The helicopter was the Pope's means of transportation from the state of Chiapas during his third day in Mexico.
This is how he traveled 30 miles from San Cristobal de las Casas to Tuxtla Gutierrez. There, he met with thousands of families in the packed 'Victor Manuel Reyna' stadium.
After arriving at the impressive altar, he received the first hug. A group of children did not hesitate to greet him.
Pope Francis listened to testimonies from some families and others like Manuel Alejandro, a young man with a degenerative disease. He explained that his wheelchair is not an obstacle used to evangelize.
Following his testimony, the Pope tenderly embraced an elderly couple, married for over 50 years.
Humberto and Claudia told him they only have a civil marriage because she is divorced. However, they asserted that the core of the faith in their family is God.
'Those that remarry can not access the Eucharist, but we can communicate through the brother in need.â?
Before the last testimony, this happened. To everyone's surprise, the Pope walked down from his altar to bless a child in a wheelchair showing the meaning of 'cariñoterapiaâ? or the therapy of affection.
Lastly, he spoke with Beatriz, a single mother. She explained that she was offered an abortion on many occasions but the Church helped her not to go through with it.
'Holy Father, I just ask for your blessing, prayer and strength to the thousands of women who are faced with the false sense of an easy way out, called abortion. They can be like me, with a church that loves them and accepts them.â?
Pope Francis thanked the families for sharing their life stories. To lighten the mood, he throw in some joking remarks.
'What husband and wife do not fight? Especially, when the mother-in-law gets involved! But it does not matter.â?
The Pope said the family unit is threatened by an ideological colonization that sets to destroy with insecurity and isolation.
POPE FRANCIS
'Precariousness not only threatens the stomach and that's saying a lot, but it can threaten the soul, it can diminish us, draw strength and tempt us to alternatives like the road less traveled, but ultimately that does not solve anything.â?
To combat this situation, he explained that the solution has to be personal and collective.
POPE FRANCIS
'Laws and personal commitment make good duo that can break the spiral of uncertainty.â?
He acknowledged that external difficulties are the characteristics of family life, which is not always easy. However, he asked, using a Mexican expression'echarle ganas,â? which means 'to put your heart into it.â?
POPE FRANCIS
'I prefer families wrinkled, injured, scarred because they continue to walk forward because those wounds, those scars, those wrinkles are the result of the faithfulness of love that was not always easy. Love is not easy. It is not easy, no. But it is one of the most beautiful thing that a man and a woman can give each other. True love, for life.â?
Finally, he invited the couple present at the celebration to renew their vows and instructed all families to pray to Saint Joseph. A saint the Pope is especially devoted to.
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