The Primate Archbishop of Mexico, Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, invited Pope Leo XIV to visit the country during a meeting held on January 14 at the Apostolic Palace (Vatican), shortly before the Wednesday general audience, as reported by Aciprensa.
The Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico later specified that Aguiar renewed an invitation he had already presented “a few days after the conclave.” In that conversation, the Pontiff would have expressed gratitude for the gesture and, moreover, his desire and interest in traveling to Mexico “soon” with a specific purpose: to entrust his pontificate to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The meeting was not limited to the protocolary level. Aguiar also presented to the Pope the progress of the synodal process in the Mexican dioceses, emphasizing its development and the steps being taken in the country. In that context, Leo XIV thanked the work of religious communities, pastoral agents, and laity, and encouraged to persevere in a dynamic that—according to the statement—insists on listening, discernment, and pastoral co-responsibility.
In the meeting, Auxiliary Bishop Francisco Javier Acero Pérez accompanied Cardinal Aguiar. From the archdiocesan communications area, the faithful were asked to pray for the Holy Father and for the fruits of the path that the Church in Mexico continues to travel.