Pope
makes unscheduled stops in Paraguay
2015-07-12
Vatican Radio
(Vatican
Radio) Pope Francis is currently in Paraguay's capital Asunciòn on the last day
of his three country Apostolic journey to Latin America which has also taken
him to Ecuador and Bolivia. Linda Bordoni is in this nation's capital and keeps
us updated on the less formal and unscheduled activities our Pope of surprises
has accustomed us to.
One
of the many reasons for which we love Pope Francis is his tendency to disregard
protocol and find time and ways to bend and modify his official schedule for
things and people he cares about.
He’s
been doing it here in Paraguay as well!
His
first stop on Friday, after landing at Asuncion Airport was a brief –
unscheduled - visit to the “Buen Pastor” women’s prison where inmates sang for
him in an outside courtyard.
On
Saturday he made changes to his schedule as well, deciding to include an afternoon
visit to the “Saint Rafael Foundation”, which cares for poor patients with AIDS
and cancer, has a rehabilitation clinic, three centers for abandoned and abused
children and homes for the elderly.
It
is run by Fr. Aldo Trento who met the Pope recently during an audience in Rome,
inviting him on that occasion to stop by when in Asuncion.
And
although it certainly isn’t on the official Papal programme, most people here
are pretty sure he will take time on Sunday before his departure to pray and
reflect in front of the macabre shell of the devastated Ycua Bolaños
supermarket in central Asuncion.
It’s
where 430 people burnt to death and many others were injured in 2004 when fire
broke out and the store’s owners issued orders to lock the doors to prevent
looting.
The
tragedy has left a deep wound in Paraguayan society where anger over the event
continues to run high as families of the victims and the population at large
believe that a drawn-out judicial process has let culprits off with too light a
jail sentence.
In
Asuncion with Pope Francis, I’m Linda Bordoni
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