Click on the audio player above to hear this interview.
Pope Francis is at the tail-end of his six-day visit to Mexico, home to the globe’s second largest Catholic population.
The first Latin American pope has made issues of income inequality, poverty, and violence the cornerstones of his papacy. And the pontiff’s tour of Mexico will continue that tradition—his itinerary includes stops in Ecatepec, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Morelia, and Ciudad Juarez, some of the most dangerous and violent cities in the country.
Pope Francis’ visit highlights key issues Mexico has been wrestling with, such as poverty, gangs, violence, immigration, and now even contraception and abortion, as concerns about the Zika virus continue to grow.
Franc Contreras, a freelance correspondent for CCTV America and contributor to PRI’s The World, discusses why the pope’s visit to Mexico is so remarkable, and whether it will provoke widespread change for the country.
Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!