Pope Francis begins his tour of Latin America.

(Baonghean.vn) - Pope Francis has chosen Ecuador as the starting point for his seven-day trip to Latin America.

Ecuador's left-wing president, Rafael Correa, called the Pope's visit a great honor for the country.

Pope Francis will also visit Bolivia and Paraguay as part of his second trip to the continent since becoming Pope in 2013.

He is the first Pope from South America. During this trip, he is expected to devote much of his attention to the issues of poverty and inequality.

In 2007, before becoming Pope, he told a group of Latin American clergy that it was the most unequal place in the world. During his previous trip there, he also spoke about this issue to millions of Brazilians on Copacabana beach.

According to Bolivian Culture Minister Marko Machicao, one of the Pope's requests upon arriving in the country was to chew coca leaves. Coca, the main component of cocaine, has been used in the Andes region for thousands of years to combat fear of heights and as a stimulant.

This September, the Pope will visit Cuba before beginning his visit to the United States. The Pope also played a significant role in easing tensions between the United States and Cuba last December.

Vo Ngoc Trung

(Source: BBC)