ECATEPEC, Mexico — Hundreds of thousands of people gathered Sunday for the biggest event of Pope Francis' five-day trip to Mexico, a Mass in the capital's crime-ridden suburb of Ecatepec, where drug violence, gangland-style executions and kidnappings are a daily fact of life.
Francis had a clear message for the masses: "With the devil, there is no dialogue."
Some 300,000 tickets had been handed out and an estimated 2 million people were expected to line the pope's motorcade route to the huge field where the liturgy took place, according to the Mexican bishops' conference.
Francis was bringing a message of encouragement to residents of an area where the murder rate, particularly of women, was so high that the government issued a special alert last year. With a densely packed population of 1.6 million, Ecatepec is a sprawling carpet of cinderblock slums mixed in with some better-off neighborhoods. It is a strategic point for drug gangs that thrive amid poverty, unemployment and impunity.
"The pope is not going to change things, but at least he will touch the hearts of those who do harm and are trying to destroy the country," said 35-year-old Graciela Elizalde. "He is the 'messenger of peace' because that's exactly what Mexico needs, not just Ecatepec."
Francis' schedule Sunday includes three popemobile motorcades and a visit to a pediatric hospital.
Read Monday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.