Big crowds as Pope ends Brazil trip

Pope Francis’s historic trip to his home continent ended yesterday after a marathon week-long visit to Brazil that drew millions of people on to the sands of Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Copacabana beach and appeared to reinvigorate the clergy and faithful alike in the world’s largest Catholic country.

Dignitaries including Brazilian vice president Michel Temer turned out at Rio’s Antonio Carlos Jobim international airport to bid farewell to the Argentine-born pontiff after a visit marked by big moments. They included a visit to a vast church dedicated to Brazil’s patron saint, a rainy walk through one of Rio’s dangerous slums and a papal Mass that was one of the biggest in recent history.