Mexico City welcomes new Archbishop

On Monday, the new Primate of Mexico was installed in his See of Mexico City. Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, whose nomination was announced in December, now heads the Archdiocese of Mexico City in the nation with the second largest Roman Catholic population in the world.

Cardinal Aguiar Retes had been serving as the Archbishop of Tlalnepantla. He replaces Cardinal Norberto Rivera, who was Primate  from 1995 until this Monday. Cardinal Rivera announced his resignation on 6 June 2017, on his 75th birthday. 

The new Archbishop of Mexico City was ordained Bishop of Texcoco in the State of Mexico, in 1997. In 2007, then Bishop Aguiar Retes was named a member of  the Pontifical Council of Inter Religious Dialogue; two years later he was named Archbishop of Tlalnepantia. He is a member of the Mexican Episcopal Conference and the Latin American Episcopal Conference. Aguiar Retes was created Cardinal in 2016 by Pope Francis.

His new responsibilities are challenging, awesome, daunting, and will prove historic.

Mexico is in the midst of a savage, ongoing, twelve year Drug War, which has already claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people. 2017 was the worst year for homicides since modern records began in 1997.  Some of those victims nationwide include priests who have spoken out against the drug cartels, their leaders, henchmen, and gunmen.

This is going to be a key political year for Mexico.  In July there will be a Presidential Election; the winner will govern the country for a six year, non-renewable term.