Leon, Mexico, Mar 24, 2012 / 16:22 pm
Outside Miraflores School, where Pope Benedict XVI is staying in the Mexican city of León, thousands of young people have gathered to show their support and love.
“I’ll be here 20, 30, or 100 hours, whatever it takes, anything to see him. The Pope is my great inspiration,” Francisco Javier Aguilar told CNA on March 24.
The 15-year-old said he is waiting for the Pope “because he has been a huge inspiration for me. He holds an important place in my life because he deserves it and has done so many things.”
Aguilar is one of thousands watching for Pope Benedict, who will depart from Miraflores School late in the day for a meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderón. After the meeting, the Pope will greet children gathered in Guanajuato's Plaza de Paz
“Being here with the Pope is hugely emotional,” said Laura Fuentes, another member of the crowd outside Miraflores School.
“There’s no experience like it. I ask everyone to come and see him because they’ll have a great experience in their hearts.”
Abraham Sánchez Ramos agreed that it would be a “great experience” to see the Pope. “It’s a chance that may never present itself again.”
For Juan León, the Pope's presence “is hugely emotional and a blessing. I have the hope to see him up close. It’s something you can’t explain, but feel in your heart. I know that his coming will bring many spiritual benefits.”
Valentín Padilla, married and the father of three girls, is outside Miraflores School “to see if God grants me the blessing of seeing the Pope. It make me so happy that he’s visiting us.”
“Seeing him is enough for me. In fact, I left work and am not going back,” he confessed.
“Let everyone see that we are Catholic,” said Padilla, urging Mexicans “to come with us in force to see if the Pope comes out.”