The Pope's presence brought millions of people together in collective prayer throughout Mexico. Human migration and issues of life and death on the border were addressed during the "Holy Mass for Migrants and Victims of Violence" held Juarez Fairgrounds near the international border in Juarez on Wednesday. Pope Francis spoke specifically about human trafficking, migration and justice. "Each step is a journey with terrible injustices: the enslaved, kidnapped, extorted," he said. "The human tragedy that is forced migration is a global phenomenon today. The crisis, which can be measured in numbers and statistics, we want instead to measure with names, stories, families."
The Border Network for Human Rights held a press conference on Monday to read the letter they wrote to Pope Francis in anticipation of his visit to the border region. Many families reunited there, sharing tears, hope and prayers for peace in the border region as they reached out for each other across the chainlink fence that marks the international border.
While the Pope's visit to the border region was a historic event that brought attention to the humanitarian crisis that exists on one of the most militarized borders in the world, the issues still remain and the city and it's people will continue to live in the shadows of the border.
Chamisal Park, Juarez, Mexico.
