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Sunday, July 28, 2013 | 6:10 PMRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Pope Francis took off from Rio de Janeiro’s international airport Sunday, ending a weeklong visit to Brazil that drew an estimated three million people onto the sands of Copacabana beach on his final day.The trip marked the first international foray for the Argentine-born pontiff and his first voyage back to his home continent since becoming pope in March.The visit was hailed as a success by church officials, pilgrims and the faithful in the world’s largest Catholic country, although it was marked by major organisational snags.Francis’ schedule Sunday included a Mass attended by millions and meetings with regional clergy and thousands of volunteers.The Pope’s return to Italy marked the end of the World Youth Day, a gathering that will next take place in Krakow, Poland, in 2016.An estimated three million people poured onto Rio’s Copacabana beach Sunday for the final Mass of Pope Francis’ historic trip to his home continent, cheering the first Latin American pope in one of the biggest turnouts for a papal Mass in recent history.Speaking from a white stage and looking out over the enormous crowd, Francis urged young Catholics to go out and spread their faith “to the fringes of society, even to those who seem farthest away, most indifferent.”Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver
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Pope Francis leaves Brazil after week-long tour
