Pope to Mexico's children: Be messengers of peace

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GUANAJUATO, Mexico (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI reached out to the future of the church in Mexico on Saturday, telling a gathering of children to be messengers of peace in their often-violent country.
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The pope reserved his only public remarks of the day for a gathering of about 4,000 children and their parents massed in Peace Plaza in the city of Guanajuato, telling them that they are each a “gift of God to Mexico and the world.”
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Referring indirectly to the drug-fueled violence plaguing Mexico, he urged them all to be messengers of peace.
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“The disciple of Jesus does not respond to evil with evil, but is always an instrument of good instead, a herald of pardon, a bearer of happiness, a servant of unity,” Benedict said. “I will pray for all of you, so that Mexico may be a place in which everyone can live in serenity and harmony.”
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“We’re excited to hear his words, not just for this moment, but to carry in our lives and to know God better,” said 17-year-old Fabiola Gonzalez, who traveled by bus with a group of 45 teenage girls from Guadalajara to the plaza. “We hope they will last more than this week.”
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Benedict was interrupted several times by the cheering crowd that had gathered hours beforehand for an intimate encounter with the 84-year-old pope on one of his few public outings in Mexico.
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Tens of thousands, many of them teenagers, watched his remarks on big screen televisions in a nearby pilgrim camp at the site of the papal Mass planned for Sunday. The atmosphere was like a rock concert as the TVs showed the pope emerging on a balcony in nearby Guanajuato, with campers letting go a roaring chant of “Benedicto, Benedicto.”
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Read more: seattlepi.com/news/article/Pope-to-Mexico-s-children-Be-messengers-of-peace-3428822.php#ixzz1q6Hdmqzb
 
I was watching a report about this last night on TV. What’s with all this “Saint Death” stuff and why does it hold any kind of attraction at all? I happened to find a transcript of that part of the newscast I saw here, and you can also play the video to see what the idol looks like:

cbs19.tv/story/17248756/pope-benedict-xvi-spreads-message-in-mexico
The Pope wants the faithful in Mexico is to stay away from the love of money, and all forms of worship that he deems “unpure.”
But in some households that message won’t resonate. Debora, a hairdresser, installed an altar inside the beauty parlour, honoring an idol called "saint death."She and millions of Mexicans worship saint death and still regard themselves as Catholic. She said, “I’d rather pray for help to her than to the Pope. The pope won’t solve my every day problems.”
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