Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Seasons of Grace

Home
Catholic
Can Brazil Keep the Holy Father Safe? (UPDATED: NO!)

Can Brazil Keep the Holy Father Safe? (UPDATED: NO!)

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:55 pm by Kathy Schiffer

Can Brazil Keep the Holy Father Safe? (UPDATED: NO!) 2016-09-30T15:55:18-05:00 Kathy Schiffer

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

OK, now I’m worried.

I did not see the parade which was broadcast live this afternoon, when Pope Francis’ motorcade rode through the streets of Rio de Janeiro; but I saw the concern for his safety which was evidenced on social media sites.

“Very poorly done,” said one person, speaking of the Pope’s compact Brazilian-made Fiat Idea wending its way along the crowded streets. “That was exceedingly dangerous.”

And then, the already chaotic scene deteriorated, as the exuberant crowd pressed forward to touch the papal car. Even the security guards, it seemed, threw up their hands and left the Holy Spirit in charge. The Catholic Herald reported:

At some points, the motorcade was separated from ordinary rush-hour commuters by nothing more than a median strip. As the Pope’s car drew closer to the centre, he passed increasingly large groups of people standing, cheering and waving. About 20 minutes into the ride, clusters of people began pressing against the vehicle, reaching out to touch the Pope, and had to be pushed away by the security detail. At one point the press of crowds brought the vehicle briefly to a standstill, and the Pope emerged to kiss a baby.

Apparently attempting to avoid the crowds, the motorcade turned into a stretch of ordinary traffic. Shortly thereafter, the papal car found itself repeatedly stuck between vehicles and crowds. Security officers could be seen vigorously pushing back bystanders who reached out to touch the Pope. The 13.2-mile ride took 44 minutes.

With Boylston Street and the Boston Marathon still fresh in the American consciousness, I found myself asking: If only one of those thousands of well-wishers had not really wished him well, what would have happened to our new pope?

Father Marcio Sergio Queiroz, media coordinator for World Youth Day, brushed aside concerns—telling NBC News the pope never felt he was in danger. “He is the people’s pope,” said Father Queiroz, “and he likes to be in direct touch with the people. The warm welcoming was in line with the culture of Brazil.”

When it was over and the Pope’s safety seemed assured, I breathed a sigh of relief.

But not for long: Then, I read the Telegraph’s report that while Pope Francis was meeting with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in the Rio state governor’s palace, atheists and the Anonymous protest group had planned to demonstrate outside.

The National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida

And then, there was this: A “small, home-made bomb” was discovered during security checks at the National Shrine of Aparecida, which Pope Francis is scheduled to visit on Wednesday.

“Not to worry!” say the Brazilian police. The bomb was a “home-made device” with little potential to cause fatalities; it was successfully detonated on Sunday, after the Brazilian air force discovered it during a security sweep; such episodes are a common part of security forces training in Aparecida; at no point were civilians’ lives in danger; and besides, the lavatory where the bomb was found was in an area of the shrine that would not be used during the papal visit.

Well, then! I’m feeling better already (NOT).

I will be breathing a sigh of relief around 7:00 p.m. Sunday, when the Pope’s airplane is scheduled to depart from the Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport, heading for the relative quiet of Vatican City.

* * * *

UPDATE: I told you so! Fox News’ Latino edition reports some serious concerns in the part of Rio’s police:

In his first international trip as pope, the pontiff has built much of his schedule in Brazil, the world’s biggest Catholic country, around high-profile events that send him straight into unpredictable, potentially chaotic environments — without the protection of the bulletproof popemobile used by his two predecessors.

On Thursday, the pope will visit a tiny chapel founded in 1971 in the Varginha slum, one of Rio’s more than 1,000 hillside shantytowns. Many such slums cower under the control of dangerous drug gangs or deadly militias made up mostly of former and current police and firefighters. Police invaded Varginha in January to clear out traffickers, but the gangs remain a shadowy presence there.

The next day, Francis will hit Copacabana beach to walk the Stations of the Cross among an expected 1 million young Catholics gathered for World Youth Day festivities. Vatican officials have said he’ll travel to the beach past thousands of devotees in an open-topped vehicle, a plan that would put the thousands of police and soldiers dispatched to protect the pope on high alert and require more plainclothes security.

Brazil’s justice and defense ministers, along with a top army commander, urged the pope to use an armored popemobile instead, but the Vatican has responded that Francis likes to jump in and out of his vehicle to greet the faithful, which wouldn’t be possible in the more protected vehicle.

“The bulletproofing would lessen our worries, it’d be better if he had it,” said Gen. Jose Abreu, the top officer overseeing the military’s role in the security scheme. “It’s a personal choice and we’ll respect it, but it’s not remotely pleasant for security forces.”

UPDATE 2: And now, the firebombs. And the Holy Father is forced into a helicopter to avoid protestors.

