Pope recognizes errors as Mexico celebrates independence
ABC News
Mexico's celebration of the 200th anniversary of its final independence from Spain has included a message from Pope Francis acknowledging the errors of the Roman Catholic Church in supporting the old order
MEXICO CITY -- Mexico celebrated a relatively little-known date Monday marking 200 years since the victory of the 1810-1821 independence movement.
The commemorations included a message from Pope Francis acknowledging the errors of the Roman Catholic Church in supporting the old order.
Most Mexicans celebrate the anniversary of the start of the battle for independence, Sept. 16, 1810. But in fact, that uprising was largely quelled by the Spanish and their local royalist allies, Mexico's elite at the time. Guerrilla fighters largely carried on the independence fight in the mountains of southern Mexico after 1815.
It wasn’t until a liberal government briefly came to power in Spain in 1820 that conservatives and royalists in Mexico City decided that independence was a better route. So they joined forces with the guerrilla fighters and rode into the capital on Sept. 27, 200 years ago, essentially ending the war.
