The first Latin American pontiff has called on Catholics to adopt a more missionary mind-set. 
 
 Pope Francis celebrates Mass with bishops, priests and seminarians at the Cathedral of St. Sebastian in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. (Photo: Luca Zennaro, AFP/Getty Images) Story Highlights On Friday, Francis issued impassioned plea for the downtrodden 
 
 World Youth Day events have drawn more than 300,000 to Rio 
 
 Deluge of rain forced organizers to change plans for final Mass on Sunday 
 
 RIO DE JANEIRO — An estimated three million Catholics crammed onto the iconic Copacabana Beach Saturday night for a vigil with Pope Francis, whose visit to Brazil culminates tomorrow with a Mass that is expected to convene an even bigger crowd. 
 
 The vigil capped a busy day for Francis, who arrived in Brazil July 22 for World Youth Day, a biannual gathering of young Catholics. 
 
 Earlier on Saturday, Francis told an assembly of Catholic bishops in the cathedral of Rio de Janeiro to get out of their cathedrals and spread the gospel and serve those most in need. 
 
 It was yet another admonishment from the first Latin American pontiff — who has called for a Church focused on the poor — for Catholics to adopt a more missionary mind-set. It also blasted bishops from Brazil, where the number of faithful has shrunk to less than 65% of the population in what is still the world's most Catholic country. 
 
 "We cannot keep ourselves shut up in parishes, in our communities, when so many people are waiting for the Gospel," Francis said. 
 
 "Let us courageously look to pastoral needs, beginning on the periphery (of where we live), with those who are farthest away, with those who do not usually go to church. They, too, are invited to the table of the Lord." 
 
 It was message aimed at reviving an institution dating back centuries in Latin America, but one becoming less relevant in the region as people become culturally Catholic or leave the church all together — often for Evangelical congregations. Those congregations have often better identified basic needs in poor Brazilian neighbourhoods and addressed issues like domestic violence and alcohol abuse, instead of speaking about more global ideas like social justice, says Andrew Chesnut, religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and the author of a book on Brazil's Evangelicals 
 
 Francisca Martinez, 21, traveled to World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro from Guam. She said the chance to meet other young Catholics was the one of the best parts of attending. (Photo: David Agren, USA TODAY) 
 
 Papal spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the speech to the bishops was the longest of his pontificate and outlines his vision for them, Catholic News Service reported. 
 
 The pope later took his straight-talking style to a speech for intellectuals and Brazil's political and business leaders. He implored them to open opportunities for everyone in a country rife with inequality, expand dialogue with all sectors of society and work toward "eliminating forms of elitism and eradicating poverty." 
 
 Brazil has been beset by demonstrations over protesters' complaints of an unresponsive political class, police repression and irresponsible spending on sports stadiums for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics — while infrastructure remains inadequate and the health and school systems provide poor service. 
 
 Francis called for "social humility" and dialogue without directly mentioning the protests. 
 
 "When leaders in various fields ask me for advice, my response is always the same: dialogue, dialogue, dialogue," he said. "It is the only way for individuals, families and societies to grow, the only way for the life of peoples to progress." 
 
 Francis frequently criticized corruption and the political class in his native Argentina, especially the populist politics of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and politicians forming patronage groups among the poor. 
 
 "Politicians hated him, but people love him," said Marina Artese, 23, a schoolteacher from Buenos Aires. 
 
 Looking to the wider world, he added, "Peaceful coexistence between different religions is favored by the secularism of the state." 
 
 For young people, their Saturday focus was on faith. Many made pilgrimages by walking to the Copacabana Beach. 
 
 Once there, they staked out spots on the sand. Some slept, played soccer and build sandcastles under sunny skies as they waited for the pope to arrive for what was to be a solemn event. 
 
 "It's a true experience of faith," said Chris Whitson, who help chaperon a group of 86 youths from Georgia and the Carolinas. 
 
 "I hope that youth take away the courage to live their faith in a more concrete way," said Jose Luis Hernandez, a priest from Atlanta. 
 
 "The community of young people from around the world," said Francisca Martinez, 21, a student from Guam. 
 
 "To have something in common helps (overcome) the language barriers." 
 
 Many young people planned to camp on the beach Saturday night, pitching tents and spreading out sleeping bags to sleep under the stars. Organizers asked those doing so to donate their sleeping bags afterward to the homeless. 
 
 On Friday night, Francis issued an impassioned plea for the downtrodden and oppressed while addressing throngs of young Catholics on Copacabana Beach for a re-enactment of Christ going to his crucifixion. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1e28CKB ||||| Pope Francis has made his strongest condemnation yet of inequality when he used a visit to a Brazilian slum to denounce the "culture of selfishness" that is widening the gap between rich and poor. 
 
 The first Latin American pontiff, who once worked with slum dwellers in his home city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, expressed solidarity with the residents of the Varginha favela in northern Rio de Janeiro, where he received a rapturous welcome. 
 
 "You are often disappointed by facts that speak of corruption on the part of people who put their own interests before the common good," Francis told a crowd which had gathered on a football pitch to hear him speak. "To you and all, I repeat: never yield to discouragement, do not lose trust, do not allow your hope to be extinguished. Situations can change, people can change." 
 
 Despite security concerns, the pope walked through the favela, which was once part of a region contested by drug-gangs that was so violent it was known as the Gaza Strip. 
 
 Varginha was "pacified" in January by special police units, which still maintain a presence in the community where Francis stopped to pray at a small local church. 
 
 The setting underscored the pope's focus on poor and peripheral communities, where the Catholic church has been losing followers in recent years to US-style evangelicalism. 
 
