Pope in Quito's Bicentennial Park

(ANSA) - Quito, July 7 - Pope Francis arrived Tuesday in the Bicentennial Park in the Ecuadorean capital city of Quito for an open-air Mass dedicated to evangelization. As Francis descended from the popemobile, a shower of flower petals was launched by the crowd of an estimated 1.5 million people.
    The park, dedicated to the country's independence just over 200 years ago, opened in 2013 in a large green area where an airport was once located.
    In fact, Pope John Paul II landed there in 1985 during his pontifical visit to Quito.
    Francis was greeted by bishops, including Mgr. Fausto Gabriel Travez Travez, in a ritual that included indigenous melodies and songs. Francis was also greeted by the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa.
    During Mass, the Pope recalled the "cry for freedom" heard 200 years ago in "Spanish-speaking America," born "from the consciousness of the lack of freedom, of being squeezed and looted, subject to the conveniences of the powerful". http://popefrancisnewsapp.com/