Pope Benedict XVI begins Brazilian visit

(Wed. 09, May 2007):- Pope Benedict XVI left Rome, Wednesday morning for a five day pastoral visit to Brazil – his first to Latin America. The Alitalia Boeing carrying the Pope, his entourage and journalists, left Rome’s Fiumicino Airport at 9 A.M. for the 12 and half hour flight to Sao Paolo. In a Press Conference on board the flight, Pope Benedict explained to journalists that the scope of his pastoral visit was mainly religious, and to look into the social situation of Latin America. He said that the first religious step was his meeting with the 5^th General Assembly of the Bishops of Latin America. Thus this visit, he said is profoundly religious. “The mission of the Church”, Pope Benedict added, “is to seek solutions to the grave social problems of Latin America. The Church is not political and respects the laity,”he added. Pope Benedict also spoke of his scheduled meeting with youth at Sao Paulo, of the canonisation of Franciscan priest Fr. Frei Galvao , and the re-union of the Bishops of Latin America at Aparacida - as the fundamental moments of his Brazilian visit. Responding to several questions posed by journalists, the Pope affirmed saying: “I love much Latin America, and even if at this moment there are dominant preoccupations regarding the Middle East, the Holy Land and Iraq, and the great suffering of Africa, nonetheless, I still love and worry about Latin America – the largest Catholic Continent, and therefore, the great responsibility of the Pope. I am happy to visit Latin America , Pope Benedict continued, and confirm the task of Pope Paul VI and of Pope John Paul II for this immense continent, that it becomes a continent of life and hope. This for me, the Pope said is a priority.