Blessed John Paul's blood to be part of Mexican peace pilgrimage
MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- Blood belonging to Blessed John Paul II was scheduled to arrive in Mexico Aug. 17 and be exhibited throughout the country as part of a pilgrimage of peace. The pilgrimage begins Aug. 25, when the blood will be taken from the Vatican embassy to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It will later be taken to more than 90 sites nationwide, including many in dioceses with high rates of violence stemming from organized crime and drug cartel activities. The violence has claimed more than 40,000 lives since December 2006. The capsule of blood, drawn shortly before John Paul's death in 2005, is being sent to Mexico at the request of the Mexican bishops' conference, which expressed hopes that the veneration of the relic, along with a statue of the pope, would promote peace. "With perceptions of a Mexico that has sunk into pain, hopelessness, anguish, revenge and rancor, which are a consequence of insecurity ... the veneration of the relics will be an opportunity for the baptized and people of good faith to return to the eyes of God and, through the intercession of John Paul II, receive his peace and mercy," the bishops said in a statement. "Blessed John Paul II was, for the majority of Mexico, a man of peace, a missionary of hope whose life was a testimony to the values of the Gospel."
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