Pope Francis's Wrong Turn Concerns Security in Brazil
The 76-year-old Argentine Pope, Francis, may have been delighted by the overwhelming reception for his first international trip as Pope, but Brazilian security forces tasked with protecting him were a little less delighted when his car got stuck in traffic and was mobbed by crowds, according to The Telegraph.
The car (not the bulletproof “Popemobile”) was pursued by thousands of cheering well-wishers, and at one point people had to forcibly push people away as they ran to see the new head of the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis himself laughed off the driver’s wrong-turn into an unprepared street, waving out the open window of his car, and even kissing a baby that was handed to him, according to The Associated Press.
A Vatican spokesman said that officials are not worried about security, but the strong enthusiasm in Brazil is difficult to control.
However, violent anti-government protests broke out later in the day as police used tear gas to disperse scores of demonstrators at the state governor’s palace, the article says. The threat to the Pope himself was heightened when the army announced that soldiers had discovered an explosive device during a training session on Sunday in a bathroom at the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in San Paolo state – one of the Pope’s scheduled stops.
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