Pope Francis forced into helicopter to avoid protests

[flowers]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/10197056/Pope-Francis-forced-into-helicopter-to-avoid-protests.html

The Pontiff’s plans were changed at the last minute after around 1,500 demonstrators arrived and burned an effigy tied to a lamppost. There were later clashes with police as officers tried to disperse the crowd with six detained and at least three injured.

There had been scenes of chaos as the Pope began his trip through Rio in a modest motorcade after arriving at 4pm local time. Dozens of pilgrims and well-wishers dashed to the open window of his Fiat car to greet the Pope directly.

Security experts said the Pope was left extremely vulnerable during the chaotic scenes when his car was mobbed by hundreds of Brazilians after becoming stuck in traffic in Rio.

“There was a weak point in the security of the Pope. This has to be evaluated and remedied. If there had been a hooligan among the faithful, he could have thrown a stone or something worse,” Diogenes Dantas, a colonel in the Brazilian army and an expert on security planning for major events, told the Brazilian newspaper O Globo.

Milton Corrêa da Costa, a lieutenant-colonel in the military police, agreed that Francis could easily have been attacked as people thrust their hands into the open window of his silver Fiat – a modestly-sized car that the Pope had specifically requested.

 

[Cincinnatus]

I went to the link to find out what these demonstrators were protesting but found only this:

While the protest - driven by a growing social movement campaigning for better public services -...

I am not quite sure the Pope is responsible for "public services" in Brasil, but, admittedly, do not have a strong academic background in theology.

[mountaineer]

Pope's driver takes wrong turn; Francis welcomes frenzied Brazil fans
By Amy Hubbard, [LA Times
July 23, 2013, 8:57 a.m.

During Pope Francis' excursion Monday in Rio de Janeiro, his car got stuck in traffic, and his driver made a wrong turn amid the chaos of ecstatic crowds. It was a nightmare for the pope's security team. The pope, however, got a kick out of it.

As Associated Press reported, there were no uniformed police in sight. The bulletproof popemobile was back in Rome. It was the pope, about three dozen security people and hordes of fervent fans.

Pope Francis, who has made an impression as a humble pontiff who likes getting close to his followers, got extremely close to the crowds, rolling down his window and kissing a baby. Some were worried about the pope's safety, but "the pope was happy," the Rev. Federico Lombard, a papal spokesman, told AP.

The worries are not unfounded. AS CNN reported Monday, a homemade explosive device was found near a spot where the pope is scheduled to visit Wednesday. The small plastic cylinder, bound with duct tape, was found near the Our Lady of Aparecida shrine, according to the news outlet. It was detonated by police.

Meanwhile, anti-government protests continued. After the pontiff's meeting Monday with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, protesters reportedly angry over the $53 million being spent on the weeklong visit clashed with riot police.

In coming days, a gay-rights group has planned a kiss-in during the pope's speech Thursday on Copacabana beach, and a women's rights group plans a "slut walk" Saturday to protest sexual violence against women.

But many more Brazilians plan to cheer the pope's presence. As The Times' Vincent Bevins and Tracy Wilkinson reported Monday, on his first official trip since becoming pope, Francis was welcomed by a flag-waving, dancing, singing crowd of thousands.

The Argentine-born pope went to Brazil to attend World Youth Day, an annual international gathering of young Catholics. There are high expectations in Brazil and throughout Latin America among many who are looking for the church to reengage with the region's pressing social issues.

Rousseff said at Monday's official welcoming ceremony for the pope: "We know that in you, we have a religious leader who is sensitive to the yearnings of our people for social justice, and for opportunities for all."

"We struggle against a common enemy: inequality in all its forms," she said.
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 Dilma, I suspect the pope would use Ephesians 6:12 to explain the actual struggle. It has nothing to do with inequality.