Photo of the Pope in Brazil courtesy of the BBC
It is his first visit to Latin America since becoming Pope in April 2005.
He is to perform a series of open air Masses before travelling to Aparecida for the focus of the visit, a major conference of Latin American bishops.
There he is expected to touch on the growing challenge the Catholic Church faces from evangelical groups.
Talking to journalists on the flight, the Pope said his main concern in the region was the loss of millions of disaffected Roman Catholics to evangelical churches. Pope arrives in Brazil for visit (more)
WATCH BBC VIDEO: Brazil’s [Roman] Catholic numbers down
Mark Alexander
