The razzmatazz around Pope Francis in Rio

On Friday  night there was a rare hush among the crowds-broken only by occasional applause- as Pope Francis spoke from the heart and directly to over one and half million mainly young pilgrims who had packed Rio’s Copacabana beach.

Christ’s Crucifiction was not defeat but a victory of good over evil, of hope over despair, the certainty of God’s love for the sinner, and the prospect of redemption, he prayed. Whatever our personal suffering, we know we are not alone, for Jesus is with us, in communion, offering us love and happiness with his presence, he went on to say.

Francis spoke in a quite and focused tone, that was not sombre but sought to engage in a language that could be understood . The Cross was  one shared with those who suffered the corruption and greed of politicians and the moral betrayals of bishops and priests, including those who abused or pursed careers instead of true holiness in humility.  This  Cross too would help Latin America find a way to confront injustice and violence.

At one point, as is his habit, Francis called out to the crowd, urging them to define their Faith in love and hope-with a passion and vigour that reminded one of his Argentine roots, before returning to his universal role as pastor of the people of God.

Earlier,Francis had show his less mystical and yet profoundly human side, reaching out and fueling the enthusiasm of pilgrims with his smile and direct eye contact and embracing countless young children as he was brought along the promenade in an open truck.  Weary of journalists, to whom he denies interviews and press conferences,  Francs is nonetheless a natural physical communicator a populist priest and bishop of the people.  The bigger the crowds the more relaxed and engaged he seemed, a Pope at peace with his sense of mission amidst devoted Catholic youths he called ‘disciples of the new evangelisation.’

He watched in silence and with his head bowed as if turned inwards in contemplation. The Stations of the Cross ceremony that now ensued was elaborate,verging on bad taste. The  organisers seemed to have one eye on winning over the Pentecostals who are the biggest growing religious sect in Latin America, the other on the Olympics in 2016-testing loyalties and reaction. But then they could have simply wanted to have something which young people could connect with. This was after all one of the key events of  the papal World Youth Day.

Most of the ceremony was dominated by an eclectic modernist choreography , rock music, striking costumes, a giant neon giant Cross behind the Pope’s throne, and haunting voodooesque rattles marking the end of each station. Some scenes, like the appearance of a stripped and bloodied Jesus taking centre stage on a raised platform, were reminiscent of Jesus Christ Super Star , others of the London Olympics, or of Rio’s own Carnival. The wooden cross garlanded in ribbons of Vatican colours ,carried by white clothed youths, and followed by a band from the Brazilian navy and altar boys swinging incense only fuelled a sense of pure over-the-top theatrics.

Thank God for the moving testimonies by young pilgrims at each station about their personal experiences of loss, and pain and redemption. In the end it was the  Pope’s words that restored a necessary note of spiritual sobriety amidst the invasive razzmatazz and near hysteria of the crowds. The ceremony was evangelical in its loud, simplistic assertion of Faith, with a charismatic Pope at its heart. It spoke to the converted but in a style that may have  its limits in its appeal, among the doubters,non-believers, and peoples of other faiths.