Papal visit to Brazil set to boost hope
Pope Francis' trip likely to boost Catholicism, which has declined amid a surge in evangelism
The first pope from the Americas, making what many hope will be a triumphant homecoming to his native continent, will find a massive audience that reflects hope for a shift in the Catholic Church and deep scepticism that he can right a social imbalance that has sent hundreds of thousands into the streets in protest.
The Argentinian-born Pope Francis is visiting Brazil, the world's biggest Catholic country, on his first overseas trip since his election in March. He will walk the Stations of the Cross on the glittering Copacabana Beach and visit a slum so poor and violent it is sometimes called the Gaza Strip.
Expectations are high. Many Catholics believe the decision of church leaders to select their new pope from the New World signalled a determination to get past scandals debilitating the Vatican and attempt to recapture the devotion of millions who had abandoned or become disillusioned by an increasingly distant church.
Catholicism has been on the decline in Brazil, eroded by Protestant evangelicals who have made deep inroads, as well as apathy towards what many have seen as an uninterested church that did not address the serious problems facing Brazilians, especially the poor.
Added to that, recent demonstrations have galvanised a population that might once have been more receptive to a visiting pontiff.