Pope greeted Bolivians with message of inclusion
Pope Francis greeted Bolivians with a message of inclusion Wednesday, a central theme of his three-nation tour to his home continent, as he arrived in South America's poorest nation.
Landing in La Paz early in the evening, thousands of faithful -- many of whom had spent a chilly night outdoors waiting for him -- welcomed the pope as choirs sang in the indigenous Aymara language.
He was met by Evo Morales, a champion of Latin America's radical left and Bolivia's first indigenous president.
Francis's trip to Bolivia follows a four-day visit to Ecuador, where he celebrated two massive outdoor masses and pleaded for "dialogue" in a country rocked by anti-government protests. On Friday he will travel to Paraguay.
The pope, the first from South America, arrived in the thin air of Bolivia's El Alto airport, at more than 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) above sea level.
Concerned authorities had extra oxygen tanks on hand for the Argentine-born pope, who lost a lung during his youth.
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