Pope pushes traditional values at Brazil sermon

Pope Francis receives the statue of the Madonna of Aparecida, who Catholics venerate as the patroness of Brazil, from Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis in Aparecida do Norte, Sao Paulo State.

Reuters/Aparecida, Brazil

Receiving another rapturous welcome in Brazil, Pope Francis yesterday urged young people to shun the “ephemeral idols” of money and pleasure and cherish traditional values to help build a better world.

On the third day of his week-long visit for World Youth Day, a biennial Church gathering being celebrated in and around Rio de Janeiro, he landed by helicopter in Aparecida, 260km west of the coastal metropolis.

The city houses a shrine of the Virgin Mary that is venerated as the patroness of Brazil, home to the biggest Roman Catholic population in the world. It is also the site where Francis, then a cardinal in Argentina, cemented his place as a leader of the Church during a 2007 conference attended by Pope Benedict XVI.

The ongoing World Youth Day events, which are expected to attract more than 1mn people from around the world, are an effort by the Vatican to galvanize young Catholics at a time when rival denominations, secularism and distaste over sexual and financial scandals continue to lead some faithful to abandon the Church.

Security around the Pope yesterday appeared much more organized than upon his Monday arrival in Rio, where adoring crowds at one point surrounded his car.

In Aparecida, where tens of thousands gathered for the pope’s first public mass of the visit, Francis rode in a white ‘popemobile’ with open sides and a transparent top. Security squads kept the vehicle safely within barriers behind which tens of thousands of ecstatic faithful cheered, sang and waved flags.

The Pope’s desire to remain simple and close to his flock has complicated security around his visit, especially after he used a modest hatchback for his ride into Rio from the airport.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Vatican and Brazilian officials held what he called “a routine meeting” to discuss how the trip was going and made one change - that Francis would ride in a closed car from Rio airport to a hospital on his return from Aparecida.

At the indoor Mass in Aparecida, one of Latin America’s most popular pilgrimage sites, Francis urged worshippers to embody the faith of their ancestors and trust in God.

“Let us never lose hope! Let us never allow it to die in our hearts!” the Pope said in Portuguese.

In his sermon, the 76-year-old pope warned the youth of his continent to avoid the snares of modern life.

“It is true that nowadays, to some extent, everyone, including our young people, feels attracted by the many idols which take the place of God and appear to offer hope: money, success, power, pleasure,” he said.

“Often a growing sense of loneliness and emptiness in the hearts of many people leads them to seek satisfaction in these ephemeral idols,” he said, speaking from a modern marble pulpit.

The Pope’s message of humility and rejection of the luxurious trappings of the papacy have endeared him to many Catholics and his first trip abroad has proved to be another boom to his image.

Young people, he said in his Aparecida homily, should be “a powerful engine for the Church and for society” and be given the conditions allowing them to “work actively in building a better world.”

At the end of the Mass, as worshippers chanted, “Francisco, Francisco, Francisco,” he walked around the basilica and comforted sick people in wheelchairs. He hugged several people, apparently old friends.

He later joked with the crowd outside, asking their permission to speak Spanish instead of “Brazilian” and led the crowd in prayer.

More than 5,000 police and other security officials were on hand in Aparecida, where young pilgrims, many draped in the flags of Brazil, Argentina, and other countries, endured rain and unseasonably low temperatures to ensure spots for the service.

Still, most had to follow the mass from outside the massive, modern basilica. “I got here with my family at 2 in the morning,” said Antonio Carlos da Silva, a drenched prison guard from Sao Paulo. “I am so happy to come and see the Pope.”

Aparecida is the place where Francis, then known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, authored an influential statement during Benedict’s visit that espoused many of the same values he has placed front and centre during his five months as Pope. The document called on the Church to return to the principles of humility and charity.

From Aparecida, Francis is scheduled to fly back to Rio and tour a drug treatment ward at a hospital run by Franciscan monks. Later in the week, he will visit a Rio slum, preside over services on Copacabana beach and over the weekend give mass at a pasture outside the city.

Rio police deny instigating violence during protest

Police in Rio de Janeiro yesterday admitted to infiltrating agents into a protest that marred the first day of Pope Francis’ visit to Brazil - but denied they instigated violence.

Authorities never denied “the intelligence service monitored the demonstration to collect information and avert” incidents, Rio military police said in a statement.

“The information is important for police decision-making” during social unrest, which erupted last month with street protests nationwide against corruption and for better social services, the statement added.

On Monday, police used tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons during a confrontation with rioters hurling firebombs outside the Rio state government headquarters, where the Pope had earlier met President Dilma Rousseff.

The demonstration protested the high cost of organizing the papal visit and World Youth Day.

Video images of the violent clash have been circulating on the Internet, with one showing a man hurling firebombs at security forces. But in another video, a man wearing a similar t-shirt is seen flashing his identity and crossing a police barrier.

Police flatly denied the man seen hurling the firebomb was a police officer.

“These intelligence agents merely engage in surveillance. To suggest that a police officer can throw a firebomb at colleagues and put them at risk does not make any sense and shows a desire to justify criminal violence by vandals, “ police said.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.