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times frenzied welcome he got on his first day in Rio seemed to fill those hopes.
• Returning to his home continent for the first time since becoming pontiff, Francis smiled broadly as thousands of people rushed his car Monday after it became stuck behind buses and taxis when his driver made a wrong turn on a main avenue in Rio's center.
• It was a nightmarish scene for security officials, but clearly a delight and another opportunity to connect for this pope, who was scheduled to take a day off Tuesday for rest and private meetings.
• The ecstatic throngs forced his motorcade to repeatedly come to a standstill, weeks after violent protests against the government paralyzed parts of Brazil. Francis' driver turned into the wrong side of a boulevard at one point, missing lanes that had been cleared. Other parts of the pope's route to the city center weren't lined with fencing, giving the throngs more chances to get close, with uniformed police nowhere in sight to act as crowd control.
• The three dozen visible Vatican and Brazilian plainclothes security officials struggled to keep the crowds at bay. Francis not only looked calm but got even closer to the people. He rolled down his back-seat window, waved to the crowd and touched those who reached inside. He kissed a baby a woman handed to him.
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• Pope Francis arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Monday to begin a weeklong visit to participate in the World Youth Day festival.
• After making a no-frills flight on a charter jet from Italy, the pontiff got a rousing, and sometimes alarming, welcome on his first trip back to his home continent since becoming the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
• Throngs of people surrounded the pope's car several times as he made his way into the city from the airport, and outnumbered security officers struggled to push the surging crowds back.
• While others worried about his security, Francis was all smiles, even rolling down his window in the car to wave and shake hands. He later transferred to an open vehicle for a spin through downtown on his way to an official welcoming ceremony.
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