Pope Francis Attracts Crowds at US-Mexico Border

Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he leaves the capital en route to Ciudad Juarez, the last stop of his visit to Mexico, in Mexico City, February 17, 2016.

Pope Francis is finishing a six-day trip to Mexico by saying Mass near the Mexican-United States border.

The pope will say Mass in the city of Cuidad Juarez. The city that sits next to El Paso, Texas, is known as a transit point to the north.

Mexicans and Central Americans will also be watching with hope. For them, the pope is their advocate for the chance of immigration to the United States.

Pope Francis has said immigration is an important issue to him. When he visited the United States in 2015, he told immigrants, “do not be discouraged by whatever challenges and hardships you face.”

The pope is hugely popular in Mexico and where Mexicans live in America. Mass was broadcast inside a sports stadium in El Paso, called the Sun Bowl, to a crowd of immigrants and Catholics. Many lined the American side of the Rio Grande, the river between Mexico and the U.S., to hear the pope speak.

Following Mass at the border, Francis will return to Rome.

I’m Jim Dresbach.

Jim Dresbach reported on this story for VOANews.com. His report made use of stories from Reuters, the New York Times and Vatican Radio. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

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Words in This Story

pope – n. the head of the Roman Catholic Church

transit point – n. a stop on a trip, normally one made only to change flights or form of transportation

discourage – v. to make someone less hopeful or sure of themselves

stadium – n. a very large sports center