3 Million Pilgrims Swarm Rio Beach for Final Pope Mass
Pope Francis celebrated Sunday mass with three million pilgrims jammed onto a Brazilian beach, wrapping up a landmark trip to reignite the Catholic faith in a festive atmosphere with young believers.
Latin America's first pontiff was given a rock star's welcome on Rio de Janeiro's legendary Copacabana beach, with a sea of faithful waving flags, dancing and chanting "long live the pope!" on the crescent-shaped shoreline.
The head of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics hammered home his plea for young believers gathered for World Youth Day to "go and make disciples of all nations" as he concluded his first trip abroad since his election in March.
"Do not be afraid to go and to bring Christ into every area of life, to the fringes of society, even to those who seem farthest away, most indifferent," the 76-year-old Argentine said as scores of people took a dip in the ocean.
Later, the pope met with Latin American bishops and urged them again to get out of their parishes and take the word of God directly to the region's slums -- one of the main themes of his week-long visit.
"Bishops must be pastors, close to the people, men who love poverty, men who do not think and behave like princes. Men who are not ambitious. Men capable of watching over the flock entrusted to them," he said.
Brazil remains the world's biggest Catholic country but its flock has dwindled while Evangelical churches have boomed. Almost 65 percent of the population was Catholic in 2010, sharply down from 92 percent in 1970, according to the census.
Earlier, the mass included usual Bible readings but also a rousing concert with a band and choir that could have been seen in one of Brazil's many and expanding Evangelical churches.
The crowd estimate provided by the Vatican and organizers of World Youth Day, a gathering of young Catholics, was more than twice the number of people who attended a free Rolling Stones concert in 2006.
The pope announced that Krakow, Poland, the native land of late pope John Paul II, who started the World Youth Day tradition, will host the next gathering in 2016, prompting Polish pilgrims to jump up and down on the beach.
Source: Agence France Presse
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