MORELIA -- Pope Francis has spoken out against drug trafficking in Mexico.  The head of the Catholic Church does not like to give up, and in the fight against drugs he won’t.  In his view a Church that is resigned to the Mexico of drugs is unacceptable, as here, as in other places where wallets are bursting with ‘easy-money’, luxury cars and designer clothes capture the dreams of the young, ending in their becoming slaves to a life of crime.

 Once again, in Morelia where the war against drugs is getting underway, we see the pontiff speaking with the most genuine verve.  During his speech he insisted that the acceptance of the will of others, especially if it is contrary to their own will and to the principles of the Gospel and the Law, and the temperament to accept the almost inevitable facts, almost independent of their own wishes, cannot be accepted into the valuable repertoire of priests, bishops, cardinals and other religious figures.  He urges them to never resign themselves to drug trafficking. 

 Since the problem is not confined to Mexico, it is clear that he was speaking to the entire Church in his speech at the Morelia stadium, saying, “Faced with these realities you can beat one of the devil’s favourite weapons: Resignation.  A resignation that paralyses us and not only stops us from walking, but from even making the road.  A resignation that not only scares us, but that buries us in our sacristies and apparent certainties.  A resignation that not only prevents us proclaiming, but also praising.  A resignation that not only prevents us from planning, but also prevents us from taking risks and changing things.”

 The pope is well aware of how life truly is in Morelia.  Though on paper it seems a delightful town, with UNESCO protection on the cathedrals and Baroque palaces built by the Spanish and still intact today, the reality is very different.  Last year, the police managed to capture one of the most feared gang bosses Servando Gomez Martinez, known as “La Tuta”, the leader of a bloodthirsty gang called the Templar Knights, whose symbol was a red cross on a white background.  The Templars spread fear, mixing religious elements with symbols of death.

 Never resign yourself to the power of death, repeats Francis.  “Which is the temptation that we can fight against?  What temptation can come from an environment dominated a thousand times over by violence, corruption, drug trafficking, disrespect for a person’s dignity, indifference in the face of suffering and precariousness?  What temptation we could have once again in the face of this reality which seems to have become an immovable system.”

 The first threats of a war that would not even spare the religious came in the 90s, with open threats to priests and those bishops who were not complying with the criminal world suffering a surge in 2004, as various cartels scrambled for control of larger territories.  The threats came in the forms of letters and the heads of animals left in front of the church, or with warnings through a third person.

 On Wednesday the pope’s trip will continue with a visit to Ciudad Juarez, an outpost of violence.  Tens of kilometres of people lined the streets to greet him, whilst 40 million others followed him on the television as he left Mexico’s youth with the plea not to bow to easy earnings - money isn’t everything, and it is certain that it won’t buy you love, at least not the real one.

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