Juarez gets ready for the pope's mass on Wednesday
CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico (KTRK) -- In Ciudad Jurez, everybody wants to secure a ticket to see Pope Francis deliver Mass on Wednesday. However, there are only a limited number of tickets available and some of those tickets were distributed to the families of victims of violence.
Juarez has been known for years as a haven for violent drug cartels and one man in Houston, knows that painful reality well.
"I lost a brother-in law because of all the violence back in 2009," said Adrian Herrera.
From Adrian Herrera's office at the Archdiocese in Houston, he is far removed from the pain he's known from a life that started along the border where he grew up.
"The violence and the high crime that has been in Juarez for many years, has had an impact on me personally because of friends, because of family members," said Herrera.
The troubles of the borderland he loves are on his mind as he returns for the pope's visit.
"The high rates of crime, the drug trafficking, the human trafficking as well, and all the women that died, in the decade of the 90's," said Herrera.
Juarez has spent years trying to change its image, but hopefully, some of those stains start to fade with a visit from the Holy Father.
"It's just significant that he chose these two towns, especially with the high crime that's in place in CJ., it's significant, not just for the place, but for the entire country," said Herrera.
So while this is a homecoming -- of sorts -- for Adrian, it is much, much more.
"To me this trip is really a spiritual journey," said Herrera.
Herrera received the ticket to attend the mass from his home church in Juarez where he was baptized as a baby.
