Vicar at St. Mary on the Hill, Augusta, follows Pope Francis
Trip to Mexican border with pope enlightens locals
BY LISA KAYLOR Staff Writer
The Rev. Gonzalo Meza took a trip to Mexico with the press corps during Pope Francis’ visit to the country.
When Pope Francis visited Mexico the week of Feb. 11, the Rev Gonzalo Meza was right there with him.
Meza, a parochial vicar at St Mary on the Hill
Catholic Church traveled with the press corps as the pope visited
several cities in Mexico
“There were so many parts of the visit that struck
me,” said Meza, who is originally from Mexico City. “In Juarez, he
talked about immigration and violence. His gestures, praying in front of
the big cross, putting the altar next to the border fence.”
He said there were about 200,000 people in Juarez
and 50,000 in El Paso, Texas, which are separated by several feet and a
fence that makes up the U.S. Mexican border. He said that contrary to
popular perception, the borders are fluid, not concrete People are
constantly driving back and forth on the highway across the border from
their homes to work and back again, most legally. Meza said residents of
Juarez and El Paso are like one population, divided only by the fence
When the pope celebrated Mass in Juarez, it was
celebrated at the same time with the people on the other side the fence
in El Paso.
“We were all (worshiping) together in one faith. To me it was very touching,” Meza said.
Meza shared his experiences and the Catholic
perspective on immigra tion with those gathered at St. Mary on Wednesday
for a Lenten talk and a chili lunch.
He said that during his visit, the pope visited
many people on the edges of society. He visited the indigenous people
in Chiapas. In Morelia he spoke with youths about turning from the drugs
and alcohol that is prevalent around them. In Ecatepec he encouraged
the “poorest of the poor.”
“That was a very touching moment,” Meza said.
Meza said that the United States was founded on
the value that God is sovereign, that people were created by him and
for his purpose, that God endowed people with rights and freedoms to
fulfill his purpose for our lives and that government exists to protect
these God-given rights.
The Catholic Church’s values are similar, and
that those values align with those of other faiths and those with no
faith – the basic principles of seeking justice and the common good,
defending the innocent, uplifting the weak and promoting the freedom of
human dignity of a human being.
“Jesus Christ himself was a refugee forced into
exile by the persecution of King Herod,” he said. “The social doctrine
of welcoming the refugee comes from the teaching of Jesus. He was the
one who commanded us to welcome the stranger.”
Meza said in the Catholic teaching, people have
the right to flee their homeland if conditions threaten their lives or
prevent them from securing the basic necessities But immigrants also
have the obligation to respect the “material and spiritual heritage of
the country that receives it,” he said
“They need to understand that wherever they go, they need to respect their laws,” he said.
He said the trip was very intense. For seven days,
it was a whirlwind of traveling by plane or by bus, sometimes leaving
little time to eat or drink. Occasionally Meza opted to stay in the
press room just to rest for a couple of hours.
The talk was part of a series that St Mary is holding at lunchtime during Lent.
The Rev. Jerry Ragan, the pastor of St Mary, said
the series focuses on sharing God’s love with all people, including
those on the edges of church and society.
“The Lenten series for the Year of Mercy is trying to hear what the Holy Father is asking us to do,” he said.
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