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- On his third day in Brazil, the last one in the city of São Paulo, Pope Benedict XVI canonized friar Galvão, who became the first Brazilian-born Saint of the Roman Catholic Church. The sainthood of friar Galvão was declared in a mass at the Campo de Marte Airport, for a crowd estimated in 1,5 million people, with the announcement that the friar is henceforth known as Saint Anthony de Sant'Anna Galvão. The Pope next returned to the Saint Benedict Monastery, where he addressed the faithful holding vigil in front of the building. In the afternoon, the Pope met with religious authorities of the city and the state of São Paulo and, at 7 o'clock pm local time, was to fly to Aparecida, for the final part of his 5-day visit to the country. (CNN)
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- On his second day in Brazil, Pope Benedict XVI met with the governor of the state of São Paulo and with the mayor of the city of São Paulo. The Pope received both authorities at the Saint Benedict Monastery, where he is staying in São Paulo, and also visited the Bandeirantes Palace, the official seat of the State Government. The main event in the Pope's agenda, however, was the Meeting with the Youth of Latin America, which took place at the Pacaembu stadium. The key note in the Pope's speech was the reaffirmation of the sanctity and indissolution of marriage, whereas the speeches given by invited youngsters centered in the role played by the Catholic Church in helping to provide free, quality education to children and adolescents. The Pope also made a total of 6 brief speeches on the balcony of the Saint Benedict Monastery, addressing the crowds that had spent the day in vigil. (CNN)
- Petrobrás and Bolivia's state-owned YPFB reached a compromise whereby the Bolivian government will pay 112 million US dollars for the two oil refineries that the Brazilian oil giant owned in the country. The Brazilian government claimed that Petrobrás' Executive Board had complete freedom to make a business-oriented decision in accepting the Bolivian offer and that the price finally offer was fair. Analysts in Brazil, however, have claimed that Petrobrás was receiving less than it had paid for the facilities, with losses that could amount to as much as 68 million dollars, and that the decision had been mainly political. (G1)
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- Pope Benedict XVI, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, arrived for his 5-day visit to Brazil. The Pope came in acceptance of an invitation to be the guest of honor in the opening day of the V Latin American Episcopal Conference, that is to take place in the town of Aparecida, São Paulo. The Pope arrived at the Guarulhos Air Base at 4 o'clock pm local time, and was greeted by President Lula and several other authorities. After a quick speech, in which the main political note was a reiteration of the Church's condemnation of the legalization of abortion, the Pope proceeded to another ceremony at the Campo de Marte Airport, where the mayor of São Paulo awaited; from there, the Pope boarded the so-called Popemobile and went to the Saint Benedict Monastery, where he spoke briefly to a large crowd that had been waiting for him, before retiring to rest. (G1)
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| Picture of the Week |
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The Pope Benedict XVI in Brazil.
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