Statement Upon the Passing of Pope John Paul II
From the Farm Workers Movement

The following statement was issued today (April 4, 2005) from the farm workers movement headquarters at La Paz, Keene, Calif.:

The farm workers movement joins all Catholics and men and women of good will around the world in mourning the passing of this great and decent man who selflessly dedicated his life to the service of his people and his God.

We will always remember the Holy Father’s special reverence of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, the granting of sainthood during his papacy to Juan Diego and his special affinity for the peoples of Central and Latin America and the Third World.

We will remember his outspoken embrace of the church’s traditional championing of the plight of the poor and working peoples. The Holy Father consistently admonished well-to-do capitalist societies about the emptiness of unfettered materialism and about their moral obligation to free those, including farm workers, who through their labor and sacrifice produce the great bounty we all enjoy.

Our sorrow at the passing of the Holy Father is tempered by the firm conviction that today he resides by the side of the Father and enjoys the peace in heaven that is his just reward. We ask all our members and supporters to reflect with us on the meaning of the life of this remarkable man and the legacy he leaves behind.

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