Pope to visit Rio slum, hospital and meet with prisoners during July World Youth Day

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis will visit one of Rio de Janeiro's favelas, or slums, during his weeklong visit to Brazil for World Youth Day, his first foreign trip as pontiff.

The Vatican on Tuesday released Francis' itinerary for the July 22-29 trip to the world's largest Roman Catholic country. It includes a meeting with prisoners and a visit to a Rio hospital as well as events linked to the Catholic Church's youth festival.

Pope Francis, aboard his popemobile, leaves St. Peter's Square at the Vatican after celebrating a mass for Confraternities, Sunday, May 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The 76-year-old Francis will remain mostly in Rio but will make a daylong side trip to Aparacida to pray at the shrine to the Virgin Mary.

He will also visit the Varginha favela, north of Rio, and deliver a speech.

As archbishop of Buenos Aires, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio often worked and preached in the capital's slums.

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