VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXVI - # 32
DATE 16-02-2016
Summary:
- Mass at San Cristobal de la Casas: the Pope asks indigenous peoples for
forgiveness
- Encounter with families: combat uncertainty and isolation
- Other Pontifical Acts
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Mass at San Cristobal de la Casas: the Pope asks indigenous peoples for
forgiveness
Vatican City, 16 February 2016 (VIS) - The Holy Father arrived shortly after 9
a.m. local time (4.10 p.m. in Rome) at Tuxtla Gutierrez, capital of the state
of
Chiapas. Given its high growth rate the city, usually referred to as Tuxtla, is
one of the poles of attraction for clandestine immigration both from bordering
Guatemala and other Latin American countries.
Chiapas is Mexico's southernmost state and, despite is great wealth of natural
resources, it is one of the poorest with the lowest life expectancy. Thirty per
cent of its four and a half million inhabitants speak the indigenous language
only, and the past oppression of the indigenous population was in 1868 the
cause
of the rebellion that came close to conquering Tuxtla. The state is also the
stronghold of the Zapatista movement (Zapatista Army of National Liberation),
established in 1983 to demand respect for the rights of indigenous populations
and the recognition of their culture, and to claim control of local resources,
especially land. The Zapatistas set aside their weapons in 1994 and moved to
the
political sphere through a strategy of civil resistance and the use of
communications media. The popular basis of the movement is constituted
principally of the inhabitants of rural areas and the Maya indigenous
populations.
From Tuxtla Gutierrez the Pope transferred by helicopter to San Cristobal de
las Casas, considered the cultural capital of Chiapas. The city, founded in
1528
and named first "Villareal" and subsequently "Ciudad Real", over time adopted
the name of the state's patron saint, Cristobal, and added "de Las Casas" in
honour of Fr. Bartolome de Las Casas, the first bishop of Ciudad Real from 1554
to 1566 and defender of the rights of indigenous peoples.
The Pope was received by Bishop Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel of San Cristobal de
Las Casas, and celebrated the Eucharist in the municipal sports centre, able to
hold a hundred thousand people. The majority of the faithful were indigenous
people from throughout the whole of the state of Chiapas and the celebration
was
held not only in Spanish but also in the tseltal, ch'ol and tsotil languages,
in
accordance with a decree approved by Francis for the occasion, enabling the use
of indigenous languages in the liturgy.
In his homily, the Holy Father recalled the liberation of the People of Israel
from the tyranny of the Pharaoh, and their yearning to live in freedom in the
promised land "where oppression, mistreatment and humiliation are not the
currency of the day". He cited the Popol Vuh (Book of Wisdom) which recounts
the
Mayan myth of creation, according to which "The dawn rises on all of the tribes
together", as well as on the earth itself, which demands respect and is instead
"among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor", leading to the current
environmental crisis, one of the gravest in the history of our planet. The Pope
praised the wisdom of the indigenous populations, and reaffirmed that they have
much to teach humanity on account of the harmony of their relationship with
nature, and he asked their forgiveness for the many times throughout history
that they have been misunderstood, excluded and robbed of their lands, values,
cultures and traditions.
"Li smantal Kajvaltike toj lek - the law of the Lord is perfect; it revives
the
soul. Thus begins the psalm we have just heard", said the Pope. "The law of the
Lord is perfect and the psalmist diligently lists everything that the law
offers
to those who hear and follow it: it revives the soul, it gives wisdom to the
simple, it gladdens the heart, and it gives light to the eyes. This is the law
which the people of Israel received from the hand of Moses, a law that would
help the People of God to live in the freedom to which they were called. A law
intended to be a light for the journey and to accompany the pilgrimage of his
people. A people who experienced slavery and the Pharaoh's tyranny, who endured
suffering and oppression to the point where God said, "Enough! No more! I have
seen their affliction, I have heard their cry, I know their sufferings". And
here the true face of God is seen, the face of the Father Who suffers as He
sees
the pain, mistreatment, and lack of justice for His children. His word, His
law,
thus becomes a symbol of freedom, a symbol of happiness, wisdom and light. It
is
an experience, a reality which is conveyed by a phrase prayed in Popol Vuh and
born of the wisdom accumulated in these lands since time immemorial: 'The dawn
rises on all of the tribes together. The face of the earth was immediately
healed by the sun'. The sun rose for the people who at various times have
walked
in the midst of history's darkest moments".
