Pope Concludes Mexico Trip With Visits to Prison, US Border
- 8 years ago
Pope Francis wraps up his trip to Mexico on Wednesday with some of his most anticipated events: a visit in a Ciudad Juarez prison just days after a riot in another lockup killed 49 inmates and a stop at the Texas border when immigration is a hot issue for the U.S. presidential campaign.
In his penitentiary encounters, Francis often urges inmates not to give up hope, telling them that he, too, has sinned and been forgiven.
But he also tells inmates not to let their suffering lead to violence - a message he may repeat given the deadly riot last week at Monterrey's Topo Chico prison, where rival gang factions bloodied each other with hammers, cudgels and makeshift knives.
Not long ago Juarez was considered the murder capital of the world, as cartel-backed gang warfare fed homicide rates that hit 230 per 100,000 residents in 2010.
In his penitentiary encounters, Francis often urges inmates not to give up hope, telling them that he, too, has sinned and been forgiven.
But he also tells inmates not to let their suffering lead to violence - a message he may repeat given the deadly riot last week at Monterrey's Topo Chico prison, where rival gang factions bloodied each other with hammers, cudgels and makeshift knives.
Not long ago Juarez was considered the murder capital of the world, as cartel-backed gang warfare fed homicide rates that hit 230 per 100,000 residents in 2010.