Around 400,000 Roman Catholics have joined a ceremony on Copacabana Beach in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro to mark the opening of World Youth Day.<\/p>\n
The highlight of the festival will be a visit on Thursday by Pope Francis.<\/p>\n
The Pope arrived in Brazil on Monday, making his first trip abroad since becoming head of the Roman Catholic Church.<\/p>\n
His visit is taking place under tight security, after weeks of protests against the government and corruption.<\/p>\n
Tuesday’s evening Mass at Copacabana Beach was led by Rio’s Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta.<\/p>\n
He welcomed pilgrims to the five-day festival, which is expected to draw about 1.5 million people from around the world.<\/p>\n
The Pope, who is from neighbouring Argentina, had no public events scheduled for Tuesday and spent time at a private residence.<\/p>\n
He is expected to greet large crowds at Copacabana on Thursday.<\/p>\n
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