Pope Francis Visits Colombia
Pope Francis, the 266th and current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, arrived Colombia on Wednesday on a five-day tour of the country.
Francis will spend all of Thursday in Bogota and then make day visits to the cities of Villavicencio, Medellin and Cartagena before leaving for Rome on Sunday night.
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Upon his arrival at the airport, Francis was greeted by screaming crowds, who threw flowers and held up children to be kissed.
His motorcade moved slowly from the airport to the Vatican embassy in central Bogota, the Colombian capital.
“Don’t let anyone steal your happiness, don’t let anyone steal your hope,” Francis told people outside the embassy, his residence during the trip.
He is expected to help in the consolidation process of the country, as they prepare to receive over 7,000 former FARC fighters into society.
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The Pontiff’s visit is to repair divisions after a war that killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions over five decades.
This is his 20th foreign trip since becoming pontiff in 2013 and his fifth to his native Latin America.
