Скачать или смотреть Security, merchandising on eve of pope's visit to Brazil

(8 May 2007) SHOTLIST
1. Wide exterior of Sao Bento monastery
2. Various of workers on balcony
3. Various of police officers on streets
4. Various of vendor holding poster of Pope Benedict XVI, pull out to set up of nun, Florencia Aguilar
5. SOUNDBITE: (Portuguese) Florencia Aguilar, Nun:
"It's a blessing from God, you know? It's necessary for Brazil, to know he is walking in our country. The visit of the Pope is important to provide guidelines, especially for families and young people."
6. Man looking at magazines
7. Magazine covers showing Pope Benedict
8. Poster of Pope in newsstand window
STORYLINE
Workers were putting the finishing touches to the monastery of Saint Bento in Sao Paulo on Tuesday, where Pope Benedict XVI will bless the faithful of this massive Brazilian city of 20 (m) million during his much awaited visit.
The Pope Benedict XVI will begin his five-day papal visit on Wednesday - touring the world's most populous Roman Catholic country aimed at reversing the flight of Catholics who have abandoned the church to become Protestants - or who simply stopped attending Mass amid profound societal change.
Throughout the crowded streets of downtown Sao Paulo, posters and signs welcoming the Pope were being erected as workers cleaned the streets and plazas where he will greet the faithful.
Street vendors were already selling Pope memorabilia, to commemorate the Pope's first trip to Brazil.
Aiming at energising the Church's more than 120 (m) million Catholics, Benedict will canonise the country's first native saint, hold masses that could attract (m) millions and open a conference of Latin American bishops in the holy shrine of Aparecida.
Nearly half the world's 1 (b) billion Catholics live in Latin America, but Pentecostal churches are enjoying explosive growth, promising divine intervention to lift parishioners from lives of misery in a region where the divide between rich and poor is among the worst on the planet.
Brazil's census shows the percentage of citizens characterising themselves as Catholics plunged from 89 percent in 1980 to 74 percent in 2000, while those calling themselves evangelical Protestants rose from 7 percent to 15 percent.
A study released last week by Brazil's respected Getulio Vargas Foundation indicated the Catholic decline stabilised from 2000 to 2003, but also showed the percentage of Protestants continued to rise.
Religious workers like Sister Florencia Aguilar believe the Pope's visit will renew interest in the church and strengthen traditional family values.
"It's a blessing from God, you know? It's necessary for Brazil, to know he is walking in our country. The visit of the Pope is important to provide guidelines, especially for families and young people," Sister Aguilar said.
Whatever the impact, the Pope's visit is bound to resurrect old debates here about liberation theology and activist priests and nuns, issues that bedevilled his predecessor Pope John Paul II, and remain unresolved to this day.
The Vatican's Latin American leaders also struggle with a host of secular issues, including Brazil's free distribution of condoms to combat AIDS, a rise in second marriages not recognised by the church and Mexico City's move to legalise abortion.
Many wonder whether Benedict will be able to make a difference, especially since the church's situation worsened in Latin America despite frequent visits by his beloved predecessor, John Paul II.

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