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 Gang wars over the methamphetamine trade have torn the western
state of Michoacan apart. Widespread kidnapping and extortion by
gangs have sparked an uprising by vigilante groups.
"It is a lie to believe that the only way to live, or to be young,
is to entrust oneself to drug dealers or others who do nothing but
sow destruction and death," he told young people at a stadium rally
in Morelia, the capital of Michoacan.
"Jesus would never ask us to be hit men," the pope said. "He would
never send us out to death."
More than 100,000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug war over
the last decade as rival gangs fight over territory and smuggling
routes to the United States.
Francis, the first Latin American pope, is traveling to some of the
poorest and most violent corners of Mexico on a six-day trip to
bring a message of hope to millions of marginalized people.
While appealing to the young to shun a life where fleeting happiness
is found in easy money, fast cars and brand-name clothes, Francis
also took a swipe on Tuesday at Mexican authorities for failing to
provide opportunities for the young.
 "It is hard to feel the wealth of a nation when there are no
opportunities for dignified work, no possibilities for study or
advancement, when you feel your rights are being trampled on, which
then leads you to extreme situations," the pope told them.
There was tight security for the visit to Morelia, a picturesque
city known for its Spanish colonial architecture,
given scattered outbursts of violence in recent months.
It is Francis' first trip to Mexico as pontiff.
In Mexico City, he chastised bishops for being gossips obsessed with
coddling wealthy patrons and failing to denounce the evils of the
drug trade. BE FRONT-LINE PRIESTS
On Tuesday morning, the Argentine pontiff urged priests not to be
resigned to evils around them like drug trafficking, and not to
remain entrenched in their churches, but rather to head out to the
front lines to help those suffering.
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Before the rally with the young, Francis visited Morelia's 17th
century baroque cathedral. Tens of thousands of people who could not
enter his events lined the streets for a glimpse of the pope.
"It´s a miracle that he has chosen to come here to lift our
spirits," said housewife Maria Hernandez, 66. "Michoacan has
suffered so much."
In 2014, the state descended into bitter conflict as vigilante
groups took up arms against the powerful Knights Templar drug gang.
President Enrique Pena Nieto's government sent in the army and
forged an uneasy alliance with the vigilantes.
Before Francis entered another stadium in Morelia for a morning
Mass, the crowd counted aloud to 43, a gesture to remember dozens of
trainee teachers who were abducted and apparently massacred by a
drug gang in league with corrupt police in 2014 in the neighboring
state of Guerrero.
As many as 200,000 Catholics are expected to cross from El Paso,
Texas into Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on Wednesday to see Francis in a
massive pilgrimage likely to choke roads and immigration offices.
(Additional reporting by Noe Torres; Writing by Philip Pullella;
Editing by Simon Gardner, Lisa Von Ahn and Alistair Bell)
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