Security tightens, excitment ramps up hours before Pope arrival

Record ID: 909351

  • Title: Security tightens, excitment ramps up hours before Pope arrival
  • Date: 6th September 2017
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF MAN HOLDING VENEZUELAN FLAG AND FLAG OF THE VATICAN IN PLAZA BOLIVAR (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN CITIZEN, REYNALDO VANEGAS, SAYING: "[I am here] to give thanks to God, through the Pope, to help us have a better Venezuela. In my country there is unfortunately no food or medicine." PEOPLE ON SIDEWALK / STREET CHURCH OF MONSERRAT NUNS AND SECURITY OUTSIDE THE CHURCH (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SISTER ALBA MORELIS, SAYING: "We know that it is a great blessing for the people of Colombia. We hope that this visit from Pope Francis unites the Colombian people." POLICE GUARDING ENTRANCE TO THE CATHEDRAL MAN PUTTING UP RIBBON TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM PASSING THROUGH GENERAL VIEW OF CATHEDRAL POLICE BARRICADES OUTSIDE OF NUNCIATURE VARIOUS OF POLICE ON PATROL POLICE REVIEWING VEHICLE POLICE OFFICER CLOSING BARRICADE FOUR POLICE OFFICERS TALKING TO EACH OTHER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COLOMBIAN CITIZEN, NORA PABALLON, SAYING: "We are very happy that he is coming. The truth is that for us it is something very spiritual, a satisfaction, something very important. Second, we are going to see him because we are residents. We are going to be near him and that makes us very happy." VARIOUS OF ENTRANCE TO SIMON BOLIVAR PARK WITH FIRETRUCKS LEAVING BANNER WELCOMING POPE FRANCIS GENERAL VIEW OF STREET BANNER WELCOMING POPE FRANCIS VARIOUS OF POLICE WATCHING STREET
  • Embargoed: 20th September 2017 15:42
  • Keywords: Pope Francis Juan Manuel Santos ELN FARC peace
  • Location: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
  • City: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
  • Country: Colombia
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0036XGLY6F
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Security was tight and excitement high in Colombia on Wednesday (September 6) as the country awaited the long-anticipated arrival of Pope Francis.
    Police were on patrol at parks and churches as vendors sold papal images and banners welcomed the pontiff.
    Pope Francis arrives in Colombia later on Wednesday with a message of unity for a nation deeply divided by a peace deal that ended a five-decade war with Marxist FARC rebels but left many victims of the bloodshed wary of the national healing process.
    Francis, making his 20th foreign trip since becoming pontiff in 2014 and his fifth to his native Latin America, arrives in Bogota and will travel later in the week to the cities of Villavicencio, Medellin and Cartagena.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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