Pope to visit Brazil slum in focus on poor

Francis criticizes movement to legalize drugs in Latin America.

RIO DE JANEIRO – Pope Francis was to visit a slum Thursday after having asked Catholics gathered here for World Youth Day to shun materialism and lashing out the drug lords of Latin America.

As many as 1 million young Roman Catholics may gather to hear the pope in Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach on Thursday, said the Vatican. The first Latin American pope has been met by huge crowds for a week of activities aimed at young Catholics.

As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis walked the streets of the shanties, where he would break bread with the residents in their humble homes and baptize their children.

His visit Thursday to a favela — as slums are known here — reflects a papacy that will have a special focus on the poor and a push to have priests provide more pastoral attention to them, say Catholic clerics.

"In Buenos Aires, he was very concerned about the marginalized areas of his diocese and frequently visited them, including the Villas de Miseria (shanties), which are the favelas of Argentina," says Father José María di Paola, an Argentine priest better known as "Padre Pepe" and famous for his work with drug addicts.

"He put (peripheral places) at the center of his work," adds di Paola, one of 22 priests assigned to live and work the shanties by Pope Francis. "It doesn't surprise me that as pope he would show special attention to them."

Francis has spoken of wanting a "poor church" with a focus on the impoverished and disadvantaged – something reflected in his agenda for World Youth Day in Rio taking place this week. On Thursday he planned to receive five young criminal offenders at the local archbishop's residence.

On Wednesday, Francis assailed narcotics trafficking and criticized calls to legalize drugs in Latin America in remarks made while inaugurating a drug rehabilitation clinic.

Taking on the powerful drug lords whose violence cost the lives of tens of thousands in Latin America, Francis condemned drug cartels as "merchants of death" who "follow the logic of money and power at any cost."

"The scourge of drug trafficking, that favors violence and sows the seeds of suffering and death, requires an act of courage from society as a whole," Francis said at a clinic named for St. Francis of Assisi in Rio.

Criminal gangs move large quantities of cocaine from the Andean region through Central America and Mexico and into the United States, killing rivals, bribing police and threatening judges and politicians.

A crackdown on cartel and criminal activity in Mexico has claimed more than 60,000 lives over the past seven years.

But proponents of legalization say that scrapping drug laws would dry up demand for traffickers and reduce violence. The presidents of Uruguay and Guatemala have suggested that drugs be legalized, as has former Mexico president Vincente Fox.

Francis lashed out at the idea.

"A reduction in the spread and influence of drug addition will not be achieved by a liberalization of drug laws," Francis said. "Rather, it is necessary to confront the problems underlying the use of these drugs, by promoting greater justice, educating young people … accompanying those in difficulty and giving them hope for the future."

In Buenos Aires, Francis was known for issuing stern rebukes that drug dealers threatened the life of one of his most prominent priests, who had become famous for working with addicts in the city's shantytowns. Unlike his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who had little to say on the topic when he visited Mexico in 2012, Francis has been outspoken on crime. In May, he told organized criminals to "stop wrecking people's lives and repent."

Earlier Wednesday, speaking at Brazil's most sacred Catholic site in Aparecida, Pope Francis called for young people to "maintain hope" in the face of tough economic times and cast aside material trappings to build a better world.

Thousands packed into the huge Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in an agricultural region. Tens of thousands more braved a cold rain outside to catch a glimpse of the first pope from the Americas.

Before the Mass, Francis stood in silent prayer in front of the 15-inch statue of the Virgin of Aparecida, the "Black Mary," his eyes tearing up as he breathed heavily. He later carried it in his arms. Francis has entrusted his papacy to the Virgin Mary and, like many Catholics in Latin America, places great importance in devotion to Mary.

Francis asked young people to adopt three postures: hopefulness, joyfulness and "an openness to being surprised by God."

"It is true that nowadays, to some extent, everyone, including young people, is attracted to so many idols that take the place of God: money, success, power (and) pleasure," he said in his homily. "A growing sense of loneliness in the hearts of many people leads them to seek satisfaction in these ephemeral idols."

The pope, popular for his simple style and putting a friendly face on a traditional institution, admonished the young people in attendance to adopt a joyful attitude, telling them, "Christians cannot be pessimists!"

Francis has spoken of wanting a "poor church" with a focus on the impoverished and disadvantaged – something reflected in his agenda for World Youth Day in Rio taking place this week.

His scheduled visit Thursday to one of Rio's hundreds of favelas comes as many shantytowns here are gaining the attention of special police forces known as Pacifying Police Units (UPPs.) The UPPs are evicting drug dealers and attempting to establish cordial relations with residents – who are often skeptical of law enforcement officials due to a history of excessive force.

The visit also comes as some favelas move upscale, largely the result of the pacification, and have attracted an influx of tourists. There are travel guides for finding the best favela fare; the boom has set off real estate speculation in neighborhoods with breathtaking views of the ocean and cityscape.

"Whenever there's a pacification, there's a real estate boom," says Adriana Larangeira, an architect.

Pope Francis isn't visiting one of those neighborhoods, opting instead for Manguinhos in Rio's less-affluent north zone.

"It's known for having some significant sanitation issues, compared with other communities. It's known for crime and poverty," says Theresa Williamson, director of the non-government group Catalytic Communities, which works in favelas – places she prefers not be referred to as "slums."

"That speaks well of the pope that they chose Manguinhos over some of the more touristy favelas."

Pope John Paul II visited the Vidigal favela, near the wealthy Leblon district, during his 1980 trip to Rio. The favela, like others in the south zone of Rio, has quickly become hot property with the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics approaching – so hot that a study by Fundação Getúlio Vargas found prices of more than $300,000 for large homes in Vidigal.

Francis on Wednesday urged Catholics to not see everything in terms of gain.

"It is true that nowadays, to some extent, everyone, including our young people, feels attracted by the many idols which take the place of God and appear to offer hope: money, success, power, pleasure," he said. "Often a growing sense of loneliness and emptiness in the hearts of many people leads them to seek satisfaction in these ephemeral idols."