Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) - The Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, arrived yesterday afternoon in Mexico to discuss issues related to the phenomenon of emigration.
The goal, according to an official note sent to Fides by the Mexican government, is to try to coordinate a joint program between the government and the Holy See, on this tragic matter. Cardinal Parolin was received by the Foreign Minister, Jose Antonio Meade, and attended a working dinner which, in addition to the federal authorities and lawmakers, was attended by Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. The Vatican's Secretary of State will meet today, Monday 14, with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, and will participate in a meeting on migration and human rights.
Cardinal Parolin had been invited by President Peña Nieto during his official visit to the Vatican last June. The visit is particularly important because it coincides with the humanitarian crisis underway (see Fides 11/07/2014), which sees thousands of migrant children traveling alone to the United States. All Central American countries are involved in this forced exodus, and even the Catholic Church is in the front row because almost all hostels for migrants in Mexico are run by Catholics.
Mexico and the Holy See established diplomatic relations in 1992 and work in coordination on various issues of common interest, on the basis of mutual respect. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 14/07/2014)