"In this expression"; he continued, "one hears the yearning to live in
freedom,
there is a longing which contemplates a promised land where oppression,
mistreatment and humiliation are not the currency of the day. In the heart of
man and in the memory of many of our peoples is imprinted this yearning for a
land, for a time when human corruption will be overcome by fraternity, when
injustice will be conquered by solidarity and when violence will be silenced by
peace. Our Father not only shares this longing, but has Himself inspired it and
continues to do so in giving us His son Jesus Christ. In Him we discover the
solidarity of the Father Who walks by our side. In Him, we see how the perfect
law takes flesh, takes a human face, shares our history so as to walk with and
sustain His people. He becomes the Way, He becomes the Truth, He becomes the
Life, so that darkness may not have the last word and the dawn may not cease to
rise on the lives of His sons and daughters".
"In many ways, and in many forms, there have been attempts to silence and dull
this yearning, and in many ways there have been efforts to anaesthetise our
soul, and in many ways there have been endeavours to subdue and lull our
children and young people into a kind of lassitude by suggesting that nothing
can change, that their dreams can never come true. Faced with these attempts,
creation itself also raises an objection: 'This sister now cries out to us
because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse
of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as
her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in
our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness
evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is
why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and
maltreated of our poor; she groans in travail. The environmental challenge that
we are experiencing and its human causes, affects us all and demands our
response. We can no longer remain silent before one of the greatest
environmental crises in world history".
"In this regard, you have much to teach us, much to teach humanity",
emphasised
the Pope. "Your peoples, as the bishops of Latin America have recognised, know
how to interact harmoniously with nature, which they respect as a 'source of
food, a common home and an altar of human sharing'. And yet, on many occasions,
in a systematic and organized way, your people have been misunderstood and
excluded from society. Some have considered your values, culture and traditions
to be inferior. Others, intoxicated by power, money and market trends, have
stolen your lands or contaminated them. How sad this is! How worthwhile it
would
be for each of us to examine our conscience and learn to say, 'forgive me!',
'forgive me, brothers and sisters!' Today's world, ravaged as it is by a
throwaway culture, needs you. Exposed to a culture that seeks to suppress all
cultural heritage and features in pursuit of a homogenised world, the youth of
today, these youth, need to cling to the wisdom of their elders. Today's world,
overcome by convenience, needs to learn anew the value of gratitude".
"We rejoice in the certainty that 'The Creator does not abandon us; he never
forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us'. We rejoice that
Jesus
continues to die and rise again in each gesture that we offer to the least of
our brothers and sisters. Let us be resolved to be witnesses to his Passion and
his Resurrection, by giving flesh to these words: Li smantal Kajvaltike toj lek
- the law of the Lord is perfect and comforts the soul", he concluded.
At the end of the Mass a representative of the indigenous communities
addressed
"Tatik Francisco" to thank him for his visit. "Thank you for visiting us.
Although many people disregard us, you wanted to come here and have thought of
us, as Our Lady of Guadalupe did with St. Juan Dieguito. May you carry in your
heart our culture, our joys and sufferings, the injustices we have suffered.
...
Although you live far away from us, in Rome, we feel that you are very close to
us. May you continue to inspire us with the joy of the Gospel, and help us to
care for our sister and mother Earth, that God has given to us. And thank you
for having again authorised the role of the indigenous permanent diaconate,
with
its own culture, and for having approved the use of our languages in the
liturgy".
After the Eucharistic celebration the Pope transferred to the episcopal curia
where he lunched with eight representatives of the indigenous populations. He
subsequently visited the cathedral dedicated to the Assumption, built between
1500 and 1600, where he was awaited by a group of elderly and sick people with
whom he spoke at length. He also paused to pray by the tomb of Msgr. Samuel
Ruiz, who died in 2011, and who served as bishop of San Cristobal de Las Casas
for forty years, during which he was greatly esteemed by the indigenous
communities of Chiapas.
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Encounter with families: combat uncertainty and isolation
Vatican City, 16 February 2016 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, after visiting the
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* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)
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