[WORLD NEWS ★]
POPE FRANCIS TO VISIT MEXICO IN FEBRUARY
(P1) Pope Francis has announced that he will make his first official visit to Mexico early next year.
(P2) The Vatican says the Pope’s eight-day trip will begin on 12 February.
(P3) Pope Francis is expected to address issues such as poverty, organised crime, and DISCRIMINATION against migrants who look for a better life in their own country or abroad.
(P4) He drew millions of people to the streets of four other Latin American countries earlier this year.
(P5) Pope Francis is expected to get a warm RECEPTION in Mexico, where more than 80% of the population are Catholics.
(P6) The Archbishop of Mexico City, Norberto Rivera Carrera, said the Pope would renew his calls for forgiveness and SOLIDARITY.
(P7) “He will surely address the issues of DIGNITY, human rights and duties, and the care we owe to the most VULNERABLE people in society, such as migrants,” said Archbishop Rivera.
(P8) Details of the Pope’s full schedule in the visit to Mexico have not yet been released.
(P9) Archbishop Rivera has confirmed, however, that he would have a meeting with President Enrique Pena Nieto and also visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the national SHRINE of Mexico.
(P10) In July Pope Francis visited Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay.
(P11) The Vatican said that his choice of three of the poorest countries in South America reflected his “interest in the PERIPHERIES“.
(P12) He made an official visit to Cuba and the United States in September.
(P13) During his address to the US Congress, the Pope said immigrants should be treated “with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated”.
(P14) Pope Francis has not been back to his native Argentina since being elected PONTIFF in 2013.
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SOURCE: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-34695313
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- What are the most commonly practiced religions in your country?
- Pope Francis has been IN THE NEWS very much in recent years. Have you formed an opinion of him?
- The preparations and security for the Pope’s visit to Mexico will be extraordinary. What recent events in your country have required that kind of preparation and security?
- Pope Francis has a particular concern for the poor. What do you think is the best way of addressing the problem of global poverty?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- In the news
