Pope Francis in Mexico: Don't give in to resignation

• Enthusiastic crowd greets "Papa Francisco ... El es bienvenido!"
• Francis finishing fourth day his his five-day tour
• He concludes trip on Wednesday in Juarez, near the U.S.-Mexico border

Tuesday, Pope Francis began his fourth full day in Mexico by celebrating a morning Mass in Morelia.

Throngs cheered the pope as he rode into the packed Venustiano Carranza Stadium in a large golf cart, waving gently as he slowly circled an outer lane of the stadium track.

"Papa! Francisco!" an announcer shouted. "El es bienvenido!"

The crowd was considerably more subdued as the pope gave his homily, alluding to some of the sobering realities of everyday life in Morelia.

Morelia  is  the capital and largest city of the state of Michoacán, about 135 miles west of Mexico City. It is a stunning city — in 1991, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its centuries-old colonial architecture — but it also has been hit with escalating violence from Mexico's drug wars.

Pope Francis did not mince his words.

"What temptation can come to us from places often dominated by violence, corruption, drug trafficking, disregard for human dignity and indifference in the face of suffering and vulnerability?" the pope asked, before cautioning the crowd against giving in to resignation. Resignation, he said, "not only hinders our looking to the future, but also stifles our desire to take risks and to change."

The pope ended by recalling Vasco de Quiroga, the first bishop of Michoacán, whose faith was rekindled upon seeing the plight of the Purhépechas Indians, whom he observed as being "sold, humiliated, and homeless in marketplaces, picking up scraps of bread from the ground."

"... far from tempting him to listless resignation, (the Purhépechas Indians) succeeded in kindling his faith, strengthening his compassion and inspiring him to carry out plans that were a 'breath of fresh air' in the midst of so much paralyzing injustice," the pope said.

"The pain and suffering of his brothers and sisters became his prayer, and his prayer led to his response. And among the Indians, he was known as 'Tata Vasco,' which in the Purhépechan language means, Father, dad, Tata, daddy."

In the afternoon, the pope visited the city's cathedral and then spoke to Morelia's youth at the municipal soccer stadium. The markedly different energy at both events was undeniable. As Pope Francis walked through the ornate Morelia Cathedral, children in the pews jumped up and down and let out unbridled shrieks of joy — even as adults behind them wiped away their own tears.

Upbeat dancing kicked off the pope's arrival at Jose Maria Morelos Pavon Stadium. When he opened his speech, children erupted in ecstatic shouts as if a pop star had just taken the stage. The chants that have followed the pope since his arrival in Mexico ("Se ve! Se siente! El Papa está presente!") persisted Tuesday afternoon — except the collective voices seemed, charmingly, higher by an octave. 

Pope Francis in Mexico: Girl's stunning 'Ave Maria' brings a room to tears

On Monday the pope visited Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost state on the border with Guatemala.

Thousands of people, including representatives of the indigenous communities of the state, gathered to celebrate a Mass at the municipal sports center in San Cristobal de las Casas. Throughout the crowd, many were openly crying while the pope spoke of how some of their groups had been marginalized by society and of the importance of living harmoniously with nature.

"Some have considered your values, culture and traditions to be inferior," the pope said. "Others, intoxicated by power, money and market trends, have stolen your lands or contaminated them. How sad this is! How worthwhile it would be for each of us to examine our conscience and learn to say, 'forgive me!', 'forgive me, brothers and sisters!' Today’s world, ravaged as it is by a throwaway culture, needs you!"

Even as the pope's visit prompted tears, the Mass in San Cristobal de las Casas had a festive air. Music from wooden xylophones and a mariachi band punctuated the celebration with jubilant sounds that echoed around the valley. Many in attendance chanted and waved handkerchiefs in the sky, against a splendid multicolored mountain backdrop.

"Long live Papa Francisco!" one man shouted toward the end. "Long live the pope of peace! Long live the pope of liberty!"

The pope later led a short prayer at the city's cathedral. He shook hands and accepted books and photos from the attendees, once stopping to spin the rotor on a child's toy helicopter.

He ended by asking the crowd to pray for him, too.

"You're not convinced, eh?" he quipped to laughter.

Later Monday afternoon, the pope also visited with families in Tuxtla Gutierrez, the state capital. Chiapas has been the main entry point for tens of thousands of families and unaccompanied minors fleeing violence and poverty in the Central American countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala in an attempt to reach the United States.

He would return to Mexico City on Monday night.

As expected, the pope already has spoken on a number of sensitive topics during his visit, including drug violence, immigration and problems within the Catholic Church.

Saturday, the pope began his first full day of activities with a meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. Later that day, the pontiff celebrated Holy Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico's beloved and deeply venerated patron saint.

During his speech to Mexican bishops at Mexico City’s cathedral, he offered off-the-cuff advice to address infighting and political jockeying among the group that governs the church in the country.

“If you have to fight, fight. If you have to tell each other off, say it," he told the bishops. "But do it as men, face to face. Just be sure to maintain the unity of the episcopate. But as men of God, pray together, and if you crossed the line, ask for forgiveness."

On Sunday, Pope Francis traveled by helicopter to Ecatepec, a densely populated, crime-ridden and impoverished suburb of Mexico City. During his homily, the pope denounced "the three temptations" of wealth, vanity and pride, and alluded to the drug lords that have controlled the city in recent years — though he did not venture into Ecatepec's neighborhoods to see the conditions for himself.

He will conclude the visit Wednesday with a Mass in Juarez, Mexico, near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Pope Francis' schedule on Tuesday, Feb. 16

Times listed are local, with Arizona time in parentheses. The places the pope will visit this week are on Central Time, except Juarez, which is on Mountain Time.

• 10 a.m. (9 a.m.) Mass with priests, seminarians, religious men and women, and consecrated persons. Homily by pope.
• 3:15 p.m. (2:15 p.m.) Visit to the city's cathedral.
• 4:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m.) Meeting with young people at the Jose Maria Morelos Pavon Stadium. Speech by pope.

Republic reporters Rafael Carranza, Daniel González and Brenna Goth contributed to this article.