Mexican President wishes Pope Francis a speedy recovery

Nestor Jimenez and Emir Olivares

La Jornada NewspaperTuesday, February 25, 2025, p. 8

In light of the health status of Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for a week and a half after an asthmatic respiratory crisis and with the beginnings of kidney failure, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo expressed her wish for the leader of the Catholic Church to have a speedy recovery.

We send our best wishes to Pope Francis for a speedy recovery, because he is a man who represents a lot for humanity, even beyond the Catholic religion , the president stressed yesterday morning.

Asked at her press conference about the far-right groups that have spoken out against many of the religious leader's positions because they consider them progressive, Sheinbaum Pardo recalled that in two encyclicals written by the supreme pontiff, he refers to the protection of nature, and reflects on what neoliberalism represented .

You can imagine why there are some who do not like Pope Francis , added the head of the federal Executive, after pointing out that "all those who defend another vision of the Church are against him; what is terrible is that they call themselves 'Christians'. You should not wish anyone ill, even if they are your adversary," this after she was asked about groups that have allegedly shown satisfaction at the decline in the health of the religious leader, who is criticized for his progressive stance.

Moments later, he read excerpts from Pope Francis' encyclical Fratelli Tutti , which states that real and lasting peace will only be possible through a global ethic of solidarity and cooperation , rather than the senseless and short-sighted strategy of sowing fear and distrust in the face of external threats .

The text, written by Jorge Mario Bergoglio, also points out that “the market alone does not solve everything, even if they want us to believe this neoliberal dogma of faith once again. It is a poor, repetitive way of thinking that always proposes the same recipes for any challenge that arises. Neoliberalism simply reproduces itself, resorting to the magical trickle – without naming it – as the only way to solve social problems.”

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada NewspaperTuesday, February 25, 2025, p. 8

The Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) warned that in light of the policy adopted by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, towards Mexico in particular and the world in general, solutions will be found if there is unity among the political forces, but we must accept and recognize that the real enemy is in our own country where we need authentic national unity .

Such a unit would help overcome serious internal problems that have not been properly addressed for years and are becoming increasingly worse . The CEM includes among these problems inequality, poverty, corruption, and insecurity, which is spreading its bloodthirsty fury across ever-widening territories due to organized crime, which is responsible for drug trafficking and extortion, among other crimes.

The document is signed by the president of the CEM, Bishop Ramón Castro Castro, and adds: we must also focus on the reconstruction of the rule of law in the country, since we are experiencing an institutional deterioration to the point that the law no longer governs, but rather the will of whoever prevails .

The bishops point out that national unity, called for by the political authorities, beginning with the Presidency of the Republic, must prevail in order to overcome division and social confrontation. And the Church is committed to collaborating in this task, as well as to continuing the dialogues in the construction of peace, to promoting greater investments for economic development with better working conditions, particularly for young people.

The CEM also refers to social programs and says that the population needs less support that generates dependency and more training and job opportunities .