Twenty-five delegates of the Federation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, or CONAIE, attended an invitation-only gathering Tuesday evening that included business leaders, and cultural and sports figures.
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The Pope also asked them to pray for him because he himself “too often” forgets this gratitude.
QUITO Pope Francis on Tuesday said shielding the globe was at does not options though a responsibility and identified as for a different “communal validity” through which accessibility to the the planet’s resources could well be situated on equal rights to replace economical hobbies. He has said indigenous peoples are the most vital stewards of the environment and the group most hurt by the ravages of deforestation and contamination by petroleum and mining industries.
Espinal, a follower of the left-wing liberation theology, was kidnapped and tortured by Bolivia’s right-wing regime before his body was dumped on a highway in La Paz.
VIVA Illinois PAPA! Pope Francis (C, back) is welcomed by the crowd as he arrives at the Church and Convent of St. Francis (Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco) to meet representatives of the Ecuadorian civil society, in Quito, Ecuador, July 7, 2015.
After Ecuador, the pope visits Bolivia and Paraguay on a tour encompassing three of the poorest and smallest countries in South America.
Morales, a native Aymara known for anti-imperialistic speeches and for expelling the US ambassador and Drug Enforcement Administration, came to power championing Bolivia’s 36 indigenous groups and enshrined their rights in the constitution. He is scheduled to fly to Bolivia at midday Wednesday. Instead, she said he’ll only speak for five minutes. “For that reason, and considering the pope’s health, our president will use minimal time for his words of welcome”.
Pope Francis has praised Bolivia for taking important steps to include the poor and the marginalized in its political and economic life, but insists that the Catholic Church also has a “prophetic” role to play in society.
The decrease has come as evangelical churches have attracted huge numbers of followers, many of whom are indigenous people disenchanted by a lack of attention from the Catholic hierarchy.
Emphasizing that “everything is a free gift”, he pointed to the example of Mary.
The Mass featured readings in Quichua, the native language mostly spoken in Ecuador, and Ecuadorean vestments for the pope.
The papal visit to Bolivia is set to deal exclusively with religious matters, but locals in the landlocked country say they hope Pope Francis will express support for a long-standing national claim to create a maritime exit for Bolivia between Peru and Chile.
“There is a need to fight for inclusion of all at all levels, avoiding selfishness, and promoting communication and dialogue”, the pontiff told the massive crowd at the Bicentennial Park.
Francis was presented with a bouquet of roses, one of the main cultivated products of the region.
Later, he held a meeting with hundreds of priests, nuns and seminarians at the “El Quinche” sanctuary.
The pope met with residents of the home and offered them blessings.
Pope Francis has emerged from the nunciature in Quito where he spent the night. Many people are throwing rose petals as the pope waves to them.
Before departing Quito, Francis visited a home for the elderly run by nuns from the order established by Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Two of his predecessors engaged in the local custom, and Bolivia’s culture minister has invited Francis to do the same.
During the mass, the pope invoked South America’s independence movements from Spain 200 years ago.
Thousands of people have cheered Pope Francis as he was being driven through Ecuador’s capital to give a speech on education at Catholic University.
The pope is expected to spend only about four hours in La Paz before traveling to the Bolivian lowland city of Santa Cruz.
In the heat of the dispute, Morales accused Cardinal Julio Terrazas, then head of the Bolivian bishop’s conference, of being aligned with the opposition and stripped him of his diplomatic passport.
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But until Francis’ election to the papacy in 2013 – and even today to a lesser degree – Morales’ government has had rocky relations with the Catholic Church.
