CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- For Bishop Oscar Cant\u00fa of Las Cruces, Pope Francis had a simple message to tell the people of Mexico: \u201cyou are not forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\nBishop Cant\u00fa, who chairs the U.S. bishops\u2019 committee on international justice and peace, said the Pope\u2019s visit showed Mexico \u201cthat the Holy Father cares about you, and that God is with us even in difficult moments, even in the darkness of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was one of two U.S. bishops who took part in every Mass which Pope Francis celebrated in Mexico during his Feb. 12-18 trip.<\/p>\n
The bishop, whose see is in the U.S. state of New Mexico, spoke with CNA Feb. 25 during a visit to Rome. He said the Pope showed his presence as a pastor for Mexicans and acted in the spirit of Our Lady of Guadalupe.<\/p>\n
He was particularly struck by the Pope\u2019s approach to Mexico\u2019s indigenous people; the Roman Pontiff had told them they should be included in the decision-making of society and that their dignity should be elevated.<\/p>\n
Bishop Cant\u00fa also noted the Pope\u2019s encouragement for victims of violence. The Roman Pontiff also told young people that they have something to contribute to the good of society and of Mexico.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Christians we are a people of hope,\u201d Bishop Cant\u00fa said.<\/p>\n
On Feb. 17 Pope Francis visited the U.S.-Mexico border at Ciudad Juarez. He waved to those on the other side of the border fence, out in the west Texas town of El Paso.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he wanted to give a human face to migrants,\u201d Bishop Cant\u00fa reflected.\u00a0 \u201cThey are people. They are human beings. Most of them are very, very well-intentioned and good people.\u201d<\/p>\n
These migrants are trying to escape violence, \u201ccrushing poverty\u201d and a bad economy, the bishop continued. He encouraged people to look to the root causes of migration: economic and trade policy and lack of infrastructure investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that there are sensible solutions that are consonant with the Gospel,\u201d Bishop Cant\u00fa said.<\/p>\n
The bishop said that Pope Francis had stern words for the Mexico government about its responsibility to provide for the good of Mexico. The Pope also spoke of Mexico\u2019s responsibility to provide a job-supporting economy so that people can raise their families and are not forced to emigrate.<\/p>\n
The Church does not believe in open borders, and believes in a country\u2019s right to protect its borders, according to Bishop Cant\u00fa. The Church also encourages countries to cooperate with their neighbors.<\/p>\n
Migration has played a significant role in the bishop\u2019s own life. His father came to the U.S. from Mexico in the mid-1950s to look for work.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe grew up on a farm and he didn\u2019t see a future in farming in northern Mexico. He went with one of his brothers and a cousin to Chicago. They worked odd jobs and made a living,\u201d the bishop said.<\/p>\n
The bishop\u2019s father met his mother one summer when he returned to Mexico to visit. \u201cThe next summer he married her and brought her up to Chicago,\u201d he said, and they became American citizens.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a way their hearts were always in Mexico,\u201d Bishop Cant\u00fa reflected. \u201cI love Mexico. I consider myself Mexican in heart. I also love America. This is where I was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no dichotomy in being a Mexican-American. We love both countries because we have part of ourselves in both countries.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said it had become much more difficult for immigrants to become American citizens.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that there are some sensible ways that we can update the laws of immigration in our country,\u201d he said. \u201cSomething that everybody agrees on is that our immigration laws are broken. I think we are wise enough and smart enough to fix them. It just takes some political will and some courage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bishop Cant\u00fa is one of the signers of a petition to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry about the situation facing Christians in Iraq and Syria. The petition asks the U.S. government to recognize as genocide the Islamic State\u2019s atrocities against Christians and other religious minorities.<\/p>\n
The bishop said the petition is important to show that the world is watching the situation and to help ensure that the Islamic State does not go unpunished.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat they have killed Christians simply for the fact that they are Christians. I think it is important to call it what it is.\u201d
\n\u00a0
\nBishop Cant\u00fa also spoke of the Obama administration\u2019s efforts to close the United States\u2019 Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba, noting that \u201cthe bishops\u2019 conference has supported for some time the closing of Guantanamo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said there are human rights issues with U.S. policy there. Accused terrorist detainees have been held there without trial for many years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that Guantanamo represents a stain on the soul of America. We need to hold ourselves to the same standard that we hold others,\u201d Bishop Cant\u00fa said. He advocated that the detainees be released \u201cwith some responsibility, knowing that here is some probability that they have committed crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
