Pope to stop in flood-prone Paraguayan slum

“It’s wonderful that the pope really knows us”, said Raquel Amarilla, 39, who cried throughout the Mass and was accompanied by her 13-year-old daughter.

Celebrating the last Mass of his trip July 12 in Asuncion, Pope Francis went back to the basics of Christian dialogue, solidarity and inclusion.

Al Jazeera says that many people had spent the previous night at the venue to try to secure a good position to see Francis, who is from Argentina and the first Latin American to head the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Francis embraces children as he speaks at the the Acosta Nu pediatric hospital in San Lorenzo, on the outskirts of Asuncion, Paraguay, Saturday, July 11, 2015.

When asked on the flight about the Greek economic crisis, the Pope was careful not to criticise overtly the worldwide creditors who have forced Greece to swallow a painful austerity programme in exchange for the country’s third bail-out. He then spoke affectionately about the women of this tiny, poor and land-locked nation, praising them for rebuilding the country after a devastating war in the 1860s wiped out more than half the population, primarily men.

Amongst the attendees for Pope Francis’ speech was Horacio Cartes, Paraguay’s president, whose reputation has suffered from allegations of fraud in the past. You represent many different backgrounds, situations and aspirations; all together, you make up Paraguayan culture. The dictator was overthrown by a military coup in 1989 and the process of consolidating democracy and building national unity continues.

PLUS: Pope Declares Disparaties Between Women & Men A “Pure Scandal”.

“The pope’s speech was very productive”, Cazal added. The Jesuit priest was a missionary to the Guarani people. The concert included music from the film “The Mission”, which recounts the story of the reductions.

Simon Cazal, co-founder of Somos Gay, a homosexual rights group in Paraguay, was among those invited to attend the meeting.

Ruiz told The Associated Press last week that the corn, coconut and squash are subsistence products of Paraguay’s native peoples.

The formality of the meetings gave way quickly, though, to the heart of his trip: visits with residents of a home for the indigent elderly in Ecuador, a prison in Bolivia and a poor settlement in Paraguay.

Before arriving in the United States in September, Pope Francis said, he will study American criticisms of his critiques of the global economy and finance.

“”It happened. There was no mediation was the willingness of the two countries””.

The locals want title to the land they live on so that when a highway is built along the river they will be compensated if they have to leave. It is a faith without Christ, a faith without God, a faith without brothers and sisters. “There was a desire that had arrived — on the other side also a desire”.

When Pope Francis thinks about who he is, being a recipient of God’s mercy is his most important characteristic.

Those blessed with the ability to promote economic development – business owners, entrepreneurs and government officials – have a responsibility always to keep the needs of real people in mind, the pope said.

“I shuddered for a moment and got goose bumps and did not know what to say”, said Carmen Sanchez, 50, who had prepared some traditional food.

Continuing off-script, Francis called for young people to look after their less fortunate peers and appealed to them to fight for a dignified life responsibly.