Article Excerpt 
 
 RIO DE JANEIRO—Millions of people converged on Copacabana Beach Saturday for an evening vigil with Pope Francis, marking the strongest show of public support yet for the pontiff on his first overseas trip. 
 
 Pilgrims from around the world swamped the streets of Rio de Janeiro to attend an evening vigil with the pope. Faithful streamed through city tunnels and byways to reach the shore, where they blanketed miles of the crescent white-sand beach with sleeping bags, tents and national banners. City officials and church organizers estimated the crowd was three million strong. 
 
 That turnout, if confirmed, would top some of ... ||||| The first Latin American pontiff has called on Catholics to adopt a more missionary mind-set. 
 
 Pope Francis celebrates Mass with bishops, priests and seminarians at the Cathedral of St. Sebastian in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. (Photo: Luca Zennaro, AFP/Getty Images) Story Highlights On Friday, Francis issued impassioned plea for the downtrodden 
 
 World Youth Day events have drawn more than 300,000 to Rio 
 
 Deluge of rain forced organizers to change plans for final Mass on Sunday 
 
 RIO DE JANEIRO — An estimated three million Catholics crammed onto the iconic Copacabana Beach Saturday night for a vigil with Pope Francis, whose visit to Brazil culminates tomorrow with a Mass that is expected to convene an even bigger crowd. 
 
 The vigil capped a busy day for Francis, who arrived in Brazil July 22 for World Youth Day, a biannual gathering of young Catholics. 
 
 Earlier on Saturday, Francis told an assembly of Catholic bishops in the cathedral of Rio de Janeiro to get out of their cathedrals and spread the gospel and serve those most in need. 
 
 It was yet another admonishment from the first Latin American pontiff — who has called for a Church focused on the poor — for Catholics to adopt a more missionary mind-set. It also blasted bishops from Brazil, where the number of faithful has shrunk to less than 65% of the population in what is still the world's most Catholic country. 
 
 "We cannot keep ourselves shut up in parishes, in our communities, when so many people are waiting for the Gospel," Francis said. 
 
 "Let us courageously look to pastoral needs, beginning on the periphery (of where we live), with those who are farthest away, with those who do not usually go to church. They, too, are invited to the table of the Lord." 
 
 It was message aimed at reviving an institution dating back centuries in Latin America, but one becoming less relevant in the region as people become culturally Catholic or leave the church all together — often for Evangelical congregations. Those congregations have often better identified basic needs in poor Brazilian neighbourhoods and addressed issues like domestic violence and alcohol abuse, instead of speaking about more global ideas like social justice, says Andrew Chesnut, religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and the author of a book on Brazil's Evangelicals 
 
 Francisca Martinez, 21, traveled to World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro from Guam. She said the chance to meet other young Catholics was the one of the best parts of attending. (Photo: David Agren, USA TODAY) 
 
 Papal spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the speech to the bishops was the longest of his pontificate and outlines his vision for them, Catholic News Service reported. 
 
 The pope later took his straight-talking style to a speech for intellectuals and Brazil's political and business leaders. He implored them to open opportunities for everyone in a country rife with inequality, expand dialogue with all sectors of society and work toward "eliminating forms of elitism and eradicating poverty." 
 
 Brazil has been beset by demonstrations over protesters' complaints of an unresponsive political class, police repression and irresponsible spending on sports stadiums for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics — while infrastructure remains inadequate and the health and school systems provide poor service. 
 
 Francis called for "social humility" and dialogue without directly mentioning the protests. 
 
 "When leaders in various fields ask me for advice, my response is always the same: dialogue, dialogue, dialogue," he said. "It is the only way for individuals, families and societies to grow, the only way for the life of peoples to progress." 
 
 Francis frequently criticized corruption and the political class in his native Argentina, especially the populist politics of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and politicians forming patronage groups among the poor. 
 
 "Politicians hated him, but people love him," said Marina Artese, 23, a schoolteacher from Buenos Aires. 
 
 Looking to the wider world, he added, "Peaceful coexistence between different religions is favored by the secularism of the state." 
 
 For young people, their Saturday focus was on faith. Many made pilgrimages by walking to the Copacabana Beach. 
 
 Once there, they staked out spots on the sand. Some slept, played soccer and build sandcastles under sunny skies as they waited for the pope to arrive for what was to be a solemn event. 
 
 "It's a true experience of faith," said Chris Whitson, who help chaperon a group of 86 youths from Georgia and the Carolinas. 
 
 "I hope that youth take away the courage to live their faith in a more concrete way," said Jose Luis Hernandez, a priest from Atlanta. 
 
 "The community of young people from around the world," said Francisca Martinez, 21, a student from Guam. 
 
 "To have something in common helps (overcome) the language barriers." 
 
 Many young people planned to camp on the beach Saturday night, pitching tents and spreading out sleeping bags to sleep under the stars. Organizers asked those doing so to donate their sleeping bags afterward to the homeless. 
 
 On Friday night, Francis issued an impassioned plea for the downtrodden and oppressed while addressing throngs of young Catholics on Copacabana Beach for a re-enactment of Christ going to his crucifixion. 
 
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– Pope Francis delivered a simple simple message to Latin American bishops in Brazil today—if you're going to help the needy and keep people from straying from the church, you've got to get outside and actually meet them: "We cannot keep ourselves shut up in parishes, in our communities, when so many people are waiting for the Gospel," he said. "Let us courageously look to pastoral needs, beginning on the periphery (of where we live), with those who are farthest away, with those who do not usually go to church. They, too, are invited to the table of the Lord." The speech drove home "a critique of elitism that has become the overarching theme of his first overseas trip," writes the Wall Street Journal, while USA Today sees it "as yet another admonishment ... for Catholics to adopt a more missionary mindset." After speaking to the region's bishops, Francis addressed politicians, business leaders, and intellectuals, and urged them to reach out to all members of society, too. "When leaders in various fields ask me for advice, my response is always the same: dialogue, dialogue, dialogue," he said, per USA Today. "It is the only way for individuals, families, and societies to grow, the only way for the life of peoples to progress."