罗马天主教宗继续南美之行到访玻利维亚

Pope Francis was greeted by Bolivian President Evo Morales when he arrived Wednesday on the second leg of his three-nation tour of his home continent of South America.

The pontiff told a crowd of thousands who gathered at the airport in the capital of La Paz that Bolivia "is making important steps towards including broad sectors in the country\'s economic, social and political life."

Mr. Morales said the visit of the Argentinean-born pope represents support for the "liberation" of the Bolivian people. Relations between Bolivia\'s Catholic Church and the Bolivian government became strained after Mr. Morales, the country\'s first indigenous leader, first took office in 2006, but have improved since Francis\'s election in 2013.

The pope later traveled into La Paz for talks with Mr. Morales and other political and civic leaders. During the trip, Francis stopped his motorcade at the spot where the body of Jesuit priest Luis Espinal was found in 1980 after he was arrested and tortured by Bolivian paramilitary squads.

教宗方济各对聚集在玻利维亚首都拉巴斯机场的数千名欢迎民众说，玻利维亚在鼓励各个阶层参与国家的经济、社会和政治生活方面正取得重要的进展。

莫拉莱斯总统说，在阿根廷出生的教宗访问玻利维亚，表明教宗支持玻利维亚人民的“解放”。莫拉莱斯是玻利维亚第一位原住民总统。他2006年就任后，玻利维亚天主教会和政府间的关系出现紧张，但2013年方济各出任罗马天主教教宗之后，关系有所改善。

教宗方济各在拉巴斯与莫拉雷斯总统和市府其他市政领导人进行了交谈。教宗车队在1980年耶稣会牧师埃斯皮纳尔的尸体被发现的地方做短暂停留。埃斯皮纳尔当年被玻利维亚准军事部队逮捕，并遭酷刑。