Pope Francis (L) and Ecuador's President Rafael Correa walk after Pope Francis landed in Quito, Ecuador, July 5, 2015 (Photo: Reuters)
Pope Francis arrived in Ecuador on Sunday to kick off his first South American trip in two years that will also take him to Bolivia and Paraguay and see him highlight the plight of the poor.
The 78-year-old, who hails from Argentina, landed at 2:43 pm (1943 GMT) at a blustery Mariscal Sucre international airport in Quito. It is the first visit by a pontiff to Ecuador in three decades.
He flew in an Alitalia passenger plane, in a sign of the austere simplicity he has sought to bring to his office.
He was greeted by Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa, who has faced growing calls for his ouster in some of the biggest antigovernment demonstrations to shake the country in recent years.
Francis's last visit to South America was a triumphant trip to Brazil in 2013 that culminated with some three million people gathering in Rio de Janeiro along Copacabana beach for a mass at the end of a Catholic youth festival.
The Catholic Church has about 1.2 billion followers globally, and Latin America represents the biggest portion of that population.
But the region has seen declining numbers as more people turn to Protestant churches.
"I want to bear witness to the joy of the Gospel and bring God's tenderness and care," the pope said before leaving for South America for an eight-day trip.
"Especially children in need, the elderly, the sick, the imprisoned, the poor, those who are victims of this throwaway culture."
Francis, who is the first Jesuit pope and also the first from South America, will give a Holy Mass to be broadcast in eight languages on Monday.
The papal visit coincides with a time of political tension in Ecuador.
Correa, an avowed admirer of Francis who describes himself as a "humanist Catholic of the left," has faced weeks of protests demanding his resignation over his policies, including an initiative to increase inheritance taxes.
Correa did not let the demonstrations overshadow his enthusiasm for the papal visit.
"We are filled with joy at the coming of Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope," Correa said in his weekly address.
"How the Church is changing! What a strong message you are bringing."
Correa will meet the pope late Monday. Francis will also meet Bolivian leader Evo Morales and Paraguay's President Horacio Cartes.
Since he was elected pope in March 2013, Francis has become an outspoken advocate for the poor and on social and environmental issues.
Last month, he urged the world to act quickly to prevent "extraordinary" climate change from destroying the planet.
In his ninth trip abroad, the three countries the pope is visiting are predominantly Catholic and have long struggled with poverty and inequality, which especially afflict indigenous populations. Francis is due to deliver no less than 22 speeches on this tour.
The visit is the second to Ecuador by a pope, with John Paul II traveling to the country in 1985.
Then, about 94 percent of the population was considered Catholic, compared to 80 percent today in the country of some 16 million.
The decrease has come as Evangelical churches have attracted huge numbers of followers, many of whom are indigenous people who have grown tired of a lack of attention from the Catholic hierarchy.
Francis is expected to make particular references to these communities.
The pope's visit will see him leave for La Paz, Bolivia on Wednesday.
He departs that country for Paraguay on Friday, before returning to Rome on July 12.
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