Pope Benedict XVI departs Wednesday on his first pilgrimage to Latin America -- a test of the 80-year-old pontiff's stamina and how he intends to deal with pressing challenges to his church in the region.The Vatican is promising he will deliver a tough message to politicians on poverty and crime during the five-day visit to Brazil -- the world's most populous Roman Catholic country -- as well as try to strengthen a church battling to retain its leading role in the region.
The German-born pope plans to lay out his strategy when he opens a once-a-decade meeting of bishops from throughout Latin America in the shrine city of Aparecida, near Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America's largest city.
The Vatican's No. 2 official said Benedict will issue a "strong message" on poverty, social inequality, drug trafficking and violence and on the exodus of Catholics joining Protestant evangelical churches.
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