World

Mexicans Bid Pope Farewell

January 22, 1999 / 9:08 AM EST / AP

Adoring Mexicans lined Pope John Paul II's route to the airport Tuesday, waving pennants emblazoned with his portrait and a heartfelt "adios."

The pontiff received a rousing farewell on Monday evening inside the giant Azteca Stadium, where John Paul decried drug trafficking, corruption and other evils of modern society.

At his final public appearance before heading to the United States, the frail, 78-year-old pope rose from his chair and held up his arms to the crowd of 110,000 that chanted "John Paul II, the world loves you."

From Mexico, the pope was heading to St. Louis to continue his mission of giving new direction to his flock on the eve of the third millennium and strengthening ties among Catholics in the Americas.

Upon arriving, he was scheduled to meet with President Clinton in an airport hangar -- a day after the Vatican condemned the latest U.S. bombing raids on Iraq.

In a statement, spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the U.S. bombing "confirms once again" the pope's view that military measures "don't resolve problems in themselves, rather they aggravate them."

The pope also has criticized U.S. policy on the death penalty, abortion and economic sanctions against Cuba and Iraq.

The differences shouldn't dampen the pope's welcome for the 30-hour visit, his seventh stop on U.S. soil during his 20-year papacy. As many as 600,000 people are expected to turn out.

Tuesday's schedule includes a youth rally, a fitting event because the pope is counting on young Catholics to battle what he calls a "culture of death."

The 78-year-old pontiff used his five-day Mexico visit to outline church strategy throughout the Americas for the start of the new millennium.

He signed a declaration containing that strategy. It also condemned the evils of exploitative capitalism, abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment.

He urged Catholics to more vigorously defend their faith against Protestant sects that have made inroads in Latin America, and he stressed the need to preach to both rich and poor.

But perhaps just as importantly, the pope renewed his relationship with Mexicans, whom he has adored -- and who have adored him -- since the first trip of his papacy in 1979. He has visited three times since.

"I feel like a Mexican," he told the cheering crowd.