Pope dogged by crowd in Rio, security forces blame each other

Brazilian security forces blamed each other on Tuesday for the mob scenes that erupted around Pope Francis when he was dogged by a frantic crowd of faithful Catholics after his arrival in the country, reports Inquirer.net.

The frenzied crowd surrounded the motorcade Monday afternoon as people reached inside to touch Francis, snap photos with their phones, or hand him babies to kiss - scenes that alarmed some onlookers, although the pope himself seemed overjoyed with the raucous welcome and kept his car window down. Francis later moved through the masses in an open-air vehicle, says Philly.com.

Ignacio Cano, a researcher at the Violence Analysis Center at Rio de Janeiro State University, said that although authorities would like to surround the pope with protection, that "goes against the message he wants to impart, which is one of simplicity, openness and approximation", according to Westfield Republican.