(ANS - Asunción)- After his arrival in Paraguay and the welcoming ceremony on 10 July Pope Francis was swamped by the children of the two choirs who sang on his arrival. He then took a route that allowed him to visit the Niños de Acosta Ñu hospital and various other locations the next day, using the same car that was used by Pope John Paul II in 1988. Below is a chronicle of the main events, taken from the website of the Salesians in Paraguay.

The Pope arrived in Asuncion, the capital of the country, just before 3.00 p.m. local time, on the third and final leg of his trip to Latin America. There, two children's choirs sang in his honour, with songs in Spanish, Guarani and Ache. Three children approached the Holy Father with gifts, but one of them presented a special request to the Pope.

After being embraced by the Pope, twelve year-old Rodrigo Hermosa asked him to go to greet his companions in the choir. The Holy Father acceded to the request and a few minutes later he was receiving an enthusiastic collective hug from the youthful choir members whom he then blessed.

"It was the best day of our lives, and always will be", some of them said. A video of this touching embrace is available on the internet.

Then, in his address to the authorities and the diplomatic corps, the Pope said: "Dear friends, in the desire to serve and work for the common good, the poor and needy must occupy a priority place. Great efforts are being made because Paraguay is progressing on the path of economic growth. There has been important progress in the fields of education and health. Do not relent in your efforts until there are no more children without access to education, no more homeless families or workers without decent work, or peasants without land to farm, no more people forced to migrate to an uncertain future, no more victims of violence, corruption and drug trafficking. "

Then in the white 1988 Peugeot 405 previously used by John Paul II, he moved to the Apostolic Nunciature, where he spent the night, and from there he went the next day to the Ninos de Acosta ñu Children's Hospital.

More pictures and further information and videos are available on the website of the Salesians in Paraguay.

Published 13/07/2015