 On Thursday, the pontiff unleashed the most powerful and politically loaded rhetoric of his trip, attacking the "culture of selfishness and individualism" and urging more efforts to fight hunger and poverty. 
 
 "No amount of peace-building will be able to last, nor will harmony and happiness be attained in a society that ignores, pushes to the margins or excludes a part of itself," he said. 
 
 The throngs were largely kept at bay by security barriers, but Francis kissed babies and shook hands with well-wishers. Police helicopters buzzed overhead, and police snipers watched the crowd from rooftops. 
 
 In a mass the previous day, the pope had urged Catholics to resist the "ephemeral idols" of money, power, success and pleasure. He also waded into political waters gave a sharply worded condemnation of moves to legalise drug use during a visit on Wednesday to a rehabilitation centre in Brazil. 
 
 "A reduction in the spread and influence of drug addiction will not be achieved by a liberalisation of drug use, as is currently being proposed in various parts of Latin America," he said. 
 
 Those comments ran counter to a growing movement in Latin America to decriminalise the use of marijuana and other narcotics after decades of a murderous and largely ineffectual war against drugs in the region. 
 
 On Thursday evening, the pope drew hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to a World Youth Day mass on the Copacabana beach, which is better known for its sun worshippers. 
 
 Catholics from around the world flocked to Rio to hear and see Francis, whose visit for the WYD festival coincides with a wave of protest in Brazil over inequality, corruption, high prices and low standards of public service. A huge stage decorated with a crucifix and flanked by giant screens and speakers has been erected on the sands usually occupied by beach footballers, volleyball players and bikini-clad tourists. 
 
 On Thursday, however, the Catholic faithful who filled the area were shivering under umbrellas as Rio experienced one of its coldest and wettest winter days. The rain halted in time for the pope's procession through rapturous crowds, many carrying the flags of their countries, others in nuns' habits, monks' cassocks or wearing priests' dog collars. 
 
 "I've always heard that Cariocas (Rio-born people) did not like the cold or the rain. But you are here. Well done!" Pope Francis joked at the start of his address. 
 
 Many of those present had travelled for days by bus or plane to see a pope that they admire for his spirituality, lack of ostentation and strong emphasis on the poor. For many Brazilian Catholics, these qualities are appreciated at a time when more than a million people have taken to the streets to condemn local politicians and businessmen. 
 
 Giovana Mendes was one of those who took part in protests against what she described as "the shameful political situation". But the 17-year-old said she was filled with hope and excitement to see a Latin American pope. 
 
 "It's indescribable, marvellous. I have butterflies in my stomach. It's an amazing feeling," she said. "In my life, he is the best pope. He's for the people." 
 
 The focus of the pope's visit has been on drawing more young people into the church. Brazil is the world's most populous Catholic nation, but in recent years the Vatican has been alarmed by the rise of secularism and an exodus of worshippers to US-style evangelical groups. 
 
 In the 1980s, nearly 90% of Brazilians identified themselves as Catholic. Today, however, census data suggests only 65% do so, while 22% describe themselves as evangelical, and 10% say they are not religious. 
 
 Many expressed hope that the new pope would offer a change of style and focus that would help to reverse the decline. 
 
 "He's very humble. He likes to speak the language of young people," said Renan Maia Londrino, a 22-year-old from Paraná state. "I hope he can mobilise young people who are outside the church. This is an important moment for the entire world." 
 
 The authorities appear to have struggled with the conflicting desire of the pope to be as accessible as possible and the government's instinct to step up security at a time of heightened protest. 
 
 Another demonstration was staged on Thursday evening a few kilometres further along the coast outside the home of the unpopular Rio state governor, Sérgio Cabral, in Leblon. Protests at the same location earlier in the week were broken up with rubber bullets and teargas. 
 
 Although the pope has been careful not to take sides, the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, said her government needed to work closely with the Vatican "against a common enemy – inequality" and to do more to improve the lives of its people. 
 
 Although Francis had a somewhat conservative reputation in his home nation, Argentina, up until he was chosen as pope, his comments prior to his visit to Brazil on "savage capitalism" and the "dictatorship of the economy" heartened many on the left and those who joined the recent protests. 
 
 "The church fights with us. Pope Francisco fights with the people in these demonstrations," said Walace Luiz Herbst, a pilgrim from Brazil's Espírito Santo state. "Christ, the pope and the church won't sit quiet about injustice and inequality." 
 
 However, some demonstrators are unhappy that Brazil is reportedly spending $51m on hosting the pope. The organisation has hit occasional glitches. The Vatican announced on Thursday that the pope's schedule will have to change because the custom-built site where he was supposed to preside over Sunday mass has been waterlogged by the rain. Instead the event will take place on Copacabana beach.
– Pope Francis delivered a simple simple message to Latin American bishops in Brazil today—if you're going to help the needy and keep people from straying from the church, you've got to get outside and actually meet them: "We cannot keep ourselves shut up in parishes, in our communities, when so many people are waiting for the Gospel," he said. "Let us courageously look to pastoral needs, beginning on the periphery (of where we live), with those who are farthest away, with those who do not usually go to church. They, too, are invited to the table of the Lord." The speech drove home "a critique of elitism that has become the overarching theme of his first overseas trip," writes the Wall Street Journal, while USA Today sees it "as yet another admonishment ... for Catholics to adopt a more missionary mindset." After speaking to the region's bishops, Francis addressed politicians, business leaders, and intellectuals, and urged them to reach out to all members of society, too. "When leaders in various fields ask me for advice, my response is always the same: dialogue, dialogue, dialogue," he said, per USA Today. "It is the only way for individuals, families, and societies to grow, the only way for the life of peoples to progress."