VATICAN CITY — The Vatican on Wednesday sought to defuse a diplomatic tiff with Mexico after Pope Francis referred to the possible “Mexicanization” of his native Argentina from drug trafficking, the latest instance of Francis’ casual speech getting him into trouble.
The Vatican said it had sent an official diplomatic note to Mexico’s ambassador insisting that Francis “absolutely did not intend to offend the Mexican people” with the remark or to detract from the government’s anti-drug efforts.
Francis made the reference in an e-mail during the weekend to an Argentine friend and lawmaker, Gustavo Vera, who is involved in combating the drug trade. Vera published the pope’s e-mail on the website of his Alameda Foundation.
In the e-mail, Francis wrote: “Hopefully we are in time to avoid Mexicanization.”
The Mexican government formally complained about the remark during a meeting with the Holy See’s ambassador to Mexico and in a note of protest, saying the government was committed to battling drug cartels.
