Expectations are high as Ecuadoreans prepare to receive Pope Francis. Across the street from Quito’s Bicentenario Park, where Pope Francis will give mass on Tuesday, stands are selling Catholic merchandise and people are celebrating his arrival.
“We are very excited, we have the privilege to be here, we can't enter because we are outside with our merchandise, but we will listen to him from here, we might not be able to see him but we will listen to him and we will have a lot of faith, we have happiness in our hearts, we are a country of faith,” said Yoyarera Calderon, a merchant who will be selling shirts with pictures and phrases of Pope Francis.
This is the first papal visit since John Paul II came to Ecuador in 1985. People from across the country as well as from neighboring Colombia and Peru will converge on Quito and Guayaquil, to be present for papal activities. Authorities have estimated that more than 1 million people will attend mass.
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“I think this is a time of great happiness,” Yanza Loja, a volunteer for the mass Ines Paulina, told teleSUR English. “First of all, he is a Latin American pope, he is a pope that knows our realities, who knows how we live, who also knows our prayers, the happiness we have within us in practicing our faith.”
However earlier this week, teleSUR reported that Ecuadorean opposition members have been planning to use the visit of Pope Francis to create political statements and destabilize the government of President Rafael Correa. They had planned to block national borders, and organize a caravan to the airport to prevent the entrance of Pope Francis to the county. Following this revelation, the government has said they will be taking necessary precautions to protect the safety of both Pope Francis and citizens during this papal visit.
“Everything is ready for the arrival of Pope Francis. Our police will participate completely, with all 45,000 members of the institution, and I insist, what is fundamental here is to know how to differentiate and know, discern above all else, between what is a legitimate and democratic protest, and what represents violent logic which are threats against our democracy,” said Minister of the Interior Jose Serrano to the press.
While Ecuador is on high alert following a month of right-wing protests and violence, many in this majority-Catholic country are waiting to hear the message Pope Francis will bring in this visit.