Pope Francis during his visit at the Cathedral of Quito

PHOTO.VA - OSSERVATORE ROMANO

Francis to Crowds: Hail Mary, Blessing, ‘Go to Sleep’

For 2nd Night, Large Crowds Shout for Papal Greeting at His Residence at Apostolic Nunciature in Quito

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‘Go to sleep,’ so the ‘neighborhood can sleep’ is the recommendation Pope Francis has for enthusiastic crowds who have for the past two nights gathered outside the residence of the Apostolic Nuncio in Quito, where he is spending the night during his days in Ecuador.

Since Francis has arrived in the Ecuadorian capital during his nine-day, three-country Apostolic Visit to Latin America, July 5-13, the Pope has responded to the many, eager faithful calling for him to come out to speak to them.

Making a surprise appearance outside the residence, both Sunday and last night, the Holy Father greeted the large, loud crowd, who was singing to welcome him, urging him to exit and greet them.

“Come out, Pope,” they were shouting, sources say.

Eventually, Pope Francis conceded, stepping out of the residence, praying a Hail Mary with them, and telling them once again to “Go to bed,” so “the neighborhood can sleep.”

The next stops on the Pope’s full agenda are Bolivia tomorrow and then Paraguay on Friday. 

In the region which claims about 40% of the world’s Catholics, the countries the Holy Father is visiting are very Catholic and very poor. According to Pew Research Center, the Catholics in Ecuador make up 79% of its population; in Bolivia, 77%; in Paraguay, 89%.

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Deborah Castellano Lubov

Deborah Castellano Lubov is Senior Vatican & Rome Correspondent for ZENIT; author of 'The Other Francis' ('L'Altro Francesco') featuring interviews with those closest to the Pope and preface by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (currently published in 5 languages); Deborah is also NBC & MSNBC Vatican Analyst. She often covers the Pope's travels abroad, often from the Papal Flight (including for historic trips such as to Abu Dhabi and Japan & Thailand), and has also asked him questions on the return-flight press conference on behalf of the English-speaking press present. Lubov has done much TV & radio commentary, including for NBC, Sky, EWTN, BBC, Vatican Radio, AP, Reuters and more. She also has contributed to various books on the Pope and has written for various Catholic publications. For 'The Other Francis': http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page219.html or https://www.amazon.com/Other-Francis-Everything-They-about/dp/0852449348/

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