CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Pope Francis wrapped up a five-day visit to Mexico with a message of love and compassion for the people of Mexico and the migrants who pass through it on their way to the United States. For their political and religious leaders, the trip was more a lesson in tough love.

The pontiff used his time here to criticize Mexico’s ruling class for failing to protect people from predatory criminal gangs and rampant corruption, and he lectured bishops to get closer to their flock and ease their suffering. He also visited some of the country’s poorest and most violent areas to shine a spotlight on residents’ harsh reality.

The final day on Wednesday was the most symbolic and politically bold moment of Francis’ trip, with hundreds of thousands gathering for Mass at a Ciudad Juarez fairground while an estimated 30,000 more watched via simulcast at a football stadium across the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas.

Francis also aimed a message north of the border at a time of increasingly tough presidential campaign rhetoric on immigration in the United States.

The pope appealed for governments to open their hearts to the “human tragedy” of forced migration. “No more death! No more exploitation!” he implored.

Francis stopped short of calling outright for the U.S. to open its borders, but he urged recognition that the multitudes fleeing gangland killings and extortion in their homelands are victims.