Faithful mourn pontiff they say identified with their country

09:12 PM MST on Sunday, April 3, 2005

By BRENDAN M. CASE and LAURENCE ILIFF / The Dallas Morning News

MEXICO CITY – Thousands of Mexicans retreated to churches Saturday to pray for John Paul II, the Spanish-speaking pope who visited Mexico five times and with whom many people felt a special bond.

Erich Schelgel / DMN Evangelina Sosa of Mexico City cried as she sang praises for Pope John Paul II Saturday in front of a statue in his honor at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on Saturday.

In the San Juan Bautista church in Mexico City, grim-faced mourners began arriving in the afternoon, some weeping, some praying in pews, others kneeling before saints.

"This leaves a great pain for all Mexicans," María de la Luz Penagos, 53, an elementary school teacher, said through tears. "He was one of the popes who were closest to the people, all people. He was the pope who had the closest relationship with Mexico. He gave us tranquility."

Rodolfo Jiménez, a building contractor, said he cherished the memory of having seen the pope in Mexico.

"I feel a lot of sadness, an emptiness. It's a big loss," said Mr. Jiménez, 47. "John Paul gave us a feeling of brotherhood, of peace. I had the opportunity to see him twice. Just seeing him gave you a feeling of peace, it moved you inside; it gave you a feeling of strength."

President Vicente Fox expressed condolences on behalf of the nation in a message broadcast on most television stations. He said he would seek permission from the Senate to attend the pontiff's funeral later this week.

Four Mexican cardinals are expected to be on hand for the selection of the next pope: Norberto Rivera Carrera, Mexico's primate; Archbishop of Guadalajara Juan Sandoval Íñiguez; Javier Lozano Barragán, bishop emeritus of Zacatecas and currently a high-ranking Vatican official; and Adolfo Suárez Rivera, archbishop emeritus of Monterrey.

A variety of political and ecclesiastical figures issued statements praising the pope and calling him a giant of the 20th century.

"John Paul II was a key agent in configuring a new global geography and was an indefatigable defender of the rights of the most defenseless," Manlio Fabio Beltrones, president of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Congress, said in a prepared statement.

Papal Nuncio Giuseppe Bertello asked Mexicans to always keep the pope in their hearts. The nuncio, the pope's representative in Mexico, said that beginning Monday, the Vatican's embassy would be open to all who want to leave a message in a signature book.

Speaking in front of the embassy, he said Mexicans also must have hope because "without doubt the Lord has received him in heaven."

Mexico City residents said they mostly felt loss.

"Everybody feels like his spiritual leader is gone," said Rubén Daniel Angel, 53, an industrial engineer. "He was like a father who gave us counsel. Spiritually, he was so close to us. He identified with Mexico."

At the city's Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, church bells rang as hundreds gathered around a towering metal statue of John Paul II to pray, sing and cry for the late church leader.

Amid bouquets of flowers, candles and images of the pope and the Virgin of Guadalupe, the faithful sang Amigo, an informal anthem during the pope's many visits to Mexico and Latin America.

Inside the Basilica, a special Mass was celebrated for the pope, as streams of believers passed through the gates of the shrine, the most visited Roman Catholic site in the hemisphere.

María Teresa Argueta, 45, and sister Marta Argueta Peña, 50, sat on the steps of the basilica with their mother, María del Carmen Peña Moreno, 72, staring at the statue of the pope and reflecting on his tenure.

"There is sadness because we have lost someone who not only earned the love of Mexicans, but of the entire world," said Ms. Peña Moreno. "We can hope that the next [pope] who comes along will be such a good man."

All three had visited the basilica Tuesday to continue prayers for the pope that had begun weeks ago when he first fell ill. They returned Saturday, fearing the end was near. The women said they were surprised at how resilient John Paul II had been over Easter week and until the last days of his life.

"We had been asking for God's help to keep him with us," said Ms. Argueta Peña, "but that was no longer possible."