Resumen

PEREZ-RAYON, Nora. Juan Pablo II y México: ¿Una relación especial en el contexto mundial?. Intersticios sociales [online]. 2015, n.9, pp.1-33. ISSN 2007-4964.

John Paul II visited Mexico five times during his pontificate: the first time was in 1979, just months after being appointed; the second and third visits took place in 1990 and in 1993, coinciding with the end of the cold war and its immediate aftermath; in 1999, he travelled for the fourth time when the priista regime was ending; and finally in 2002, old and sick in the context of mexican transition to democracy. These events generated in many mexicans, the perception that their country occupied a very especial place in the Pope's heart. In Mexico, the catholic church has been a key political actor to understand its history and cultural identity. The Mexican Revolution forged a constitutional framework, with extremely anticlerical norms, that were were formally valid from 1917 to 1992. This article examines each of these visits, placing them in the context of the deep changes that ocurred in the world and Mexico, just over two decades ago. The analysis focuses on the role of key factors that influenced the relations between the Vatican, the national episcopate, and Mexico's State and society. These visits made a significant contribution to the changes that took place in the country? Mexico was useful in the accomplishment of the geopolitical Vatican's goals?

Palabras llave : Catholic church; John Paul II; Mexico; anticlericalism.