Diocese of Juarez to hand out informational flyers, give gift to Pope Francis

The Diocese of Juarez held a news conference Thursday about how it plans to keep visitors informed about Pope Francis’s visit on Wednesday.

They will be handing out flyers throughout the city. They contain the latest and finalized bus routes for those who will be attending the mass in Juarez–and a complete agenda of where the pope will visit and how long he plans to stay at each place. It also includes tips, emergency information and the pope’s route.

Once everyone gets off the buses, they’ll be greeted by two thousand volunteers from Juarez, El Paso and Las Cruces–assisting with the five designated areas and routes. They’ll be in uniform–polos, and color coded hats and collars, which will indicate which group they’re in charge of. Volunteers are expected to be up for at least 20 hours that day but they’ll work in shifts and take breaks.

The diocese also announced a gift it’ll be giving to Pope Francis. They’re inviting everyone from El Paso, Las Cruces and Juarez to record a small video message and upload it online. Those messages will then be downloaded onto a tablet, then given to Pope Francis at the mass as a gift. They hope he’ll get a chance to view them during his trip back to Rome.

“They can send them in until the 15th. This tablet, like I said, will be given to the pope on the 17th. He’ll take it and he can entertain himself watching the videos and messages on the plane,” Father Rudolfo Murillo Rizo with Mundo Del Trabajo said.

El Punto has been opened since construction on the altar and stage began, but the diocese mentioned Thursday that areas will be turned over to the state’s security on Sunday. They say it must be protected, just like they would the president’s airplane for example.

Anyone who would like to send the pope a recorded message, can upload it online at: videos@franciscoenjuarez.mx