Pope Benedict arrives Friday in Mexico to start a five-day mission to Latin America.
The pontiff will begin his first-ever visit to Mexico in the central city of Leon, where he will preside over an massive outdoor Sunday Mass. Pope Benedict's visit is not expected to generate the excitement of those made by his predecessor, the late John Paul II, who was revered in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation.
The pope's visit is also being overshadowed by the bloody drug war that has left about 50,000 people dead since President Felipe Calderon launched a crackdown on the drug cartels shortly after taking office in 2006. The Vatican's diplomatic representative to Mexico, Christopher Pierre, said Pope Benedict will urge the faithful to look beyond the violence that has gripped the Central American nation.
''Yes, we speak of violence as well, we can not hide it, but I can tell you as representative of the Holy Pope in this country for five years, there is a lot more in Mexico than violence,'' Pierre said.
The church is under pressure from the growing rise of Protestant churches in Mexico, as well as a scandal involving the late priest Marcel Maciel, who founded the prominent Catholic order the Legionaires of Christ. Maciel died before he faced allegations of drug addiction and molesting young boys.
A small crowd of people staged a protest Thursday in Leon against the church's handling of the sexual abuse cases that have plagued the Church around the world.
From Mexico, Pope Benedict will fly on to Cuba for a two-day visit.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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