Thousands gather to greet Catholic leader in Ecuador (PHOTOS)

oge okonkwo

July 7, 2015 1:14 PM

Looking relaxed, Pope Francis smiled as the crowds in Guayaquil cheered him and snapped selfies

Up to a million people reportedly gathered in Guayaquil to see Pope Francis.

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the Ecuadorean port city of Guayaquil on Monday to greet Pope Francis.

BBC reports that the pontiff waved to the crowds from his custom car ahead of an open-air mass in the city's Samanes Park.

He arrived in Ecuador on Sunday for the first leg of his three-country trip to Latin America, which will also take him to Bolivia and Paraguay.

It is his second visit to the region since becoming pontiff in 2013.

City officials said a million visitors had travelled to Guayaquil to see the Pope.

Looking relaxed, Pope Francis smiled as the crowds in Guayaquil cheered him and snapped selfies.

It was gathered that before his procession he visited the city's Divine Mercy shrine, where he reacted with good humour to nearly being poked in the eye by a young boy.

He spent a minute praying at the shrine and told the crowd he would pray for them.

A Vatican official estimated that half a million people had lined the streets of the Ecuadorean capital, Quito, on Sunday, to see the Pope.

Many also gathered in front of the Vatican Embassy in Quito, where he stayed the night.

He joined them for a prayer and, according to some of those present, said: "I am going to give you a blessing so that you go home and rest and let the neighbours get some sleep."

oge okonkwo