But don’t be nervous. Father Federico Lombardi informs us, “We are not worried.”

Pope Francis

World Youth Day

Previous Post

July 21, 2013

Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness: Martha, Mary and Me

Next Post

July 23, 2013 Pope Francis to Journalists: “Help Me Work for the Good of Society” (UPDATED)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #Synod14 Abortion Abstinence Abuse Addiction Adoption Advent Adventure Advertising Aging Agnosticism All Saints Day All Souls Day Amish Anathema Angels Anglican Animals Annulment Annunciation Apocalypse Apologetics Apostles Apostleship of the Sea Apparitions Archangels Archbishop Cordileone Archbishop Dolan Archbishop Vigneron Archeology Architecture Art Art Buchwald Ash Wednesday Assisted Suicide Astronauts Atheism Athletes Babies Baptism Beatification Beauty Bible Biochemistry Bioethics Birds Bishop Lori Bishops Blasphemy Books Canon Law Canonization Capital Punishment Cardinal Burke Cardinal Dolan Cardinal George Caritas Catechesis Catechism of the Catholic Church Catholic Catholic Education Catholic Higher Education Catholic Social Teaching Celibacy Cemeteries Character Charity Chastity Cheapskate Christian Unity Christmas Churches Civil Rights Cloning Comedy Communion of Saints Community Kitchens Confession Confirmation Conscience Consequences Consistory Constitution Contraception Conversion Cooking Councils of the Church Creativity Criminal Justice Cristero War Crucifixion Crystal Cathedral Culture Death Death and Dying Death Penalty Department of Health and Human Services Diaconate Dictatorship of Relativism Dignity Disability Discrimination Dissidence Divorce Doctors of the Church Early Church Fathers Easter Economics Ecumenism Education Encyclicals Environmentalism Episcopal Church Eucharist Euthanasia Evangelism Evangelists Evangelization Evolution Excuses Facebook Faith Families Family Fashion Fasting Fatherhood Federal Government Feminism Fiction Film First Amendment First Communion For Greater Glory Forgiveness Free Speech Friends Friendship Gender Discrimination Germany Gnosticism Good Friday Government Grace Greed Gregorian Calendar Happiness Health Heaven Heresy History Holidays Holiness Hollywood Holy Land Holy Saturday Holy Spirit Holy Week Holy Year Home Sweet Home Homosexuality Hope Humanism Humility Humor Imagination Immaculate Conception Immigration Impulsivity In Vitro Fertilization Incarnation Indulgences Infallibility Internet Islam Italy Jerusalem Jesus Judaism Justice Kathleen Sebelius Labor Movement LCWR Lent Life Literature Liturgy Lourdes Love Magi Marketing Marriage Martyrdom Martyrs Mary Mass Media Medical Ethics Mexico Michigan Miracles Missionaries Modernism Modesty Monks Monothelitism Motherhood Movies Mushrooms Music Muslim Mystery Mysticism Mythology Nativity Natural Law Nature New Evangelization New Media New Year New Year's Resolutions Nostalgia Obscenity Occult Old Testament Origen Orthodox Orvieto Pallium Papacy Parenting Patience Patriarch Bartholomew Patriotism Peace Peace and Justice Penitence Pentecost People Persecution Philosophy Poetry Political activism Political Correctness Politics Polls Pop Culture Pope Benedict XVI Pope Francis Pope John Paul II Pope John XXIII Pope Paul VI Pope St. Pius X Pope Urban VII Population Prayer Preaching Prejudice Pride Priesthood Pro-Life Protestantism Psychology Purgatory Queenship of Mary Racism Rape Real Presence Reconciliation Reformation Relics Religious Religious Liberty Reliquary Renewal Reproductive Technology Resurrection Rights Romance Rome Royalty Sacraments Sacred Heart Saints Satanism Science Science Fiction Scripture Seal of Confession Secularism Seniors September 11 Seventy Times Seven Sexuality Sharks Sin Smoking Social Communications Social Justice Social Networking Social Sciences Space Exploration Spirituality Sports St. Luke St. Patrick's Day St. Paul St. Peter St. Teresa of Avila Stations of the Cross Steve Jobs Superstition Supreme Court Symbolism Synod Technology Teen Rebellion Television Terrorism Thankfulness Thanksgiving Theology Think This, Not That Tobit Toilets Toys Tradition Traditions Transplants Travel Trinity Twitter U.S. Air Force Uncategorized United Nations USCCB Valentine Vatican Vatican Archives Vatican Blogfest Virtue Vocations Where We Pray White Heart Women World Day of Social Communications World Meeting of Families World News World Youth Day Worship Writing Year of Consecrated Life Year of Faith Year of Mercy Youth

Select a Month December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What Christian denomination is the largest in the United States?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Catholic Methodist Baptist Pentecostal