Safety and security officials in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil have banned all masks from the World Youth Festival scheduled for July 23. Pope Francis is going to deliver a mass ceremony and over one-million people are expected to attend.
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The security forces at Tuesday's World Youth Festival will be large. Security officials will take no chance of protest or unrest while the Pope is visiting. There will be 35,000 police and 7,000 troops stationed at the event.
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The mask ban was a measure taken by Brazilian authorities in the hopes of keeping the people at the event safe in case of protesters. BBC reports that several groups have already come together using social media in an effort to organize protests for the day.
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During last month's football Confederations Cup anti-government protests sprang up. Those involved in the rallies wore Guy Fawkes masks, a favorite among anti-government protesters.
General Jose Alberto da Costa Abreu is in charge of security for the Pope's visit. He told reporters, "Masked people will be barred from entering. It is not the right space...for a subject with a hostile attitude wearing a mask to enter. We will not allow this to happen."
According to Reuters, Brazil is the world's largest Roman-Catholic country. Pope Francis announced he would return to Latin America for the World Youth Festival shortly after ascending to the chair of St. Peter.
The Brazilian government has been dealing with wide spread protests across the country. The country's younger generation has been demanding the government pay attention to its people and reallocate funds to public schools and transportation.
The Pope's visit comes at a momentous time for Brazil. It will be interesting to hear what advice the leader of the Catholic world gives to his Brazilian followers.
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