Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass Sunday in front of an estimated 300,000 people on the last day of his trip to Mexico, urging the faithful to "boldly promote peace, harmony, justice and solidarity."

Among other things, Benedict called on Latin America's faithful to "rediscover the joy of being Christians." The region has seen a drop in the number of people professing Catholicism, with the Church under growing criticism for its views on issues such as abortion or gay marriage.

In a prayer at the end of the mass, the pope spoke of the "poverty, corruption, domestic violence, drug trafficking, the crisis of values and increased crime" afflicting the country. Over the past five years, Mexico has witnessed the deaths of more than 47,000 people in a drug war amid a military crackdown on organized crime.

Pope's charm

The open-air ceremony in Bicentennial Park on the outskirts of Leon in central Mexico was the highlight of the pope's visit to the world's second-most populous Roman Catholic country. It is only his second trip to Latin America.

On his way to the mass, the pope flew over the Christ the King monument that towers over the park in a military helicopter. His wanting to see and bless the statue was one reason for his visit to the Guanajuato region.

He also charmed the crowd by putting on a black-and-white sombrero while driving through the gathered masses in a pope mobile.

Warm reception tempered by criticism

Although the pope received a warm welcome from the faithful during his stay in Mexico, he also faced some criticism, particularly concerning the Roman Catholic Church's treatment of victims of sexual abuse.

On Saturday, a book was launched containing documents from the Vatican archives showing that Holy See officials knew for decades that the founder of the Legionaries of Christ religious order, Marcial Maciel, sexually abused his seminarians.

On Monday the 84-year-old pontiff is to travel on to communist Cuba.

tj/mz (AP, AFP, Reuters)