People greet the Pope as he visits the Varginha slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 25, 2013.
Pope Celebrates World Youth Day in Rio
Pope Francis encouraged young people to honor their grandparents Friday, as he addressed a crowd in Rio de Janeiro during the Catholic Church's World Youth Day celebrations.
The pope noted that Friday marks Grandparent's Day in Brazil and many other countries. He said young people should thank their grandparents for the wisdom they share.
"On this World Youth Day, young people wish to acknowledge and honor their grandparents," he said. "They salute them with great affection and they thank them for the ongoing witness of their wisdom."
Bridging the gap between younger and older generations has been a major message for the pope during his trip to Brazil.
Thursday night, hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world gathered on the sprawling sands of Rio's famous Copacabana Beach to hear the 76-year-old pontiff speak.
The World Youth Day ceremony is the highlight event of the pontiff's week-long trip to Brazil.
Earlier Friday, Pope Francis heard confessions from a handful of young people at a park in Rio.
Story continues below photo gallery
Photo Gallery:
The Pope Visits Brazil
On Thursday, Francis, who was born in Argentina, celebrated Mass at Metropolitan Cathedral for scores of native Argentines in Rio. He also met with Brazilian athletes, including football (soccer) legend Zico, and blessed the Olympic flag. Rio will host football's World Cup next year and the Olympic Games in 2016.
The pontiff also visited one of Rio's notorious slums, or favelas, continuing his mission to call attention to the poor and marginalized.
The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.
