Pope Francis returned to his native Latin America today (July 22, 2013), asking for open hearts -- even after the irrepressible crowds made it clear he had them -- the Catholic News website reports.
The 76-year-old pope's first international trip involved a 12-hour flight -- from Rome to Rio de Janeiro -- taking him back to the continent he left more than four months ago to attend the conclave that elected him pope.
In his remarks in Rio de Janeiro -- delivered in a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish -- the pope borrowed a phrase from the Acts of the Apostles: "I have neither silver nor gold, but I bring with me the most precious thing given to me: Jesus Christ!"
Pope Francis said he had come to Brazil -- the country with more Catholics than any other country in the world -- to "give an account of the reasons for the hope" that comes from faith in Jesus and inspire them to "offer everyone the inexhaustible riches of His love."
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