Pope beatifies two martyrs on Mexican visit

Pope John Paul II has beatified two Mexican Indian martyrs, Juan Bautista and Jacinto de los Angeles.

Pope John Paul II has beatified two Mexican Indian martyrs, Juan Bautista and Jacinto de los Angeles.

The ceremony heavy on Indian languages, music and dance wound up a gruelling 11-day pilgrimage to the Americas.

As he ended his fifth trip to Mexico, the Pope thanked the nation for its passionate welcome that saw millions pour into the streets to see him.

He has now arrived back in Rome.

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"I go, but I do not leave," he said, quoting a popular song. "Although I go, in my heart I remain."

The beatifications of the two Zapotec Indians came a day after the Pope made Juan Diego the first Indian saint in the Americas.

The Pope said the beatified Zapotecs "encourage indigenous people today to appreciate their cultures and languages and above all their dignity as the children of God".

Mariachis played Las Golondrinas, a song of farewell, as the Pope boarded his plane for Rome.

President Vicente Fox thanked the Pope for his visit, saying: "For each of us, it was a promotion of spirituality," he said after the pope boarded his plan.

"It leaves us with commitments to work together for the poorest, for the marginalised, for those excluded from development.

"It also leaves us with a renewed commitment to Indian communities."

AP