Pope Francis kicked off his first day in Mexico

People wait for Pope Francis in Mexico City's main square, the Zocalo,
Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Francis kicks off his first trip to Mexico on Saturday with speeches to the country's political and ecclesial elites, riding in on the success of his historic meeting in Cuba with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Pope Francis kicked off his first day in Mexico with a long popemobile ride past adoring crowds, launching into a day that starts with tough-love speeches to the country's political and church elite and ends with a silent prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe at the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world.

Cheers erupted as Francis' popemobile pulled out of the residence where he was staying, and he abruptly stopped to greet elderly, sick and disabled people who had gathered outside. He handed out rosaries to the faithful in wheelchairs and embraced a young boy wearing a surgical mask.