In a gesture of fraternity, bishops from various parts of America expressed their support, affection and prayers towards Bishop Francisco Moreno Barrón, Archbishop of Tijuana (Mexico), who is undergoing treatment for cancer.
On June 10, the day of his first chemotherapy session, the Archdiocese of Tijuana, state of Baja California, on the border of Mexico with the United States, shared a video on their social networks, in which the prelates raise their prayers to God, to grant Bishop Moreno Barrón strength and a speedy recovery.
Receive the main news from ACI Prensa by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channels today:
Among those starring in the video are Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi, Bishop Emeritus of San Cristóbal de las Casas; Mons. Julius Caesar Salcedo Aquino, Bishop of Tlaxcala; Mons. Juan Manuel Munoz Curiel, Auxiliary Bishop of Guadalajara; Mons. Michael Angel Alba Diaz, Bishop of La Paz; and Mons. Michael Angel Espinoza Garza, Coadjutor Bishop of La Paz.
Mons. Rafael Romo Muñoz, Archbishop Emeritus of Tijuana, also sent his message of support; Mons. Héctor Guerrero Córdoba, Bishop Emeritus Prelate of Mixes, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
From the United States, Mons. José Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, joined the video; and from Peru, Bishop Jaime Rodríguez Salazar, Bishop Emeritus of Huánuco, did the same.
In the video, Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi expressed his joy for the recovery of Mons. Moreno Barrón and asked him to have “courage, a lot of patience and strength.” Furthermore, he assured her: “we are with you. May the Lord bless you very much.”
For his part, Mons. Miguel Ángel Alba Díaz, Bishop of La Paz, shared that he asked the worshipers and the congregation of the Brigid Sisters to remain in constant prayer for the health of the Archbishop of Tijuana.
“I pray to God that you recover 100%, that you can soon be that ‘Paco’ (Francisco’s nickname) that he has always been and that he can be the great Archbishop that Tijuana needs and deserves,” said Bishop Alba Díaz.
On the other hand, Bishop Julio César Salcedo Aquino, who succeeded Bishop Moreno Barrón as Bishop of Tlaxcala in 2017, mentioned that he has asked “Our Lady of Ocotlán, Health of the Sick, to continue interceding for you.”
According to tradition, the appearance of the Virgin of Ocotlán occurred in 1541, when a young Catholic indigenous man followed the Virgin’s instructions and discovered a spring whose waters had healing properties. This place, now known as “El Pocito”, remains a site of pilgrimage and devotion to this day.
From the United States, Bishop José Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, indicated that “we are praying especially that you recover very well and soon.”
Changes in the treatment of the Archbishop of Tijuana
Bishop Francisco Moreno Barrón has begun his first cycle of chemotherapy after a complex surgery to treat an aggressive cancer.
According to a signed statement by the Archbishop of Tijuana, on May 6 he underwent “pleurectomy/decortication” surgery, which involved the removal of all “the pleura surrounding the left lung, especially the lower part where the tumor was located.”
The diseased pleura was also attached to the lower chest wall, so it had to be removed along with about 10 centimeters of a rib.
According to the website of the United States National Cancer Institute, a pleurectomía is a “surgery to remove part of the pleura (thin tissue that lines the inside of the wall of the chest cavity),” while a decortication It is the “removal of part or all of the outer surface of an organ.”
Although much of the tumor was removed, some sections remained attached to the aorta artery and spinal column, preventing its complete removal.
Given this, Mons. Moreno Barrón reported that the doctors treating him determined that his treatment “will not continue with immunotherapy,” as the response to the aggressive cancer he suffers from is “very low.”
Instead, the prelate will be administered six sessions of chemotherapy, one every three weeks, starting June 10.
The Archbishop of Tijuana has undergone medical treatments and surgeries since the end of 2022 due to epithelioid mesothelioma.
According to MedlinePlus, information service of the United States National Library of Medicine, mesothelioma is a cancer that affects “the tissue that lines the lungs, stomach, heart and other organs.” It is, he points out, a “rare, but serious” condition that occurs mostly “after being exposed to asbestos.”
This cancer, he adds, “usually starts in the lungs, but it can also start in the abdomen or other organs.”
The Eucharist, “center of my daily days”
Despite the “numerous therapies, medical appointments, clinical and imaging studies, which have required several hours of each day,” the archbishop confessed that the Eucharist has been the main thing in his daily life.
“The center of my daily days has been the encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. During the hospitalization I was not able to celebrate it, but some priests and extraordinary ministers of communion brought it to me with great fervor,” she noted.
He also shared that the entire process he has carried out “has been a very strong human and faith experience, lived in fruitful solitude,” with the “spontaneous company of bishops” who have provided him with support and consolation.
Diego López Colin
I am a graduate of Journalism at the Carlos Septién García School with experience in religious institutional communication. Since 2016 he has written for digital media and, since 2018, I have reported the most important news about Catholic events in Mexico for the EWTN news channel. He has been ACI Prensa correspondent in Mexico since 2023.