MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

From Brazil’s largest basilica Pope Francis calls on young people to shun the idols of money and pleasure

Tens of thousands turned out for Francis’ mass despite the cold and rain

Pope Francis held his first mass as a pontiff at the Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida in Sao Paulo before thousands of faithful who gathered despite de cold and the rain. During the Wednesday mass, Pope Francis urged young people to shun the “ephemeral idols” of money and pleasure and cherish traditional values to help build a better world.

On the third day of his week-long visit for World Youth Day, a biennial Church gathering being celebrated in and around Rio de Janeiro, he landed by helicopter in Aparecida, 260 kilometres west of the metropolis and powerhouse of Brazil.

The city is home to a shrine of the Virgin Mary that is venerated as the patroness of Brazil, home to the biggest Roman Catholic population in the world. It is also the site where Francis, then a cardinal in Argentina, cemented his place as a leader of the Church during a 2007 conference attended by Pope Benedict XVI.

Security around the pope on Wednesday appeared much more organized than upon his Monday arrival in Rio, where adoring crowds at one point surrounded his car as the driver lost his way. He later transferred to an open ‘popemobile’.

In Aparecida, where tens of thousands gathered for the pope's first public mass of the visit, Francis rode in the white popemobile with open sides and a transparent top. Security squads kept the vehicle safely within barriers behind which tens of thousands of ecstatic faithful cheered, sang and waved flags.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Vatican and Brazilian officials held what he called “a routine meeting” to discuss how the trip was going and made one change - that Francis would ride in a closed car from Rio airport to a hospital when he returns from Aparecida.

At the indoor Mass in Aparecida, one of Latin America's most popular pilgrimage sites, Francis urged worshippers to embody the faith of their ancestors and trust in God.

“Let us never lose hope! Let us never allow it to die in our hearts!” the pope said in Portuguese.

The basilica, one of the largest of Catholic temples contains 18,000 m2 of space that can accommodate 45.000 worshipers. During celebrations on the feast day of the patroness, up to 70,000 can be accommodated in ancillary areas. The grounds contain a shopping mall, medical clinic, restaurants and a 272,000 m2 parking lot that can hold 4,000 buses and 6,000 cars.