Pope Francis took aim at drug cartels and Mexico’s corrupt elite during a visit to one of the cities most impacted by the U.S.-backed drug war. North of Mexico City, Ecatepec has one of the highest murder rates in Mexico and is particularly known for the unsolved murders of scores of women. Montserrat Correa, a student from the city, was among those who watched the pope’s mass.

Montserrat Correa: “There is a high level of crime, so many assassinations. The dangers we live with daily, as women, it’s very difficult in this country, in this state. Anywhere, we fear that something will happen to us. And our families are always worried that something could happen to us and we won’t return home.”

Before heading to Mexico, the pope stopped in Havana, Cuba, where he held a historic meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. It was the first meeting between a pope and the head of the Russian church since the two branches of Christianity split in the 11th century.