LASTING LEGACY. “We don’t know when the Pope is going to go to Central America. This is the closest we could travel to see him, so we decided to come,” said Gabriel Orcullo, who traveled from Managua, Nicaragua, to see Pope Francis in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on July 6. “It means a lot to be here. Twenty years ago, John Paul II came and touched my two oldest children. It was his second visit to Nicaragua. So it was really special for me to be here, too, because also with John Paul II, we Nicaraguans had a really special relationship.” Other impressions from Pope Francis’ trip to South America: The Holy Father arrives in Ecuador on July 5 to a rousing welcome. Religious sisters await Pope Francis for Mass at Bicentennial Park in Quito, Ecuador, on July 7. The Pope embraces children before Mass on July 7. On July 9, a Bolivian woman in traditional garb takes notes during the Pope’s speech at the World Meeting of Popular Movements in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. And a Franciscan brother gives a thumbs up to the Pope’s impending arrival in Caacupe, Paraguay, on July 11.
See color photos in July 26 issue.