Diocese rushing to prepare for Pope Francis

As the details about Pope Francis’ visit become more certain, the Catholic Diocese of El Paso has very little time to prepare.

“For most papal visits, they know at least six months in advance, if not longer, that the pope is coming,” said Bishop Mark Seitz. “We’re going to do this in two months.”

Seitz is kicking off a monumental effort to prepare for the arrival of the pope. Working with Catholic leaders in both Juarez and Las Cruces, the El Paso Diocese is preparing for two major parts of the pope’s visit on Feb. 17 – possible viewings and gatherings along the border fence on parts of the Cesar Chavez Border Highway and remote viewing of the pope’s Mass at other designated sites.

“We’ve spoken with law enforcement personnel and will continue to work very closely with them,” Seitz said, “as well as the city to talk about transportation and to identify who has what responsibility.”

It’s a lot to get done very quickly. Seitz said meetings and coordination efforts will be going on nonstop for basically the next two months, preparing for what could be the biggest event our region has ever seen.

On the human impact alone, Seitz said there’s no way to know for sure just how many people will show up on just the U.S. side of the border.

“I’m not going to be surprised if it’s a million,” Seitz said.