Local pastor reacts to closures for the pope’s visit
A local pastor at Sunrise Baptist Church doesn’t agree with schools closing for Pope Francis’ visit to Juarez.
“Let’s say we have a large Evangelist come into town and we want the same consideration and we don’t get it. It’s not an anger deal, we don’t get angry about it, we just feel it’s a bit unfair.”
Jim Towles is a pastor at Sunrise Baptist Church in Northeast El Paso. He doesn’t agree with the city essentially shutting down for the pope’s visit. He says he understand El Paso is predominantly Catholic, but doesn’t feel it’s necessary for schools to close for the day.
“You have people and students that want to go and of course they’re catholic and it’s nay fair for them to go, but it’s almost disingenuous the way they’re presenting it,” Towles said.
When Pope Francis was in Philadelphia last September, schools there also shut down for two days leading up to the visit and one day after because of traffic and safety concerns. School district officials here in El Paso say they’re also worried about traffic and safety as people make their through El Paso and into Juarez for the visit.
“With road closures and the amount of traffic that in itself with school bus transportation how that is going to effect the whole school district,” Ismael Castro with the Socorro Independent School District said.
“All of law enforcement efforts are being taken to that region there, traffic is going to be logistically a big effort and really, we expect the city will pretty much shut down that day.”
“Supposedly, we were a nation that was set out to be free of that, there was going to be that separation between church and state, so it is a bit precarious again,” Towles said.
