MEXICO CITY, Jul 2, 02 (CWNews.com) - A Mexican newspaper has claimed-- and the Mexican bishops have hotly denied-- that the Vatican has scuttled plans for Pope John Paul II to visit Mexico and Guatemala at the end of July.
In a front-page story citing "reliable Church sources close to the Vatican," the daily La Jornada said that the Vatican has reached a decision that the Pope should not travel from Canada (where he will be presiding at World Youth Day) to Mexico and Guatemala, because the long trip would put undue strain on his health. La Jornada said that this decision "will be made public only between July 13 and July 15."
However a spokesman for the Mexican bishops immediately dismissed the report as "completely without foundation." Bishop Guillermo Ortiz Mondragon said the Vatican was going ahead with final plans for the Pope's arrival in Mexico City, where he is scheduled to preside at the canonization of Juan Diego, at the Guadalupe basilica, on July 31.
Bishop Ortiz Mondragon expressed concern that the "strange" story in La Jornada-- "which does not quote any concrete source"-- might mislead some Mexicans. He asked the news media "to pay attention to the official information" rather than engaging in speculation.
"We hope this story will not affect the enthusiasm of the Mexican people for participating, spiritually and materially, in the preparation for the canonization of Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin," the bishop said.
Speculation about the Pope's ability to carry out his scheduled travel plans arose in May, when a visit to Azerbaijan and Bulgaria clearly taxed the Pontiff's physical resources. At the time the Pope's spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, raised the possibility that the Pope's July travel schedule might be curtailed. "Toronto is for sure," Navarro-Valls said (referring to the World Youth Day festivities). "As for Mexico and Guatemala, we'll see."
The last official statement from the Vatican regarding the Pope's travel plans was released on June 18. At that time, the official schedule still did include a three-day visit to Guatemala and Mexico. The schedule that was released by the Vatican showed that planners had taken the Pope's physical limitations into account; the plans call for nearly four full days of rest during his ten-day stay in the Americas.
2. juli 2002