Diplomatic theater returns to the scene
This week, Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco received the representative of Pope Leo XIV, Joseph Spiteri, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was not a complimentary coffee. Behind the handshakes, high-level dialogue was reactivated to strengthen bilateral ties with the Vatican. The goal? Resume visits that had been paused.
“The relevance of strengthening cooperation and the shared humanist vision between Mexico and the Holy See,” they noted from the Foreign Ministry.
The meeting is not coincidental. It is the next act of a work that began in December, when President Claudia Sheinbaum called the Pope by phone and issued a formal invitation to set foot on Mexican soil. Now, the ball is on the other side.
And the dates?
Here comes the suspense. Rosa Icela Rodríguez, head of the Interior, was clear: “We are waiting for the Vatican’s times.” No official confirmation, just rumors. The secretary was precise:
“We want to respect the official channels with the apostolic nuncio, with the board of the Episcopate itself and the Catholic Church. We hope so, they are the ones who would have to say there in the Vatican if there would be any tentative date.”
Translation: Mexico has already moved its chip. Now, the move is Rome’s. Meanwhile, expectations grow. Will Leo XIV arrive before the end of the year? In politics, as in theater, timing is everything. And here, the audience—the faithful and the skeptics—awaits the next act.
