Crowds await Pope Francis for mass

Aparecida do Norte, São Paulo – Thousands of people have spent the night in Aparecida do Norte, in the state of São Paulo, waiting for Pope Francis. He will celebrate mass this morning (July 24) at the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida (the patron saint of Brazil), the largest Catholic shrine in the country.

From around 9 pm on Tuesday (July 23), a crowd started to build up from an already large mass of pilgrims who were queuing to get a ticket into the church.

People of all ages, including a large number of elderly, stood a rainy and cold night in the queue. While some of them improvised tents with plastic, others were carrying camping tents, coats and raincoats, and blankets to wrap up.

By Wednesday morning, the square in front of the shrine was already packed with people looking forward to seeing the Pope arrive and watching the ceremony on large outdoor screens.

Following mass, the Pope will go outside to give his blessing to the faithful from the Benedict XVI Pulpit. After that, he sets off for a city tour on popemobile.

This is the third time a pope has been to Aparecida do Norte, following John Paul II's visit in 1980, and Benedict XVI in 2007. Then-Cardinal Jorge Mário Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, was also at the shrine for the 5th Conference of Latin American Bishops in 2007.

Edition: Talita Cavalcante/ Nira Foster
Translation: Mayra Borges/Olga Bardawil