The Pope is in Brazil

Pope Francis will have a full schedule of activities during his first major international trip in July this year. The schedule of his trip to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Rio2013, includes Protocol Events, such as the meeting with the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, along with visits to a poor community, a hospital, and a visit with young inmates.

Arrival and first official events

The Pope will arrive in Brazil on Monday 22 July. The official reception will be at Rio de Janeiro/Galeão–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport, at 4pm. Soon after, there will be a Papal Welcoming Ceremony at the garden of the Palácio Guanabara, where the Pope will give his first speech. At the event, there will be a ceremonial reception of the three branches of government. The reception protocol will be made by President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, as well as the Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Sérgio Cabral, and the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes.

The Holy Father will stay at the Residência do Sumaré (Sumaré Residence) during his trip to Brazil. The residence was where Blessed John Paul II stayed during his two visits to Brazil in 1980 and 1997. It’s a quiet place, away from the rush of the city. Besides Pope Francis, the residence will also host the whole papal entourage, which will include about 40 people.

With the simplicity that the world has already seen with Pope Francis, the Holy Father will preside over private daily Masses at the residence.

Visit to Aparecida

The Holy Father will visit the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida on Wednesday 24 July. It is the largest Marian shrine in the world. A visit to the National Shrine of Aparecida was a personal request of Pope Francis, since he has public devotion to Mary, Mother of Jesus. There, the Pope will venerate an image of Mary in the basilica and, afterwards, will celebrate Mass with Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno (president of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, as well as the Archbishop of Aparecida). The homily during the Mass will be made by the Pope.

One of the social legacies of WYD Rio2013

On Wednesday, Pope Francis will also attend the opening of the “Pólo de Atenção Integrada da Saúde Mental (PAI),” which will provide services for those recovering from drug addiction. With 350 physicians, 500 health professionals, 648 hospital beds, 323 ward beds, 12 emergency beds, 75 ICU beds and 11 operating rooms, the São Francisco da Tijuca Hospital (formerly the Third Order of Penance) is a general hospital, which provides care in 22 specialties. The institution pays particular attention to customer health plans and public patients, routed via the State Health Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro.

An exciting Thursday

On Thursday 25 July, Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes will hand over the keys of the city to the Holy Father, in a symbolic and traditional ceremony. This reflects the respect for the Pope and the authority he represents. In addition, there will be a short meeting with representatives of the sporting world, with the Blessing of the Olympic flags.

In the morning, Pope Francis will visit have an emotional encounter. Pope Francis will visit a slum in Rio de Janeiro, 33 years after Blessed John Paul II visited a slum in another area of the city. This time, instead of Vidigal in Rio's South Zone, which John Paul II visited in 1980, Pope Francis visit will visit a slum in North Zone. The community chosen was Varginha, within the Manguinhos Complex, recently pacified by the Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The Pope will speak to residents and give his blessing.

At 6pm the Pope will participate in the Welcoming Ceremony at Copacabana, which is one of the Main Events of WYD Rio2013. There the Pope will greet WYD pilgrims for the first time and will give a speech.

A day just for the youth

One of the most visited tourist attractions of the city, a former retirement home of Emperor Dom Pedro, called Quinta da Boa Vista, will host one of the largest catechesis events and the Vocations Fair. The Holy Father will hear the confessions of four young people here, during the morning of 26 July.

Afterwards, some young inmates will meet with Pope Francis at the Archbishop's Palace St. Joachim. At noon, the Pope will pray the Angelus from the central balcony of the palace. Before the traditional “lunch with young people from all continents,” which happens at all WYDs, the Pope will greet the WYD Rio2013 Local Organizing Committee and the WYD sponsors.

The Via Crucis with the youth, which is the third WYD Main Event, will take place at 6pm at Copacabana Beach, with and the Pope will give a speech.

A Saturday of meetings and prayer

The official activities will begin with a Mass, presided over by the Holy Father, at the Catedral São Sebastião (St. Sebastian Cathedral), will have the presence of bishops, priests, religious and seminarians. Soon after, the Pope Francis will meet with representatives of the society of Rio de Janiero and Brazil at the Teatro Municipal (Municipal Theater). The theater, built in the nineteenth century, was for a long time the main stage for artistic performances from across the country.

In the afternoon, the Pope will attend a lunch with Brazilian cardinals, the president of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, the bishops from Regional Leste 1 (comprising of the bishops from dioceses of the State of Rio de Janeiro), as well as, and the papal entourage in dining hall of the “Centro de Estudos do Sumaré.”

At 7:30pm, the Pope will be in Guaratiba, at Campus Fidei for the Prayer Vigil with the young people, which is the fourth WYD Main Event. There, he will deliver a speech to pilgrims and take a moment for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with the youth present.

Sunday goodbyes

At 10am, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at Campus Fidei with the youth who spent the previous night there. He will announce the next city to host World Youth Day. At noon, he will pray the Angelus with pilgrims.

Lunch will be with the papal entourage in the cafeteria of the Centro de Estudos do Sumaré. He will meet with the Comitê de Coordenação do Conselho Episcopal Latino Americano (CELAM before his departure from the Sumaré residence.

To personally thank the 60,000 volunteers involved in WYD, Pope Francis will meet with them at 5:30pm at the Pavilhão 5 do Rio Centro (Pavilion 5 of the Rio Center), and he give a speech to them.

There will be also a farewell ceremony at the Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport, where the Holy Father will make a speech. His departure back to Rome is scheduled for 7pm.

From World Youth Day