(OSV News) – At the beginning of November, on the southern border between the cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, the bishops of the dioceses of El Paso, Las Cruces and Ciudad Juárez met to celebrate the Binational Mass, where As and The same border community meet, they pray for all the immigrants and for the eternal remains of those who died in their attempts to go to United States.
According to figures from the migration data portal of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), since 2014, more than 8,920 people have died or gone missing while traveling on the American continent. “More than half of these deaths were recorded at the border between Mexico and the United States, which is the second deadliest region in the world,” the group said.
The Mass was celebrated on November 9 by Monsignor Guadalupe Torres, bishop of the city of Juárez, who was accompanied by Monsignor Peter Baldacchino, bishop of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Monsignor Mark J. Seitz, bishop of El Paso, Texas, with the auxiliary bishop of El Paso, Monsignor Anthony Celino.
At the beginning of the binational Mass, Bishop Torres greeted the faithful, priests, deacons and seminarians from both sides of the altar arranged on a wooden platform above the Rio Grande in appropriate to this Eucharistic celebration. He said that this binational Mass is a sign “of the closeness of God who goes with his people,” referring to the words of Pope Francis in his message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
However, he added, “there are situations that cry to heaven, there are realities of pain and suffering with our brothers. “Their entire journey from South America to these borders is going hard and painful.”
The bishop added that many people died because of the harsh climate, the forced climbing in the mountains and deserts, hunger and the dangers they faced as victims. and crimes like theft.
In this way, Bishop Torres responded to the Pope’s call to be a Samaritan church, “don’t wait for our traveling brothers, let’s go to meet them. Go out to meet the the immigrant, the poor, the refugee, the returnee,” he said.
Monsignor Torres recalled the words of the pontiff to welcome, promote, unite and protect the pilgrims, in addition to urging them to be “a church on the way out, a church of love and compassion. “
“The temptation for us as a Church,” said the Pope, “is nothing. The sin of indifference, the sin of inaction, being stuck, thinking about ourselves ,” said the prelate.
“We must work, serve, walk with our brothers and sisters with love, with love like God,” he said.
For Bishop Torres, we must reject “crime, torture, theft, death, murder, exposing our guests to danger, to death itself. Condemn the crime, denounce injustice, condemn human trafficking. Many immigrant brothers are kidnapped, imprisoned, forced
The bishop honors the memory of the dead. “We ask for their eternal rest, we pray and give the Eucharist for them, but we are also firm in the faith. If Christ has risen, they have risen.
“We celebrate this Eucharist in this binational place, on the river, a sign (…) a wonderful sign of faith, of love, of hope, of synodality, said the Pope, of the unity, of the group. Two countries, three states, three dioceses, but one community, one Church,” said the priest.
At the end of his homily, Monsignor Torres called on the pilgrims not to forget “our brothers, they are noble people and we are all called, the group, the churches, the truth, Governments, take care of our brothers and try to do their best, respect the lives of all, the safety of the everything, to guarantee the life, the safety of everyone.”
At the end of the Mass, the Bishop of El Paso, Texas, Monsignor Mark J. Seitz, surprised those present by showing a letter sent to him by Pope Francis in which he wished to encourage them “because it is a synodal church. and in the spirit of the blessed, to help these brothers in need, considering the reception and avoiding them is an opportunity to obtain Redemption.”
“It is a full opportunity in life because Jesus is with those who need us, knocking on our door, hungry, thirsty, stranger, homeless, sick, prisoner, asking us to help them,” Bishop Seitz read.
Dylan Corbett, executive director and founder of the HOPE Border Institute, told OSV News “in these times of fear and uncertainty for immigrants to the United States and for the people seeking safety at our borders, the Binational Mass gives us the vision of a world of celebration.”
“The Eucharist unites us in love, beyond borders, beyond mobility, beyond the division of race and economic status. In today’s context, it is a living message that needs we all eat,” added Corbett.
Marietha Góngora V. writes for OSV News from Washington.
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