Pope hopes to attend Eucharistic Congress in Mexico, says Cardinal Rivera

Mexico City, Mexico, May 31, 2004 / 22:00 pm

Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City said this Sunday that Pope John Paul II hopes to travel to Mexico for the International Eucharistic Congress in October, but he said the trip would depend on the Pope’s state of health at the time.

Responding to questions from reporters after Sunday Mass at the Cathedral, Cardinal Rivera said, “Like all of you have seen in the media,” the Pope “is weak,” but “he continues to work every day for the Church.  The Pope is active and is very lucid in his leading of the Church.  We hope the Lord grants him many more years.”

The Cardinal added, “I have just seen him in Rome and I can say for sure that it would be imprudent to say that the Pope is in fact coming to the Eucharistic Congress.  But it would be even more imprudent to say that he is not coming.”

“The Pope has a true desire to come to Mexico for the Congress, to meet with the Mexican people again. But this depends on his state of health at that time,” the Cardinal said.

“There is a chance he may come, and there is the desire to come as well.  But the Pope, at this moment, has not said yes or no, because evidently he is waiting to see how his health will be at that time.”  “We are just hoping that his health allows for him to make to trip to Mexico,” he concluded.