On his first trip abroad since becoming pontiff, Pope Francis found his car swarmed and brought to a standstill several times by eager crowds in Rio de Janeiro yesterday. Meanwhile, protestors angry with the Brazilian government clashed with police outside the governor's palace. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News
Pope Francis was resting Tuesday after a tumultuous start to his Brazil trip that included the discovery of a bomb at a shrine he is due to visit.
Francis was welcomed by thousands of people as he drove into Rio de Janeiro Tuesday, though at one point the adulation threatened to get out of hand when his car was forced to stop by the crush of people, Reuters reported.
People surrounded the pontiff?s small silver Fiat to take photos and touch him through the open window. Bodyguards moved in to push back the crowd.
Concern over his security was heightened following the discovery of a home-made pipe bomb in Aparacida, Sao Paulo state.
A security source said it was found in a public bathroom at the Aparacida Shrine during a routine security sweep of the area on Sunday. The explosive device, which was described as not very powerful, was detonated on Monday.
The huge shrine is built around a small clay statue of the Virgin Mary that is a figure of worship for millions of Brazilians.
As Pope Francis makes his way through the streets of Rio de Janiero for the first time as pontiff, crowds gather around the Popemobile to catch a glimpse of the leader of the Catholic church.
There were clashes Monday during protests outside Rio's Guanabara Palace, where the pope met with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and where hundreds of dignitaries took part in the official welcome ceremony.
The violence broke out as about 1,500 demonstrators staged a rally with an equal number of security forces between them and the palace.
Globo TV showed video of masked protestors burning an effigy representing the governor. Analysts said the protest was aimed at the government and had nothing to do with the pope.
However Reuters reported that demonstrations aimed at the Catholic Church were planned during the pope?s visit, mostly by feminists, gay rights groups and others who disagree with the Church's long-standing social doctrines.
Francis chose to leave the bulletproof popemobile at home because he likes to be able to get off his car to meet people, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told Reuters.
Mario Tama / Getty Images
The pontiff is making his first visit to South America since he was elected. An estimated 2 million people are expected to greet him.
In central Rio on Monday, Francis switched to a large white open truck to wave to thousands of well-wishers, some of whom climbed trees, bus stops and newspaper kiosks to see him.
"I felt the call of God," Mari Therese Reyes, 32, of the Philippines who saved money for six months for her trip, told Reuters. "It's not just to see the pope. It is an encounter with Christ."
Markus Hemmert, a 38-year-old German pilgrim who took three months to cycle to Brazil from Chicago, said: "I love the pope very much."
The pope is taking part in a number of activities linked to World Youth Day.
On Friday in Rio, he will walk the Stations of the Cross during an event on Copacabana beach expected to attract more than a million people and then on Saturday he will hold an evening vigil.
The church's first Jesuit leader will also venture into a rough slum that sits along a violence-soaked road known by locals as the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported.
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