Pope sends his blessing to thousands of pilgrims in Aparecida, São Paulo

Criado em 24/07/13 16h08 e atualizado em 24/07/13 17h47
Por Marli Moreira and Camila Maciel Edição:s Fonte:Agência Brasil

Aparecida, São Paulo – By celebrating mass in Portuguese at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, Pope Francis delivered three messages to the thousands of religious people that are following his visit in the country. “We must follow three simple attitudes. We need to keep up the hope, allow ourselves to be surprised by God and live in joy”, said the pontiff. The pontiff stressed that, in order to face the difficulties presented to us, we need to keep our faith in God’s presence. He also talked about the fascination exerted by “money, power, success and pleasure”, especially on the life of the younger ones. “Our young people don’t need things, but rather non-material values, which are the memory of a people, the heart of a people,” he declared. He also mentioned the energy of youth as an engine for society and the church. The reading chosen for the celebration was the passage in which Jesus performs his first miracle, by turning water into wine.

After the mass, he greeted the faithful inside the church and proceeded outside to the Benedict XVI Pulpit. With the image of Brazil’s patron saint – Our Lady of Aparecida –, the Pope gave his blessing to the faithful in Spanish and made the sign of the cross. Afterwards, he also asked pilgrims to pray for him and promised to return to the shrine in 2017, 300th anniversary of the encounter with the image of Our Lady in the river Paraíba.

The pope returns to Rio de Janeiro today.

Editors: Denise Griesinger / Talita Cavalcante / Nira Foster
Translators: Fabrício Ferreira / Olga Bardawil