Cardinal  Felipe Arizmendi , Bishop Emeritus of San Cristóbal de Las Casas and responsible for the Doctrine of the Faith at the  Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) , offers Exaudi readers his article.

FACTS

It is a fact that the number of believers in all religions, not just Catholicism, is declining. Many children and young people, as well as older adults, live as if God did not exist. There are fewer baptisms and far fewer religious weddings. Some may have been baptized, but live as non-believers. Politicians, legislators, judges, and media figures, in their daily lives, do not consider God in their decisions; perhaps they celebrate a sacrament or participate in a religious event to which they are invited, but this is more of a formality than a genuine conviction that influences their lives.

According to official figures from 2020, in Mexico, 77.7% of the population—97.9 million people—identifies as Catholic. In 2010, this figure was 82.7%. Protestant and Evangelical Christians make up 11.2%; but the most concerning statistic is that one in ten Mexicans declares no religion. More than three million people describe themselves as believers without formal religious affiliation; that is, they consider themselves believers in their own way, some even following the so-called “Santa Muerte” (Holy Death). These groups represent almost 22% of the Mexican population. In Chiapas, only 54% are Catholic; Protestants or Evangelicals comprise 32%; but the most worrying statistic is that 12% consider themselves to have no religion. These figures are troubling for those of us who are convinced that, in Jesus Christ, we have a light, a path, and a full life.

The Mexican bishops are gathered in plenary assembly to analyze these and other situations facing the country. I cannot participate due to health limitations, but we share their pastoral concerns.

LIGHTNING

Pope Leo XIV, in Uruguay, a country where only 35% are Catholic, stated:

“Circumstances have changed, and even the relationship of many Uruguayans with faith. While the Virgin Mary accompanied the history of this people, in so many homes it was other women who preserved the faith and passed it on to their children.

I think of the mothers who placed the first words of prayer on their children’s lips, who took them to be baptized, prepared them to receive the sacraments, and taught them to live Christian charity. I think of the grandmothers who kept an altar in their homes, who prayed for the living and the dead, who made God present in the ordinary things of life.

When we ask ourselves where the faith within us came from, the name of a specific woman often comes to mind: a mother, a grandmother, a godmother, a nun, a catechist. Perhaps we don’t remember all the words they said to us, but we do remember how they prayed, how they spoke of the Lord, and with what conviction they lived what they taught us.

Today I would like to thank all those women. Thank you for having believed and for having kept open a path to God in so many families. Some were able to do so supported by a long-standing family tradition; others had to sustain that faith with greater effort, perhaps without always finding understanding or support within their own homes. I know that many carry a very specific sorrow. They taught their children to pray, and today those children no longer pray. They used to go to Mass together, and it has been years since they last set foot in a church. They spoke to their grandchildren about God, and now they don’t know if those words left any mark. Sometimes they wonder if they did something wrong or if it was all lost. Let me recall here Saint Monica. She knew that pain well. She prayed for years for a son who seemed to be drifting further and further from God, and she never stopped trusting in grace. Therefore, do not consider what you have sown lost. The Lord himself taught us that the seed can grow even if the sower does not know how (cf. Mk 4:27).

Mothers and grandmothers: never tire of passing on the faith! Preach with your lives and with your words. Persist in prayer, in love, and in hope: persist in season and out of season. Do so with patience, without harshness, and without discouragement. Even if your loved ones seem far from God, continue to bring them before Him. Never stop blessing them, accompanying them, and simply reminding them of what they once received. There are doors you cannot open, but God can.

I would also like to address the men, the fathers and grandfathers. Your sons and grandsons need to see that faith has a true place in the lives of the men in your family. Imitate Saint Joseph, who took on the task of raising Jesus, taking him to the temple, teaching him to work honestly, and showing him that God must come first in a person’s life.

Dear parents and grandparents, young people need to see you pray, approach the sacraments, treat your wives with respect, ask for forgiveness, and live honestly even when doing so requires sacrifices. A son learns a lot by seeing that his father can kneel before God without feeling less of a man for it” (November 8, 2026).

ACTIONS

Through our daily lives, let us bear witness that it is worthwhile to be guided and nourished by the Word of God. When possible, let us share our faith with others through our words, but our example is the best method of evangelization. And may our parents and grandparents continue to raise our children in the Christian faith.