she said.

Ortega and her son, Abel Jaquez, 19, went tothe Sun Bowl because they are afraid to crossinto Jurez because of the drug-related vio-lence that occurred there in recent years, shesaid.

This is the closest we could get to the pope.Its awesome to be here, she said.

The event began at noon under a bright,bluesky and hot sun. Temperatures hovered near80 degrees much of the afternoon. It endedwith the Mass and a beautiful sunset around 6p.m.

The crowd was sparse when the Sun Bowlopened at noon and grew larger as the Masstime grew nearer.

Nicaraguan American guitarist and singerTony Melendez performed at the Sun Bowlevent in the early afternoon. He said he wouldhave liked to perform for a second time for thepope in Jurez. But he said he was happy to beat the Sun Bowl. El Paso Bishop Mark Seitzcalled him and asked him to perform at theevent, he said.

Theres a little more room here than at theJurez Mass site, he said. I think its a good

turnout. Hes across the way here, so that tooksome people away from the Sun Bowl, he said.And the hot weather also may have kept peopleaway. The popes day in Juarez also was broad-cast on El Paso TV stations.

Osvaldo Padilla was at the Sun Bowl withhis wife and three boys becausewatching the pope on TV wouldnt be the same,he said.

For us, its more inspirational to be hereand feel the people, the El Pasoan said. Youcant get that on TV.

Vic Kolenc may be reached [email protected]; 546-6421;@vickolenc on Twitter.

PHOTOS BY RAY NAVARRO/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

People cheer as Pope Francis blesses those attending the live stream event Wednesday at Sun Bowl Stadium.

Attendees flock to Sun Bowl Stadium for viewing of televised MassVIC KOLENC

EL PASO TIMES

About 28,000 people turned out for a live stream ofPope Francis Mass on Wednesday at Sun BowlStadium.

28,000 cheer for popes blessing

Special edition: Pope Francis visits Juárez

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