Cancún holds funeral for Bishop Pedro Pablo Elizondo

Cancún, January 23. Throughout this Friday, various masses have been celebrated at Cancún Cathedral with the body present of Monsignor Pedro Pablo Elizondo Cárdenas, L.C., the emeritus bishop of the Diocese of Cancún–Chetumal, who died Friday morning in the city of Mérida, Yucatán, after undergoing a surgical procedure for the placement of a stent.

From the early hours of the day, priests, religious sisters, and faithful came to the city’s main Catholic site to pay tribute to the pastor who for years guided the Church in Quintana Roo. The atmosphere was marked by solemnity, respectful silence, and, at many moments, by choked voices from both the ministers of worship and the attendees, visibly moved by the farewell.

In some of the Eucharistic celebrations, the choirs performed “Caminos de Michoacán,” a gesture that deeply touched those present, as Monsignor Pedro Pablo was originally from San José de Gracia, Michoacán, a land he always evoked with affection throughout his ministry.

The message of condolences from the bishop-elect of Cancún–Chetumal, Monsignor Salvador González Morales, was shared through the Diocese’s official social media channels, in which he expressed his pain and surprise at the death of his predecessor who, in the coming weeks, was to formally hand over the guidance of the diocese to him.

“This morning I have received with profound pain and surprise the news of the death of my brother Don Pedro Pablo, my respectable predecessor,” stated the bishop-elect in his message, highlighting that Christian faith and hope allow us to trust that the pastoral zeal, generous dedication, and correspondence to God’s love of Monsignor Elizondo have led him to the House of the Father.

González Morales invited the diocesan community to revisit the end-of-year 2025 message that Monsignor Pedro Pablo left as a spiritual legacy: to live with great hope and trust in God, to become a sign of encouragement and joy for others.

He also exhorted them to raise prayers for his soul, asking that the Lord receive him with the words of the Gospel: “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.”

It was reported that this Saturday, following the funeral mass that will be presided over by the Archbishop of Yucatán, Monsignor Gustavo Rodríguez Vega, the remains of Monsignor Pedro Pablo Elizondo Cárdenas will be buried in the crypt area of Cancún Cathedral, where he will rest permanently.

The ceremonies continued throughout the day with hymns, incense, and prayers, as the Catholic community of Cancún and Chetumal bids farewell to their former pastor with gratitude, emotion, and a faith that, even in sorrow, remains alive.