AP PHOTOS: Crowds turn out for pope despite rain

AAA??Jul. 24, 2013?11:59 PM ET
AP PHOTOS: Crowds turn out for pope despite rain
By The Associated Press??By The Associated Press

Pilgrims wait under the rain outside the Aparecida basilica for the arrival of Pope Francis in Aparecida, Brazil, Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Thousands packed into the huge basilica, and tens of thousands more braved a cold rain outside to catch a glimpse of the first pope from the Americas returning to a shrine of great meaning to the continent and to him personally. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

Pilgrims wait under the rain outside the Aparecida basilica for the arrival of Pope Francis in Aparecida, Brazil, Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Thousands packed into the huge basilica, and tens of thousands more braved a cold rain outside to catch a glimpse of the first pope from the Americas returning to a shrine of great meaning to the continent and to him personally. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

Pilgrims wait under the rain at the Aparecida basilica for the arrival of Pope Francis in Aparecida, Brazil, Wednesday, July 24, 2013. On Wednesday, Pope Francis, the first pontiff from the Americas, flew over farmland and sugar cane fields to visit the mammoth basilica that holds the statue of this particular Brazilian Mary. (AP Photo/Enric Marti)

A woman prays as she holds two crucifixes while waiting for the arrival of Pope Francis to the Aparecida basilica in Aparecida, Brazil, Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Tens of thousands of faithful flocked to the tiny town of Aparecida, tucked into an agricultural region halfway between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, where Francis celebrated the first public Mass of his trip in the basilica dedicated to the nation's patron saint. (AP Photo/Luca Zennaro, Pool)

Pope Francis greets pilgrims from his popemobile as he arrives to the Aparecida Basilica in Aparecida, Brazil, Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Unlike the scenes of chaos that greeted Francis upon his Monday arrival in Rio, when a mob of faithful swarmed his motorcade from the airport, the security situation in Aparecida was far more controlled. Chest-high barriers kept the faithful far from his car. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims from his popemobile as he arrives to the Aparecida Basilica in Aparecida, Brazil, Wednesday, July 24, 2013. It was no coincidence that the first major event of his first foreign trip as pope was a Mass in Aparecida. The shrine, which draws 11 million pilgrims a year, hosted a critical 2007 meeting of Latin American bishops attended by then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. (AP Photo/Enric Marti)

It was a rainy day, but the Roman Catholic faithful turned out in droves for Pope Francis on Wednesday.

He started the day in the town of Aparecida, to attend Mass at the mammoth Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, which houses Brazil's patron saint, the dark-skinned Virgin of Aparecida.

Thousands jammed themselves inside the church, while tens of thousands more stood in the rain outside and happily cheered the pope.

Later, Francis returned to Rio de Janeiro for a visit to what the pope called a "shrine of human suffering" ? a hospital in Rio that treats substance abusers.

Here's a gallery of images from the third day of the pope' visit to Brazil.

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AP photographers and photo editors on Twitter: http://apne.ws/15Oo6jo

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-07-24-Brazil-Pope-Photo-Gallery/id-457263ab0e934359b5e1c8419d6f0ecf

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