Ecstatic crowds greet Pope Francis in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL — Frenzied crowds of Roman Catholic smobbed a car carrying Pope Francis on Monday as he returned to his home continent for the first overseas trip of his papacy, embarking on a seven-day visit meant to fan the fervour of the faithful around the globe.
It is the first official overseas visit of his four-month papacy and the first time since his election that the Argentine Pontiff has returned to South America, the continent of his birth. However, the visit was at least partially marred by reports that a small explosive device had been found a day earlier near a sanctuary Francis was to visit later this week.
CNN reported that the homemade explosive was constructed out of a small, plastic cylinder and duct tape. Police said it had little destructive power.
Meanwhile, during the 76-yearold Pontiff’s first minutes in Brazil, ecstatic believers forced the closed Fiat to stop several times as they swarmed around during the drive from the airport to an official opening ceremony in Rio’s centre. A few security guards struggled mightily to push the crowd back in scenes that at times looked alarming.
Francis, however, looked calm. He rolled down the window on the back passenger-side of the car where he was sitting, waving to the crowd and touching those who reached inside. At one point, a woman handed the pontiff a dark-haired baby, whom he kissed before handing it back.
After finally making it past crowds and blocked traffic, Francis switched to an open-air popemobile as he toured around the main streets in downtown Rio through mobs of people who screamed wildly as he waved and smiled. Many in the crowd looked stunned, with some standing still and others sobbing loudly.
Idaclea Rangel, a 73-year-old Catholic, was pressed up against a wall and choking out words through her tears. “I can’t travel to Rome, but he came here to make my country better ... and to deepen our faith,” she said.
At the airport earlier, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff vigorously shook Francis’ hand after he descended the stairs following a nofrills commercial flight that arrived about 4 p.m.
During his stay, the Pope will meet with legions of young Catholics converging for the church’s World Youth Festival in Rio. More than one million people are expected to pack the white sands of Copacabana for the Mass celebrated by Francis.