Mexico City: Pope Francis called on Mexico's leaders Saturday to provide "true justice" and security to citizens hit by drug violence as he addressed politicians at the National Palace.
Standing next to President Enrique Pena Nieto, Francis said social, cultural and political leaders have a duty to help citizens "have real access to the material and spiritual goods which are indispensable: adequate housing, dignified employment, food, true justice, effective security, a healthy and peaceful environment."
The 79-year-old Argentine-born pontiff is the first pope ever to enter Mexico's National Palace to meet the president, marking a new step in church-state reconciliation in a Catholic nation hit by violence and poverty.
Thousands thronged the streets of Mexico City to wave at Francis as the popemobile took him to historic Zocalo square housing the capital's cathedral and the palace, where he met with Pena Nieto.
Mexicans hope the pope will use the visit to push Pena Nieto to fix the nation's persistent problems, like a prison riot that killed 49 inmates on Thursday or the disappearance of 43 students in 2014.
"Experience teaches us that each time we seek the path of privileges or benefits for a few to the detriment of the good of all, sooner or later the life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, the drug trade, exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death, bringing suffering and slowing down development," Francisco said.
AFP
