July 5th through the 13th will be very intense for Pope Francis. He will travel to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay back to back, with practically no breaks. In eight days he will give 13 speeches, and six homilies. He will visit shrines, prisons, shelters and also universities. That doesn't count his meetings with civil and Church authorities in every one of those three countries.
His first destination will be Ecuador, where he will celebrate two Masses. The first one in the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy. The second will take place in the Bicentennial Park of Quito on July 7th. That same day he will meet with students, professors and non-government authorities.
Then on the 8th the Pope will visit a shelter run by the Sisters of Charity, which was of course founded by Mother Teresa. This will more than likely be one of the most moving visits in Ecuador. That same day though, the Pope will board a plane and head to Bolivia.
Once he arrives in Bolivia, the Pope will only celebrate one Mass there, but a huge crowd is expected.
FR. GIOVANI ARANA
Papal Visit Committee (Bolivia)
'There will only be one Eucharistic celebration in the city of Santa Cruz, but roughly 2 million pilgrims are expected to attend.â?
Other unique moments will follow, like his visit to the prison of Palmasola.
JUAN CRISTí?BAL SORUCO
Papal Visit Committee (Bolivia)
'It's huge jail with about 5,000 inmates. The Pope will visit them to show his support. There's all types of prisoners there. From people who were just involved in minor infractions to murderers. There's a lot of hard people there. But all of them have been abandoned by society.â?
Another moving gathering will be the Pope's meeting with heads of organizations and even popular movements that work to eradicate poverty and social exclusion. Some of them already got to see the Pope, during an international congress in Rome.
On July 10th, the Pope will head out to complete the last stage of his trip. The last stop will be Paraguay. The Pope plans to visit a pediatric hospital named Acosta í?u and he will celebrate Mass in the Marian Shrine of Caacupé. He will also visit Asuncion and there he will head out to one of the poorest neighborhoods in the area, known as Bañado Norte. The trip will conclude with a Mass with young people by the Costanera river.
JRB/KLH
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