The young Guatemalan, Diego Martínez lived his first meeting with Pope Francis in 2014 And he considered it a gift that changed his life and his mission within the Church. The opportunity arose when he traveled to Rome to receive a prize for a message of peace, after being recognized in Brussels.
Taking advantage of the occasion, he decided to do something significant: carry a message from the Guatemalans to the Pope. To do this, he created a notebook with messages collected throughout the country.
In February 2016, Martínez traveled to Mexico with the aim of being able to deliver to Pope Francis a copy of his “Messenger of Peace” material, a video with which he sought to convince the Pontiff to visit Guatemala.
At that time, Pope Francis offered a mass at the Municipal Sports Center of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico. At the end of the Eucharist, Diego Martínez approached one of the vehicles of the Pontiff’s delegation, managing to establish visual contact with the Pope while shouting “Pope Francis, Guatemala awaits you.”
On June 28, 2019, in the celebration of the 175th Anniversary of the World Poping Network of the Pope, Martínez had another approach with Francisco. The event was held in the Pablo VI room, in the Vatican.
At the end of the event, he approached the Pope again and handed him a Guatemala flag. Martínez expressed: “Guatemala loves you and prays for you.” His answer was a smile, ”recalled the young Guatemalan in a recent interview for Free press.
In September 2017 and within the framework of the trip that Pope Francis made to Colombia, Jordán Rodas, a human rights attorney, at that time, invited the Pontiff to visit Guatemala and advocate for an exit to the political crisis, which was lived at that time.
Through a letter delivered to the Guatemala Episcopal Conference on September 4, the Magistrate of Consciousness indicated to join the vision of holiness when he says that “corruption is at the origin of the main violations against human rights and the dignity of people.”
They highlight the importance of your visit
In October 2021, the Guatemala government through the Foreign Ministry invited Pope Francis to visit the country officially.
Pedro Bolo, Foreign Minister named during the government of Alejandro Giammattei, personally delivered the invitation for the Supreme Pontiff to make an official visit to Guatemala, to commemorate “the cordial bilateral relations existing between the two states and the commemoration of the 85 years of solid links.”
Bolo thanked the Holy Father for the “important” help that, through the Church, has provided Guatemala during emergencies caused by natural disasters.
They reiterated invitation
The invitation for Pope Francis to visit Guatemala “is open,” said the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mario Búcaro Flores, who was present at the official inauguration of the Christmas decoration of the Vatican, which that year had a Guatemalan artisanal nativity scene.
“We have just seen the Pope’s blessing on birth. Of course the invitation is open, we have reiterated it several times and we hope that the Holy Father can come,” said Bucaro, that he could greet the Pontiff during the audience that he offered, at that time, the donors of the tree and the nativity scenes that adorned the Vatican in the Christmas of that year.
In the audience in which the Guatemalan Minister participated, Francisco encouraged to rediscover Christmas symbols as important as the “simple and familiar” Bethlehem, which recalls “a different Christmas to the consumerist and commercial” by thanking the decorations received, including the Bethlehem of Guatemala with an artisanal representation composed of the Holy Family and three angels that adorned the classroom Paul VI of the Vatican.
Recent request
In June 2024, Foreign Minister Carlos Martínez, on behalf of President Bernardo Arévalo, delivered an official invitation to Pope Francis to visit Guatemala.
Pope Francis received, on June 20 of last year, at a private audience to the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Vatican Apostolic Palace.
The hearing was a conducive space for the Chancellor to present to his holiness a message of appreciation, affection and esteem of the people of Guatemala, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Foreign Ministry highlighted, at that time, that it was a positive encounter that allowed consolidating relations between the Holy See and the country. At that meeting, there was the opportunity to talk about the National Agenda, on issues such as the International Summary related to peace, migration and climate change, topics that are part of the encyclicals of the authorship of the Holy Father.
Martínez told Pope Francis that his visit would be a lighthouse of light and spiritual guidance for all, “but also an invaluable opportunity for your holiness to participate in the invaluable expressions of faith and culture that characterize our people.”
The Foreign Ministry said that the Supreme Pontiff granted a special courtesy to receive Minister Martínez, a gesture that represents the high level that the Vatican grants to the bilateral relationship with Guatemala.
Pope John Paul II visited Guatemala in 1983, 1996 and 2002. On those occasions he mentioned that peace and solidarity are key elements in a modern and complex world.
Other Trips of Pope Francis
Pope Francis undertook an 11 -day trip, on September 2, 2024, which took him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. During that trip, considered the longest of his pontificate, he included numerous events in Indonesia, the country with the greatest Muslim population in the world, where the Pope emphasized issues such as interreligious dialogue, solidarity and peace.
Francisco toured some 32 thousand 814 kilometers by plane, far exceeding any of its previous 44 trips abroad, Therefore, it was marked as one of the longest papal trips in history, both in terms of travel days and distances traveled.