{UAH} World Youth Day : Excited crowds continue to mob and cheer Pope!

Wednesday 24.07.2013 has been the real day for Pope Francis to start business

with the World Youth Day week with his visit to the Holy Marian Shrine of Aparecida.

This place is where is exposed the tiny statue of the Holy Virgin Mary which peasants

found dragging in a river in 1717 and on picking it they immediately realized how it had

powers to cure various maladies. A shrine was built to house the holy object which attracts

11 million pilgrims every year from all over Brazil and Latin America. The statue has some dark

colour somewhere which the local cardinal archbishop interpreted as something symbolizing the

suffering of the poor Brazilians, in particular the Afro-Brazilians for whom the Church has for long 

been struggling. Of course pope Francis is aware of this because he has always championed the

social promotion of the Blacks of Latin America.

By the time the Pope arrived at the Shrine, nearly 250,000 faithful had gathered in the vast square

in front of the Shrine. The square is reported to contain 300,000 people and by the time Mass ended

it was already filled to full capacity. On arrival the Pope was driven around the square in his popemobile

and was hilariously cheered by by the great crowds who mobbed his popemobile from time to time.

Inside the Shrine itself, the Pope prayed at the holy statue before saying Mass in Portuguese. He was

surrounded by several cardinals, bishops and senior prelates. And nearby special small boxes containing

some relics from St Therese of Lisieux and Pope John Paul II were placed on a special table. During his

sermon the Pope was cheered and ululations broke out when he advised the faithful to trust God who conquered

sin and evil, and never to lose hope in any situation!  After Mass there was much commotion inside the Shrine

when the Pope moved around shaking hands and embracing some of those present. He was mobbed from time

to time and the guards had alot of difficulty to control the situation and to calm the ever noisy people.

In a special way he greeted each religious representative present and kissed him. Then there was further emotion 

outside when the Pope appeared to the 300,000 cheering people massed in the square under rain. He spoke to them

in both Portuguese and Spanish, and finally blessed them.

Later in the afternoon the Pope visited the St Francis of Assisi Hospital where he inspected a centre for rehabilitating 

drug addicts, AIDS victims and delinquents. He was madly cheered and mobbed by crowds who for sometime paralysed

all his movement. And security guards had to intervene. When the situation was brought to normal the Archbishop of Rio

formally welcomed the Pope and made a brief description of the centre.and the variety of activit exercised there. This was

followed by touching testimonies from two former drug addicts who were treated at the centre. They described their story

and praised the Pope for having accepted to visit the centre. There were deafening cheers and ululations when the Pope

gave a kiss to each one of them! This was followed by a very warmly speech delivered by the Provincial of the Franciscans

who praised the Pope's presence at the centre. He elaborated on the role the centre and the hospital project in general have

achieved and will continue to promote.; Then the Pope in his brief intervention appreciated the centre and all who run it. He

compared the work done at this centre to the logic of the parabole of the good Samaritan, and encouraged everyone to extend

his / her hand and be closer to one in difficulty. The visit ended with thePope's blessing which was accompanied by thunderous

ululations!

Today Thursday the Pope will visit the City Hall where he will bless all the flags of ,the nations which will participate in the

next Olympic Games. He will then visit a favela where live thousands of miserable people. And in the evening he will be

officially welcomed at the Copacabana Beach by over two million youths participating in this year's World Youth Day activities.

Dr G.H. Kkolokolo  ( Paris / France )