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More than 100,000 followers of Pope John Paul II surround him during Monday's event
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MEXICO CITY (CNN) -- Before an overjoyed crowd of more than 100,000 followers Monday night, Pope John Paul II called on Christians across Latin America to reaffirm their faith to make the world at the start of the new millennium a safer and more peaceful one.

A packed soccer stadium in Mexico City erupted into song and applause as the pope entered and circled the track in his "popemobile." Hundreds of doves were released into the air.

"Fathers and grandparents here present -- it is incumbent upon you to transmit to the new generations a deep-seated conviction of faith, Christian practices and healthy moral customs," the pope said, addressing the crowd from a red-carpeted platform on the field.

"You, as children of the church, must work to ensure that the coming 'global society' will not be spiritually indigent or inherit the errors of the century which ends," he said.

The pope brought the stadium to a deafening roar when, toward the end of his speech, he smiled and declared, "Today, I feel Mexican!"

John Paul won the hearts of Mexicans in his four trips to Mexico as pope, warmly embracing their culture and their beloved, unofficial patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Before the pope spoke, actors performed dramatizations of the Spanish conquest of Mexico and the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe before the peasant Juan Diego in 1531, an event which led to the conversion of millions of Indians to Catholicism.

The wild stadium celebration was broadcast to cheering crowds in cities across the Americas, from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Each city sent live messages from clergy and worshippers, shown to the pope on giant television screens.

Followers 'overwhelmed with emotion'

Tens of thousands of Mexicans lined boulevards leading to Mexico City's Azteca Stadium to see the pope pass by on his way to the event, his last public appearance of his four-day visit to Mexico.

Admirers showered the popemobile with confetti and flowers. Others released balloons.

"I am completely overwhelmed with emotion," said church worker Lucero Del Prado.

Designer Alejandra Creel marveled at the raucous stadium crowd as it chanted, "John Paul, brother now you are a Mexican!" and "John Paul II, the world loves you."

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"This shows that the masses can really accomplish something positive," Creel said. "Young and old are uniting for the same causes: love and brotherhood."

Reviewing the wars and crises of the past century, John Paul said there was cause for hope in the future, despite the past.

"This century has seen two world wars, the horror of concentration camps, persecutions and massacres, but it has also seen progress giving hope for the future, like the birth of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," he said.

The frail 78-year-old pontiff has used his Mexican visit to outline church strategy throughout the Americas for the start of the new millennium.

He signed a declaration containing that strategy. It condemned the evils of exploitative capitalism, drug trafficking, corruption, and "the culture of death" that kills through abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment.

He also urged Catholics to more vigorously defend their faith against Protestant sects that have made inroads in Latin America.

Part of the millennium strategy involves bringing civic leaders back into contact with the church. In recent years, the pope said, "pastoral care for the leading sectors of society has been neglected and many people have thus been estranged from the church," leading to policies "alien to Gospel."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.