![](\"https:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\")
<\/a>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews\/~4\/onHjZFBGt1c\")
<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rome, Italy, Feb 27, 2016 \/ 04:09 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- For Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, Pope Francis had a simple message to tell the people of Mexico: “you are not forgotten.”<\/p>\n
Bishop Cantú, who chairs the U.S. bishops&r…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-europe"],"yoast_head":"\n
Hope for Mexico: one bishop's reflection on the papal visit<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rome, Italy, Feb 27, 2016 \/ 04:09 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- For Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, Pope Francis had a simple message to tell the people of Mexico: “you are not forgotten.” Bishop Cantú, who chairs the U.S. bishops&r...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hope for Mexico: one bishop's reflection on the papal visit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rome, Italy, Feb 27, 2016 \/ 04:09 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- For Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, Pope Francis had a simple message to tell the people of Mexico: “you are not forgotten.” Bishop Cantú, who chairs the U.S. bishops&r...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-02-27T23:09:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Pope_Francis_2_visits_the_Cathedral_of_San_Cristbal_de_las_Casas_on_Feb_15_2016_Credit_LOsservatore_Romano_CNA_2_15_16.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/\",\"name\":\"Hope for Mexico: one bishop's reflection on the papal visit\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-02-27T23:09:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-02-27T23:09:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\"},\"description\":\"Rome, Italy, Feb 27, 2016 \/ 04:09 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- For Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, Pope Francis had a simple message to tell the people of Mexico: “you are not forgotten.” Bishop Cantú, who chairs the U.S. bishops&r...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Hope for Mexico: one bishop’s reflection on the papal visit\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\",\"name\":\"Catholic News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\",\"name\":\"CNA Daily News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"CNA Daily News\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Hope for Mexico: one bishop's reflection on the papal visit","description":"Rome, Italy, Feb 27, 2016 \/ 04:09 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- For Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, Pope Francis had a simple message to tell the people of Mexico: “you are not forgotten.” Bishop Cantú, who chairs the U.S. bishops&r...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Hope for Mexico: one bishop's reflection on the papal visit","og_description":"Rome, Italy, Feb 27, 2016 \/ 04:09 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- For Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, Pope Francis had a simple message to tell the people of Mexico: “you are not forgotten.” Bishop Cantú, who chairs the U.S. bishops&r...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/","og_site_name":"Catholic News","article_published_time":"2016-02-27T23:09:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Pope_Francis_2_visits_the_Cathedral_of_San_Cristbal_de_las_Casas_on_Feb_15_2016_Credit_LOsservatore_Romano_CNA_2_15_16.jpg"}],"author":"CNA Daily News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"CNA Daily News","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/","name":"Hope for Mexico: one bishop's reflection on the papal visit","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-02-27T23:09:00+00:00","dateModified":"2016-02-27T23:09:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1"},"description":"Rome, Italy, Feb 27, 2016 \/ 04:09 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- For Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, Pope Francis had a simple message to tell the people of Mexico: “you are not forgotten.” Bishop Cantú, who chairs the U.S. bishops&r...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/02\/hope-for-mexico-one-bishops-reflection-on-the-papal-visit\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Hope for Mexico: one bishop’s reflection on the papal visit"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/","name":"Catholic News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1","name":"CNA Daily News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CNA Daily News"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13132\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Pope_Francis_2_visits_the_Cathedral_of_San_Cristbal_de_las_Casas_on_Feb_15_2016_Credit_LOsservatore_Romano_CNA_2_15_16.jpg\")
<\/p>\n