Río de Janeiro is not only getting ready to
host the World Youth Day celebrations from July 23-28. The presidential meeting of the CELAM Latin American Episcopal Council will also take place in the Brazilian city where Pope Francis will be attending the youth festival.
Monsignor Dimas Lara Barbosa, CELAM Vice-president and archbishop of the Brazilian district of Campo Grande, confirmed the news and explained Brazil’s venue will allow the Pontiff to participate in the CELAM event which was originally planed to take place in Bogotá, Colombia.
Río's will be the first official visit of ex cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the region after he was elected to head the world's 1.2 billion Catholics back in March, becoming the first Latin American Pope in history.