During his most recent visit to Chile, the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, stopped his motorcade when he saw that one of the policewomen protecting the event was violently thrown to the ground from the horse which she was riding. The woman was guarding the holy father when her horse, stunned by the applause, shouts, and movements of the crowd, rose on two legs abruptly, shooting the woman out of the saddle immediately.
Pope Francis hastily left the vehicle that transported him with the intention of helping the woman lying on the ground. With minor injuries, the officer was transported to the hospital by ambulance and the Argentine Pope returned to his route.
Francis was on his way to a luncheon at the retreat house of the Sanctuary of Lourdes, then he went to the Iquique airport, where Chilean President Michelle Bachelet was waiting for him. "Iquique is an area of immigrants that reminds us of the greatness of men and women, of entire families who, in the face of adversity, do not give up and find their way in search of life," said the Supreme Pontiff in his homily.
"It is a land of dreams, a land that has been able to shelter people from different cultures and peoples, people who have had to leave their own and leave, a land of festive hospitality, there is no Christian joy when doors are closed, when feeling at others that are left over, let us be attentive in recognizing those who have the 'watered down' life, the sad in heart, let's not be afraid to raise our voices," he said.
"We are attentive to the precariousness of work that destroys lives and homes, to those who take advantage of the irregularity of many immigrants because they do not know the language or do not have papers, we are attentive to those who have no roof."
"Dear brothers from the north of Chile, I come as a pilgrim to celebrate with you this beautiful way of living the faith, your music, your clothes, make this area a sanctuary of piety and popular spirituality. It is not a festival that is locked in the temple. In this atmosphere of celebration, the Gospel presents the action of Mary so that joy prevails," he concluded.
Francis is the ninth-oldest pope at an election (elected at age 76 years, 86 days). He became Pope after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on February 28, 2013. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, the first to have a papal name without a number title since Lando in 913 AD, and the first Pope from outside Europe since the Syrian Gregory III, who reigned in the 8th century.
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