Pope Francisco (II)

This is why professional photographers on a brief use Nikon pro cameras, and not mini iPads! How I missed my D3x tonight as the Pope came within touching distance and the camera programme on my apple device closed just at that very moment....finger nimbleness brought it back up but not quickly enough for the lens to focus and something other than a blur to be recorded! But hey, I'm not a professional and my commissioning editor happens to be me, so this is going on as a record of the day!

And it was not only fun to be here making the acquaintance of a lovely group of ladies beside me at the barrier, but also moving, afterwards, to follow the route of the Popemobile with Dvorak's New World Symphony welling richly in the air along the entire length of Copacabana Beach and come upon an encampment of three million of the world's youth covering every inch of the four lane Avenida Atlantica and grain of sand of the beach with their ground sheets, tents, roll up mattresses, sleeping bags, and beach wraps.

Somehow, it represented every exodus there has ever been, and gave hope that goodwill may one day extend among all the peoples of the earth, most of whom were represented tonight by their youngest and most resilient.

The hopes and fears of all the years are truly met here this evening around the block in Copacabana.