Pope Francis has officially confirmed his plans to travel to Mexico to visit the Shrine of Our Lady Guadalupe.
Although the details of the trip have not been revealed, the Vatican recently announced that the Pope will be traveling to Mexico from February 12 to 18. The Pope also plans to make a stop at Ciudad Juarez, a town close to the border of the United States to make a statement about the rights of immigrants.
Pope Francis will venerate the Shrine of Guadalupe in February[/tweetthis]
The Pope announced that he will be venerating the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe when he was speaking at the homily for the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on December 12. He also announced that he will be praying for members of the Christian community to learn to be “oases and sources of mercy” and practice charity “that does not allow exclusions.”
In his homily for the Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis spoke in his native Spanish tongue that “God delights and pleases especially in Mary” and as she has “always lived intimately united with her Son, knows better than anyone what he wants: that all men be saved, and God's tenderness and consolidation will not fail anyone.” He continued to say that he entrusted to Mary the joys and sufferings of the American people.
Pope Francis, offering Mass in St. Peter’s on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, announced he will visit Mexico City shrine Feb. 13
— Francis X. Rocca (@FrancisXRocca) December 12, 2015
The “Lady from Heaven,” as the story goes, appeared to a poor Indian by the name of Juan Diego, who hailed from Tepeyac, on a hill that is located northwest of Mexico City. The incident which supposedly happened in 1531 continued with a series of apparitions in which the Woman revealed that she was the Mother of the True God. After that the Woman asked Juan Diego to persuade the bishop to build a church on the site.
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is now very famous, was miraculously imprinted on Juan Diego's tilma, which was made from low quality cactus cloth. Incredibly, the tilma and the image remain intact to this day, surviving more than 470 years.
Pope Francis focused primarily on God's mercy towards sinners during his homily on Saturday. He explained that “mercy” is a derivative of the words “heart” and “misery” and invited the members of the faith to cultivate the sense of mercy, hope and peace through the sacramental season of Advent and the Jubilee of Mercy that began recently.