Pope’s Brazil security in focus after mob scenes
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian security forces blamed each other on Tuesday for the mob scenes that erupted around Pope Francis when he was dogged by a frantic crowd of faithful Catholics after his arrival in the country.
The chaotic crowds mobbing Francis on Monday afternoon raised questions about what plans are in place to protect the pontiff, and who is responsible for carrying them out.
No one took responsibility for the traffic fiasco, which began when the driver of the car the pope was riding in made a wrong turn, following the lead car in an official motorcade. It was unclear who was in that first vehicle, or what agency the driver worked for.
The Brazilian Federal Police are mostly in charge of the pope’s security during his visit, though when he travels to a rural part of Rio this weekend, the army will secure the massive pasture where he’ll celebrate Mass.
Officials with the Federal Police who have control of the pope’s security in urban Rio told the local press that the blame belonged to Federal Highway Police. But highway police officials said they were just following specifications laid out by the Federal Police.
Meanwhile, the Rio mayor’s office said it knew nothing about the plan for the pope’s travel from the airport to the city centre, while even the secretary general for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said he didn’t know who was to blame but that he was “relieved” no harm came to Francis.
Rio Transportation Secretary Carlos Osorio said the Fiat Francis was riding in from the airport to the city centre inadvertently turned into the wrong side of a 12-lane thoroughfare, known as Avenida Presidente Vargas. Instead of taking the left lanes that were free of traffic, the car turned into the right lanes cluttered with buses and taxis, forcing the pontiff’s car to stop, he said.
The mob scene didn’t seem to faze Francis, however. The pope smiled as his car was surrounded. He kept his window rolled down and even kissed a baby passed into the vehicle by its mother.