Pope Francis Celebrates Ecuador’s Multiethnic Heritage, Indigenous Religious

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) – President Evo Morales is a huge fan of Pope Francis, and says he couldn’t be happier they are of the same mind that capitalism promotes social inequalities that leave the poor by the wayside. The city he’s just left, Quito, Ecuador, is almost a mile lower.

“Francisco!” The pope’s homily brought Janeth Valencia Bersosa to tears. Many used umbrellas to shield themselves both from the downpours and blazing sun when the rain cleared. “Evangelization does not consist in proselytizing, but in attracting by our witness those who are far off, in humbly drawing near to those who feel distant from God and the Church, those who are fearful or indifferent, and saying to them: “The Lord, with great respect and love, is also calling you to be a part of his people” ( Evangelii Gaudium, 113)”.

Morales considers the Catholic Church a powerful vestige of the colonial-era servitude from which the indigenous – more than 60 percent of Bolivia’s population – are still trying to recover.

“He who betrays a poor person, betrays Pope Francis”, Morales said. “We’re excited about this visit despite the conflict that Ecuador is going through right now”, said Juan Campuzano, a 45-year-old secondary school teacher in Guayaquil. He delivered equally strong words to a gathering of political, civic and cultural leaders immediately following.

The Pope also asked them to pray for him because he himself “too often” forgets this gratitude. In that document, released in June, the Pope urged immediate action to combat climate change.

He was then due to fly to high-altitude La Paz, in Bolivia, on Wednesday afternoon. Francis is making his first visit as pope to his Spanish-speaking neighborhood. The pope will arrive to Bolivia on Wednesday during his South American tour.

“This is not about having the same tastes, the same concerns, the same gifts”, Pope Francis said. Per his usual, Francis carried his small black suitcase. It’s expected that he will continue sounding similar themes in Bolivia.

Bolivian President Evo Morales is an Aymara Indian known for anti-imperialist rhetoric and he came to power championing the country’s 36 indigenous groups. The highland city sits at an elevation of almost 2½ miles (4,000 meters) above sea level.

“Instead we must respond by taking up the cry of Jesus and accepting the grace and challenge of being builders of unity”, he said.

She explained: “The Bolivian people want to hear from the pope and see the pope as much as possible”. That was until last year, when after a years-long campaign led by immigrant youth, our community once again won and pressured President Obama to use his executive authority to provide deportation relief to up to five million immigrants, including my sister.

Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass in Bicentennial Park in Quito, Ecuador, July 7.

“Do not fall into a spiritual Alzheimer’s, do not forget!”

Francis’ call comes on his final full day in Ecuador, a Pacific nation that is home to one of the world’s most species-diverse ecosystems but is also an OPEC country heavily dependent on oil extraction.

Crowds cheered the pontiff as he was driven back to the residence in the popemobile. He also prayed before an image of the missionaries’ founder, Mother Teresa. More than a dozen nuns welcomed the pope and presented him with a white collar with blue tassels, the colors of the order.

James Grant, Catholic priest and adjunct fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs, has reassured Catholics that they should react to the pope’s views about climate change. Numerous residents are in wheelchairs.

“The family is the first school for the young, the best home for the elderly”. Hundreds who had been waiting for him are applauding and a children’s chorus is singing.

In his arrival speech, Francis recalled that Catholicism took “deep root” in Bolivia centuries ago and said the church “has continued to contribute to its development and shape its culture”.