People stand near a cutout of Pope Francis prior to his visit, in Temuco, Chile, January 15, 2018. REUTERS/Juan Gonzalez
January 15, 2018
By Dave Sherwood
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Pope Francis arrived in Chile on Monday evening, the first stop in a trip that includes Peru, as he hopes to inject new confidence in two staunchly Catholic countries where the Church’s credibility has been severely damaged by sexual abuse scandals.
The Argentine pontiff will begin his trip in the Chilean capital of Santiago, then head to Temuco and Iquique. In Peru, he will stop in Lima, Puerto Maldonado and Trujillo.
A planned mass on Tuesday morning in Santiago is expected to attract more than 500,000 people, government officials said.
(Reporting by Dave Sherwood; editing by Diane Craft)
