MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Pope warns of an entire generation of jobless young people, before arriving in Rio

Pope Francis arrives at Rio do Janeiro

Pope Francis warned Monday that the world risks having an entire generation of jobless young people as he arrived to Brazil. The 76-year-old Argentine, speaking to journalists aboard the papal plane heading to the Catholic youth event in Rio de Janeiro, said his trip aimed in part “to encourage young people to integrate into society” and convince the world not to abandon them.

“The global crisis has brought nothing good to young people. I saw the data on youth unemployed last week. We run the risk of having a generation without work,” said Francis, who carried his own luggage onto the plane, in keeping with his trademark simplicity.

Making his first trip abroad since becoming Latin America's first pope in March, Francis also lamented “the culture of rejection” of the elderly “despite the life wisdom they give us.”

The pope, who preaches a “poor Church for the poor,” arrives later in Brazil in the wake of massive protests against the cost of public transport, rampant corruption of the political system, government waste and the billions spent on hosting the 2014 World Cup.

The Catholic Church is facing its own challenge in Brazil as the world's biggest Catholic nation has seen its flock shrink and Evangelical churches grow.

More than 90% of Brazilians identified as Catholic in 1970, according to the census. But a poll by Datafolha Institute showed Sunday 57% now call themselves Catholic while 28% say they are Pentecostal or non-Pentecostal Evangelicals.

In the city of Rio, only 40% are Catholic while almost a quarter are “without religion,” according to a separate poll published in the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.

The pope's message of a simpler church, closer to the people, may hit a nerve in Brazil, which has become richer but still faces economic challenges that brought some one million protesters to the streets last month.

After landing, the pope crossed the city in a car and later changed to an open version of the “Popemobile” so that Francis could keep contact with the crowds.

Authorities are deploying 30,000 troops and police in the crime-riddled city, where several streets are blocked off.

During his week-long visit, Francis will see the faces of Brazil's success and struggles, with a meeting Monday with President Dilma Rousseff and a visit to one of Rio's sprawling favelas, or slums, on Thursday.

While Francis meets Rousseff in the Rio state governor's palace, atheists and the Anonymous protest group plan to demonstrate outside against the 53 million dollars spent from public coffers for the pope's visit.

Pilgrims from around the world are in Rio for World Youth Day, arriving by bus from neighboring nations or landing by plane from across the ocean to greet the first pope from Latin America.

Nuns checked in at hotels while other pilgrims walked along the beach, flaunting the colors of their countries as if it was already the 2014 World Cup. More than one million people are expected for the festivities.