Assessing the Mexico City-Chicago connection

	The Interview, a regular feature of The Catholic New World, is an in-depth conversation with a person whose words, actions or ideas affect today’s Catholic. It may be affirming of faith or confrontational. But it will always be stimulating.

Father Manuel Zubillaga Vázquez, a priest of the Archdiocese of Mexico City, is becoming quite familiar with Chicago. That’s because he is a key player in the growing connection between the Catholics of Chicago and those in Mexico City.

Zubillaga, director of Caritas, the Mexico City equivalent of Catholic Charities, is charged with developing the landmark cooperative effort begun last year with an agreement between Cardinal George and Cardinal Norberto Rivera. The agreement is among the first fruits of the call by Pope John Paul II to join the resources of “Ecclesia in America,” the “Church of America” which, he maintains, is neither south nor north, but a single entity.

The two archdioceses are cooperating in several efforts, including adoption, clergy resources, cultural sharing, innovative charitable programs, medical mission assistance and more.

Zubillaga was in Chicago recently and was interviewed by Alejandro Castillo, director of Hispanic communications for the Archdiocese of Chicago.



Alejandro Castillo: Are you pleased with the way the cooperation is developing between Mexico City and Chicago?

Father Manuel Zubillaga Vázquez: Of course I am. It is not only a personal satisfaction but also one that is shared by Archbishop Norberto Cardinal Rivera, the priests and the lay people (of Mexico City). Our relationship is becoming day-by-day more open, wider in terms of communion, praying and work.



AC: Does the relationship reflect the vision of “Ecclesia in America”?

MZV: “Ecclesia in America” is a motivation that has moved us to work on this commitment of linking these big cities. But ... it would be pretentious to say that everything is done. It will (take) ... many years.



AC: Obviously, we (in Chicago) are concerned about improving the ways in which we minister to Hispanic Catholics here, but the impact of the cooperative effort will be broader, won’t it?

MZV: I believe so. I think we are looking for important paths which can lead us to clear benefits for the Hispanic community, and in this case particularly, for the Mexican community in Chicago. And obviously, we hope these benefits also impact communities where they come from.



AC: How do you anticipate working with our Missions Office and Juan Hinojosa to set up efforts in Mexico regarding a medical mission staffed by Chicagoans such as the one begun recently in Bolivia?

MZV: The work Dr. Hinojosa and his group is doing is a testimony of a church that evangelizes not only with words but also with facts. In Bolivia they developed a very interesting project and now there is a possibility of doing something similar in Mexico.

We hope that in a few months we’ll have the Dr. Hinojosa and Father Esequiel Sánchez in the Archdiocese of Mexico and come to some conclusions. We will greet their efforts of solidarity ... for we are brothers in the church.



AC: How are you developing a working arrangement with Catholic Charities of Chicago? What has it accomplished, both here and in Mexico City?

MZV: We have already begun cooperating regarding adoptions. In Mexico City we have opened the Cardinal Francis George House of Adoption where, at this moment, there are 10 children ready to be adopted. Catholic Charities (in Chicago) sends us the names of approved couples, meaning we count on the moral support that the adoptions will benefit children.

There are some other (areas) of cooperation, like the information which (Chicago Catholic Charities administrator) Father Michael Boland will share in a few months at Caritas about the experiences Catholic Charities in Chicago has had regarding government cooperation.

Also being explored with Father Sánchez is a proposal involving phone cards to ease communication between families and their relatives in Mexico.



AC: Mexico City has medical clinics in parishes. That’s being explored here.

MZV: In Mexico we have been supporting medical dispensaries as centers for primary care in parishes. There are currently 180 of these in 430 parishes.



AC: What else do you see the future holding for cementing relations between our two dioceses, cities and nations?

MZV: I think there is an historic opportunity and—from the point of view of faith—an hour of grace for our church. We must foster in the years to come the maturity of our proposals in the fields of charity, relations between entities, evangelization and catechism, media, etc.

I think the example of the relationship between Mexico and Chicago could be important in the future. Let’s turn our sights farther south, for more communion with big churches like the ones in Guatemala or El Salvador, which now are going through very hard circumstances. What could happen if the big archdioceses of the continent unite ourselves? And what if Chicago-Mexico becomes the initial bridge for a further development?

Let’s hope that whatever we can do now between Chicago and Mexico will be useful, so we can better live the goal of communion, participation and solidarity, such as “Ecclesia in America.”

Contributing: María del Carmen Macías, editor, Chicago Católico