We need a bigger beach! THREE MILLION people pack Rio's Copacabana beach for final Mass of Pope Francis's tour of Brazil
'Jesus offers us something bigger than the World Cup!' he says, drawing applause from football-mad Brazilians
Pope Francis
has completed a historic trip to his home continent by celebrating mass
to three million people on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach.
The colossal
crowds cheered the first Latin American pope in a remarkable response to
his message that the Catholic Church must shake itself up and get out
into the streets to find the faithful.
Nuns mixed
with bikini-clad young women as nearly the entire 2.5-mile crescent of
Copacabana’s broad beach in Rio overflowed with people, some of them
taking an early morning dip in the Atlantic and others tossing flags and
football shirts into the pontiff’s open-sided car as he drove by.
Preaching to the converted: Pope Francis
celebrates his final mass on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, where
his message that the Catholic Church must shake itself up and get out
into the streets to find the faithful was met with cheers by the
faithful
Once in a lifetime: Nuns mixed with
bikini-clad young women as nearly the entire 2.5-mile crescent of
Copacabana's broad beach in Rio overflowed with people
Colossal crowds: Catholic pilgrims, many of them dressed in Brazil's national colours, watch as the Pope gives Mass
Worshippers clutched rosary beads and prayer cards as they jostled for space on Copacabana Beach to hear the pontiff speak
Francis worked the crowd, kissing babies, taking a sip of mate tea handed up to him and catching gifts on the fly.
Even the normally stern-faced Vatican bodyguards let smiles slip as they jogged alongside his car, caught up in the enthusiasm of the crowd.
Even the normally stern-faced Vatican bodyguards let smiles slip as they jogged alongside his car, caught up in the enthusiasm of the crowd.
Many of the
crowd had spent the night on the beach, an all-night slumber party to
end World Youth Day that had a festive Latin air, with pilgrims wrapped
in flags and sleeping bags to ward off the cold.
They danced, prayed and sang - and stood in long lines in front of the armadas of portable bathrooms along the beachfront.
'We were dying
of cold but it was worth it,' said Lucrecia Grillera, an 18-year-old
from Cordoba, Argentina, where Francis lived for a time before becoming
pope.
Pope Francis blesses a child held aloft as
he rides on the popemobile through the millions of people who had
travelled from across Latin America to see him
Security guards run to keep up with Pope
Francis as he arrives for his final mass on Copacabana beach: He worked
the crowd, kissing babies, taking a sip of mate tea handed up to him and
catching gifts on the fly
Francis smiles as he blesses the son of a
policeman clutching a Brazilian flag: Many of the crowd had spent the
night on the beach, an all-night slumber party to end World Youth Day
that had a festive Latin air
For posterity: Millions of pilgrims point the cameras at the religious leader to capture moment his motorcade swept past
By morning,
the beach and adjoining Atlantic Avenue looked like an improvised
refugee camp plunked down in the middle of one of the most beautiful
cities in the world.
Copacabana's
famous mosaic sidewalks were strewn with trampled cardboard, plastic
bags, empty water bottles and cookie wrappers and the stench of garbage
and human waste hung in the humid air.
Vendors
hawking World Youth Day trinkets, t-shirts, hats and flags did brisk
business as pilgrims snapped up souvenirs before heading home.
Jehovah's Witnesses stood by stands stocked with pamphlets on 'What does the Bible really teach,' but they had few takers.
Flanked by members of the clergy, Pope Francis waved to the masses as the World Youth Day celebrations came to an end
21st Century pilgrims: As they awaited Pope
Francis's arrival, pilgrims danced, prayed and sang - and stood in long
lines in front of the armadas of portable bathrooms along the beachfront
Warmly dressed: A pilgrim wakes up after a
night of vigil on Copacabana beach. The Vatican said more than three
million people were on hand for the Mass, based on information from
World Youth Day organisers and local authorities
Crowds pack the beach as the pope's
motorcade makes its way: Many of those at the vigil had tears in their
eyes as they listened to Francis call for them to not be 'part-time
Christians' and to build up their church like his namesake, St. Francis
of Assisi, was called to do
A special day: Priests wait for the arrival
of Pope Francis for the final mass of his visit. The Pope was set to
return to Rome tonight after a week-long trip
The Vatican
said more than three million people were on hand for the Mass, based on
information from World Youth Day organisers and local authorities.
Not all of
them were paying attention to the Mass: children posed for random photos
with people holding flags, snoozed and packed up their makeshift camps.
Finding food
was a core concern, with long lines of bedraggled pilgrims snaking out
of cafes and ice cream vendors mobbed by youths starved for breakfast.
The presidents
of Brazil, Francis' native Argentina, Bolivia and Suriname were on hand
for the Mass, as were the vice presidents of Uruguay and Panama.
Nuns joined the beachfront vigil led by Pope
Francis for the 28th World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, with many of
the three million-strong crowd staying put for mass
Pilgrims unfold a huge image of Pope
Francis: Vendors hawking World Youth Day trinkets, t-shirts, hats and
flags did brisk business as pilgrims snapped up souvenirs before heading
home
A faithful continent: Brazil's President
Dilma Rousseff, left, Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez, centre,
and Bolivia's President Evo Morales, attend the Mass on Copacabana beach
Many spent the night on the beach, an
all-night slumber party to end the Catholic youth festival, with
pilgrims wrapped in flags and sleeping bags to ward off the cold
Pope Francis blesses a family of four, the
parents dressed in Brazil football shirts, during the final Mass: One
pilgrim who was on Copacabana beach to experience the spiritual event
called it 'marvellous'
Even the animals came... A stray dog walks
down the stairs of the altar as Pope Francis (not seen) celebrates his
final mass on Copacabana Beach
Many of those
at the vigil had tears in their eyes as they listened to Francis’ call
for them to not be 'part-time Christians' and to build up their church
like his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, was called to do.
'Jesus offers us something bigger than the World Cup!' Francis said, drawing cheers from the crowd in this football-mad nation.
He urged young
Catholics to go out and spread their faith 'to the fringes of society,
even to those who seem farthest away, most indifferent.'
'The church needs you, your enthusiasm, your creativity and the joy that is so characteristic of you!' he said to applause.
The Pope was
set to return to Rome tonight after a week-long trip, once he had met
the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean and held a thank-you
audience with some of the 60,000 volunteers who organised the youth
festival.
'It was such
an excellent week, everybody was in such good spirit, you could just
feel a sense of peace,' said Denise da Silva, a Rio de Janeiro Catholic
who was sitting alone on the beach Sunday morning, a Brazilian flag
painted on her face.
Incredible sight: A man reaches out of the
window of a glass-fronted hotel to take a photo of the millions of
Catholics gathered to see Pope Francis's final mass of trip to Brazil
A series of giant screens allowed the throng, many of whom had camped overnight, to see the distant Pope Francis up close
A bishop whipped out his camera to take a picture of the astounding scenes at Copacabana beach ahead of Sunday afternoon mass
A flag celebrating Krakow flew above the
crowds following Francis's announcement that the next World Youth Day
would be held in the Polish city
Popeacabana: The millions of worshippers
turned out to welcome the first Latin American pontiff home on his first
overseas trip as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church
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